Dave drove up in his white jeep. He's one of a few expats that actually drives in Shanghai. His wife sat in the front seat. We laughed and talked the whole ten minutes to church.
Trinity Church of Shanghai meets in Meg's house every Sunday. Meg has blonde hair and talks like an Iowan because she is one. Her house is palatial and serves well as a meeting place for the church. Elyn, our speaker, rushed in to the living room late this week. She threw on her white robe and colorful sash and rushed to the front of the room. With a sumptuous smile and sweet voice she welcomed everyone. And then we were off through a whole set of traditional hymns and liturgy. The message was short and to the point. All listeners paid close attention and made no sound.
I found this church through my cousin's friend who lives in Beijing. After two Sundays at the massive charismatic church on my side of town, I was ready for some meat.
I have yet to find that fleshy satisfying stuff.
The two churches are good. Two hospitable and godly families have really reached out to me. Last night, I spoke to Lee, a mother and expat here, about the lack of depth in all sermons I have heard at three different churches here. She thinks most people wish they could be deeper, more expository, and more refreshing. Nothing changes though, she said. We couldn't pin down exactly why people don't speak up or take action.
I'm beginning to think things might be different if not every expat here had a personal maid, child care service, driver, villa, delicious food, clothes. Money can make people close up in some ways. Money can build a wall between a man and others. Maybe it's the same with their Lord. Expats here don't talk about their feelings or their struggles. People with money are supposed to have those things under their thumbs because they have the ability to do everything they want.
Rich people still struggle though and yearn for the Lord just as much. I see pain written on my friend Lee's face.
I'm curious what most of you have to say about this though.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is very interesting! I'm not as interested in China as I am in Japan, but I appreciate all of the asian countries. My fiance and I want to eventually move to Japan and be missionary-type people. Not actual missionaries, but we want to own a business like a cafe hangout place that is a place that people can learn about God. I also would love to have a bible study too. I always feel inadequate when I think about trying to teach people the bible, but it helps to remember that I'm only trying to teach them what the bible says, not my own knowledge. :) Thanks for writing about the churches you've found, I've yet to see much writing anywhere about visiting churches in Asia. ^^
ReplyDelete