Praise to the Lord: Christian Organizations in Beijing

Praise to the Lord: Christian Organizations in Beijing

Jean Ellie Guillaume, 24, says that when he came to China from Haiti in 2009, he had it in his heart and prayers to find a place to worship, but when he arrived he was hesitant to ask people questions. He says he held back because he had learnt that China's communist party is officially atheist, and has had an uneasy relationship with Christianity. “I never thought the local Chinese had a name for God,” Guillaume said.

Today, Guillaume says he was wrong, as he later discovered that there are various terms used for god in the Chinese language, the most prevalent being shàngdì (上帝), literally, "Sovereign King Above," used commonly by Protestants and also by non-Christians, and tiānzhǔ (天主), literally, Lord of Heaven, which is most commonly favoured by Catholics.

"My other expectations were that all Christians, if any, would be meeting behind locked doors in very small groups," he added. In fact, he has found many Chinese very open to discussing religion. Most have told him that they are not religious, but that they have heard of Christianity and know it is prevalent in America and other parts of the world.

A 2010 survey by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences determined that China’s Christian community now number over 23 million, but independent estimates claim that actual numbers could be as high as 100 million. Although the official figure only represents 1.8% of the population, China is home to some 55,000 churches.  

Christian organizations:

If you’re looking for groups or tips on where to practice Christianity, Beijing International Christian Fellowship (BICF) is a very good place to start. Beijing’s largest interdenominational congregation, BICF offers regular services in English, Mandarin and six other languages. However, due to local government regulations, BICF is open to foreign passport holders only. As such, all people who attend the services must produce a photo ID that proves foreign citizenship. Services are held at 21st Century Hotel on Liangmaqiao Lu and you can find more info on services on their website: http://www.bicf.org/

Another group catering to various religious denominations is The Congregation of the Good Shepard. The group holds choir practices twice a month, Sunday school for children, regular worship and a number of fellowship get together activities and events. Their regular location is Capital Mansion Athletic Club on Xinyuan Nanlu in Chaoyang District, and more details can be found on their website: www.cogs-bj.org.

The River of Grace Church in Beijing is an international church that believes in building relationships with God and others. With a strong emphasis on families and singles, the church likes to consider itself a “church family” away from home. River of Grace is also involved in various relief and outreach projects, and holds regular Sunday service at 10:00am at The Great Hotel. Please not, this church is only open to foreign passport holders. More info on their website: www.theriverofgrace.com.

Capital Community Congregation is an interdenominational congregation based in Shunyi, who hold regular get-together events, bible readings, Mandarin bible study groups, support groups, counseling and more. Please see their website for more details: www.capitalcommunitychurch.org.

Beijing Baptist Church also offers worship services every Sunday, with opportunities to mingle over tea and coffee 30 minutes before each service. Their services are held in CTS Hotel on the Northeast Third Ring Road (Beisanhuan Donglu), every Sunday at 10:30. Website: http://beijingbaptistchurch.org/index.htm

For a list of Christian churches and Catholic churches click here and here respectively.

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Keywords: Christian worship in Beijing Christian organizations China religious organizations Beijing

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