As I mentioned in previous posts, there are lots of Chinese people in the South, especially in Hurstville. And the vast majority of them are non-Christians. Which means we need lots of churches in the area to be active in reaching out with the gospel.

So how many churches are there in the South?

As far as I know (which admittedly is limited), there are 17 churches in the area that have a ministry to Chinese people (though they are not necessarily a Chinese church). Here is a map of where they are, superimposed on top of the previous map of where Chinese people live (click on the image for a larger version):


It's good to see that most of the churches are located in places where more Chinese people live. One of the exceptions is actually my church in Mortdale. We really want to be in Hurstville, but being a small church we can't afford to rent much (yet).

Now 17 churches may sound like a lot. But some of those churches only cater for one language group. Some of them have no English pastor (or no pastors at all). And each of these churches would need to reach over 12,700 Chinese people! That's a lot of people!

Pray that God would send more pastors and church planters to make disciples and equip Christians in this area. Pray also for my church that we can find a more suitable location to do ministry.

Here's how things went today:

Spent the whole morning working on my talk. Much of the time was just on packaging since the actual content was stuff I've done before. But because it was packaging, I kept chopping and changing. It was like decorating your house. I would arrange the furniture and move things around. But when I stepped back and had another look, I decided I didn't like it after all. So then I would move things around again...and the cycle continued like that for awhile, until...

...it was 15 mins before it started! I quickly hit the print button, saying a quick prayer under my breath hoping that it was good enough.

I planned to show a short video at the start to introduce the topic. I had already packed into the car a few days earlier the data projector, extension cord and power board. I made sure I remembered to grab the PC speakers from my office.

I jumped in the car and quickly drove off. 10 mins to go! I was about half way there when I realised I forgot a most crucial piece of equipment - my laptop with the video file!!!

My instant reaction was to turn around and go get it. But after a brief attempt at going back, I had to admit that I wouldn't make it in time. So with less than 5 mins to go I quickly continued my way to the school, berating myself for my forgetfulness.

Got there a tiny bit late. No worries - the first 10 mins is just eating and socialising. But walking into the school, the place seemed really empty. There were only a few people around, not the usual crowds you get at lunch time.

I found the classroom and went inside. There were less than 10 people there - half of our usual numbers. It turns out that today was the start of exams, and those who don't have exams don't have to come to school. That kind of changed things, as I had hoped to do some group interaction. But with so few people it wouldn't really work.

So I quickly made some changes on the spot and got started. The students seemed (at least to me) to be listening, and they answered my questions with "safe" answers. The time goes quickly, and before I know it, the end-of-lunch bell had gone. I didn't finish all my material, but I had to wrap it up anyways.

All in all, it could've been better, but it wasn't a wipe-out either. I learnt a few things for next time, and hopefully the students did too.

Thank God for helping me to get everything together and speak clearly today, even though I was nervous and flustered. Pray that the students would not be like the man who looks at the mirror but immediately forgets what he looks like.

One of the things I've been involved with this year is the lunch time ISCF group at one of the local high schools. The group is made up of mainly Aussies. And it's made me realised just how Chinese I am - I don't know how to relate to them at all! It's a bit better with other non-Aussie students, but there's not many of them at this group.

As far as I can tell, most of the students are not Christians, and they come because there's free food. In term 1, I was simplying observing while the regular leaders gave a talk/Bible study. But this term I am trying to get more involved. Tomorrow I will be leading for the first time, and I'm a bit worried about how it'll go, given my inability to relate to them.

Please pray that I will be able to prepare well and engage the students. Pray also that they will listen and be challenged by God's Word.

One of the most obvious statistics to look at is of course the religious affiliation of Chinese people in the South. Here is the breakdown (click on the pie chart for a larger image):


A number of observations & reflections:

1. 50% of Chinese people identify themselves as having no religion. That's not surprising given the background of communist China.
   
2. But from my experience, these Chinese people are not atheists (certainly nothing like Richard Dawkins). They don't necessarily believe in no god(s). They just don't subscribe to an established religion. I find that they are a mix of Taoist beliefs, Confucius mindset and Chinese mythology/animism.
   
3. Although 24% of Chinese people identify themselves as Christians, you can see that this is a very broad category that includes cults like Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons.
   
4. If we leave out the cults, and separate the Catholics into a separate category (for reasons I'll leave for discussion at another time), we are left with 4,620 Christians (13.77%).
   
5. From my contact with churches in the area, I estimate that there are around 2,500 Chinese people who regularly meet with Christians on a weekly basis. Of course, that includes non-Christians and nominal Christians. So I would say that a more realistic estimate is probably around 7% Christians.

Pray for the many who are trapped in Taoism, Confucianism and animism, that the gospel will break through these barriers and speak into their lives.

Pray for the Christians in the South that we may be active in reaching out with the gospel, and also live in such a way that makes people take notice.

Thank you to those who have been praying for us as we deal with the recent events. Let me give you some updates.

Firstly, regarding Carmen's injury. She needs to have a minor surgery done next week which shouldn't be any problems. Mentally and emotionally she's a bit better now, though that may resurface again after the surgery. There's a chance that the medical costs will be covered by the church's public liability insurance. But if not, it'll be a big chunk out of our wallet. Either way, there will also be expensive ongoing medical costs for the rest of her life as well.

Give thanks that there are good medical professionals who are able to help us. Pray that the surgery will go smoothly, and ask that God will provide for our finances (either through insurance or other means).

Secondly, regarding the girl (H) who decided to leave last week (I'll refer to people using first name initial). She plans to keep on coming to youth group on Friday nights. I also hope to continue to disciple her 1-on-2 with the girl (W) who recently became a Christian (though that is not 100% confirmed yet).

Give thanks that H can continue to meet with Christians and get spiritual input on Friday. Pray for me as I disciple H and W that it will be an encouraging and fruitful time. Pray also for me as I continue to deal with ongoing issues in the church.

We have seen that there are many Chinese people living in Hurstville and in the South. In future posts, I will take a closer look at what these Chinese people are like.

Here is the age breakdown in each region (click on the graph for a larger image):

Here's another version with the bars stacked on top of each other (again, click on the graph for a larger image):

As you can see, there aren't many people in the 60+ age range (only 10%). Many of the people are in the 20-29 and 40-49 age bracket (almost 40%). Yet I have none of those age groups in my congregation. I suppose most of those in the 40-49 bracket would probably prefer to speak Cantonese or Mandarin (I will do a post later about language). But I would really like to reach those in the 20-29 bracket.

Any ideas on how to reach this group?

Pray for wisdom as I think about how to broaden the age spread in my congregation by reaching out into the local community.

Yesterday, another person in my congregation decided to leave our church because of rumours and gossip in the Cantonese congregation. I've really seen the damaging effects of the tongue lately and feeling quite frustrated, disappointed and helpless. Together with what happened last Friday, I've been a bit down in the dumps and worn out.

This morning I was struggling to pray, so I spent some time mediating on Scripture and using it as stimulus for prayer. It's helped a bit, but I would very much value your prayers for us at this time.

Pray that I can find comfort and refuge in God at this time. Pray against Satan that he may not hinder the work of the gospel but that the Holy Spirit will do a wonderful work of refining me.