Preparing to Plant in Maryland, USA
An update from Fengyu Ji, pastoral intern at Grace Church, Clarksburg, Maryland, USA…
It has been four months since we joined Grace Church of Clarksburg. It may not seem very long, but we have been greatly blessed! As a pastoral intern, I attend weekly pastoral meetings and staff meetings, as well as monthly deacon meetings and regional pastor meetings. These meetings help me learn the ministry philosophies behind Grace Church and Sovereign Grace Churches. With much reflection, my conviction to plant a healthy, gospel-centered, Chinese-speaking church within Sovereign Grace has been strengthened every day.
My wife Fangzhou and I have had the privilege of receiving one-on-one mentorship from pastor John Loftness and his wife Nancy every week. The discussions on core doctrines within the book of John, week in and week out has really deepened my understanding and transformed my life. Their loving care and spiritual counsel has not only nourished our souls but has also guided us to biblical wisdom. Our gratefulness is beyond words!
Meanwhile, Fangzhou and I have also visited all six community groups within our church to both get to know members and be known. As we shared our stories and plans for church planting, they all rejoiced with us and were eager to support us in any way they could. In mid-January, I got to preach in English for the first time at Grace Church. Afterwards, I received many kind and generous words of encouragement from these lovely friends. They were determined to build us up!
Since we moved to Clarksburg a few months ago, God has opened doors for us to know the Chinese neighbors around us. We began to build relationships with them and share the gospel with them. From the end of January, we started a small group at our home to show hospitality and deepen relationships with our neighbors. In March, to those who showed interest, we seized the opportunity and started a strategic evangelism course at our home to further the conversation with them. After comparing several courses, we chose Christianity Explored because all their videos have been translated into Chinese and we could use them immediately. Plus, we got to read the gospel of Mark with these non-believers together. We hoped to build their faith upon God’s Word from the very beginning. Now five non-believing neighbors are coming weekly. We usually have a meal together before we open the Bible and watch the video. We also give them the freedom to ask any questions they want to. May the Holy Spirit mightily work in their hearts during this process!
To communicate our various events, we have set up a Facebook page for the public to receive information. On this platform, we also invite people to church or listen to the Sunday sermon by summarizing a brief gospel message. We also printed out business cards in Chinese with our ministry introduction and my personal contact info to give to people. These cards are also available on the welcome desk for church members to grab or use in various business settings, if any.
As it gets warmer, we plan to order some gospel booklets in Chinese and do open-air evangelism by the grocery store at the center of our community. When the outdoor pools in the neighborhood are open, we also plan to go and meet people there. Recently, I got to connect with a local Chinese barber in Clarksburg, a shop which I regularly visit. Hopefully that will lead to another opportunity! We are currently doing prayer walks whenever we take a walk in our neighborhood.
We know that behind this seemingly peaceful and quiet community, a relentless spiritual war is going on. So, we really need your prayers for the following things:
Please pray for the gospel class we are running at our home. Please pray that the Lord will open the eyes of these five non-believers who are coming, so that they are able to see the truth and put their trust in Christ.
Please pray for our Chinese neighbors, that their hearts may be softened and ready to hear the gospel. Please pray that the Lord opens more doors for us to connect with them.
Please pray for a core team, and that God calls more workers to labor with us for this church plant.
Please pray for my preparation towards ordination.
Please pray for our translation work (Sovereign Grace songs and Sovereign Grace books) and publication in China.
Thank you for all your support and prayers!
