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In many ways, it's like any other church. The service Includes hymns,
prayers, blessings and a sermon, What sets it apart from the other churches
in Kalamazoo is the language in which the majority of these elements occur;
Mandarin Chinese.
At the Kalamazoo Chinese Christian Church, 5334 Parkview, the majority
of the 40-member congregation speaks Mandarin Chinese. Visitors and non-Chinese
spouses of members aren't left out in the cold, however. Ushers provide
individual headsets to those who do not speak Chinese as a first language.
A member of the church, sitting in the back, translates the sermon into
English as it is delivered by the minister and broadcasts it on a limited-range
frequency.
In a truly unusual experience, the headsets provide the best of both
world: Listeners hear the sermon in two languages simultaneously, matching
up the facial expressions and gestures of the minister to what is being
said. Hymns at the Bible-based church are sung in English while prayers,
which are not translated, are in Chinese.
Dr. Wei-Chiao Huang, past chairman of the church's Council For Workers
and a professor of economies at Western Michigan University, said the
church began 15 years ago as an outgrowth of a Bible study held at WMU.
Originally founded as the Kalamazoo Chinese Christian Fellowship, the
church met at the First Presbyterian Church and Second Reformed Church
until members built
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includethe underground churches. If you included those members, the
number would rise to 50 million, or 4 percent of the population."
Huang said the government regards Christianity as a "legal" religion
as long as churches are registered and there are no outside influences
such as missionaries. But not all groups register, instead preferring
the freedom of staying underground.
"The home church movement is very effective at evangelism," he said.
"Essentially, the government doesn't want you to spread the Gospel. When
I visit China, I have to be careful not to do anything to make me unwelcome.
I'm not supposed to ship Bibles or any other materials. That would be
considered smuggling.
"I'm from Taiwan, so I can't speak for people who have come out of that
environment. But I've encountered several who have. The freedom to worship
here is so different from that in China."
Reaching out
Huang said one of the Chinese Christian Church's objectives is to reach
out to all non-Christians, "especially those of Chinese descent: our kindred.
This may be the first time students or scholars hear the word of God,
which puts us in a strategic position for His work. Many of those who
come to us do so by word-of-mouth. We also get lists of new students and
scholars from the Chinese Student Association at WMU."
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"Our first and only full-time minister was Paul Shen, from 1992 to June
of 1998," Huang said. "He left to become senior pastor of a Chinese Christian
Church in Baltimore."
Shen returned for the dedication service to preach and share in the congregation's
celebration. "He still cares very much for us," Huang Said.
He said the selection process for new ministers is difficult. "Our challenge
is to find the one who has the genuine calling, or burden, to pastor a
small church in the Midwest. We aren't looking for just a Sunday-morning
preacher. We are looking for a full-time pastor. For the last 18 months,
all of the pastoral duties have been distributed among the member, which
as given us firsthand knowledge of how difficult leading a church can
be. It is not an easy job, like some may think."
Another element which sets the Chinese Christian Church apart from many
others is the way it collects offerings. Members deposit their financial
gifts in a specially marked box in the church vestibule rather than giving
during services. Also unique is the Chinese English Bible. The left-hand
side of each page is written in Chinese. On the opposite side is the English
translation.
Looking toward the future, Huang said, "We're going to continue what
we, what everyone, is commissioned to de. We the church building God has
blessed us with, we can increase our outreach. And, with a new minister
on board, we will be able to accomplish even more."
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