YES. Contrary to common belief, there are in fact churches in Beijing. When I was preparing for this semester, I remember sitting with my mentor Whitney and discussing my anxieties about studying abroad. Two of these anxieties included not having biblical community and not having the opportunity to go to services. Yes, there's always the possibility of watching Frontline services online, but that's just not the same. While in one of my slumps last week I decided to Google "Christian Churches in Beijing." I mean, why not? When the search engine came back with results I was SHOCKED. There's a church literally a metro stop away from campus or a 5 minute drive from campus. I was completely excited and the idea of going to church on Sunday kept me going all week.
Come Sunday morning, I got dressed and headed out to service. I must admit, I was a little worried that someone was going to stop me and arrest me for going to church. Nothing like that happened, of course and I learned that some churches have permission to hold services and operate in China as long as attendees have foreign identification. Karen=Happy! Not only do I now have a place to go on Sundays but I was also plugged into a small group and am so looking forward to the "Friday Night Fellowship" for "college students and young professionals." Y'all have no idea how absolutely pumped I am. Tomorrow I'll be meeting with someone from the Young Adults ministry for coffee to learn more about the congregation and how to get involved.
My search for a church and community has definitely opened a lot of doors in terms of great discussions with classmates. It has been a very encouraging couple of days here in Beijing. Things are definitely looking up!
Pinterest Words of Encouragement
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