This past weekend, over 300 Chinese Christians from mainland China and other overseas cities gathered at the San Francisco beach to pray for China, hoping that it could become a source of blessing to transform their motherland.
As part of the two-day long missions conference titled “This Generation of Ours” hosted by China Soul at the Flint Center at De Anza College in San Francisco from Dec. 6-7, the prayer meeting aims to pray for the highest leadership, every sector of the society, church, mission field, and etc,.
At 3 p.m., Sunday, this group of believers who consist mostly of those over 60 years old and many mothers with children faced the Pacific Ocean and lined up into three rows. They began the prayer meeting by singing “Missions China” and “China’s Morning 5 A.M.”
Influential Chinese evangelist Yuan Zhiming, Luke Zhang, Wang Shijun, Yujiang Hong, Zhang Boli, Xiao Min each took turn to lead the crowd in prayers. Despite the cold winter wind, the participants prayed raising their hands and shouting out to God, praying that the gospel can reach to every level and sector of China’s society, according to Chinese Christianity Network TV (CCNTV).
A Canada-based Chinese pastor Yujiang Hong prayed that the Lord can touch and move the highest leaderships in China so they will receive the blessings of the gospel. In addition, he prayed that they will not only be able to see that the gospel is the way to salvation, but it is also the way for China to establish a righteous society.
Hong said in his prayer, “Give to Caesar what’s Caesar’s, and give to God’s what is God’s” and God is the highest authority and our spirits belong to God and that Christians in China should be allowed to worship, to proselytize, and to gather freely. He prayed that the government can see that the House churches are a blessing to China and that its members can be good national citizens.
Furthermore, Boli Zhang, former Chinese dissident but now a pastor at a Chinese church in Fairfax, Virginia, cried out in his prayer that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and that we should repent in place of our home nation that have not placed God in our hearts but have exalted the leaders. He said that the blood of Jesus will break all bonds of the Chinese people and give them the true peace and freedom found in the love of Jesus; China will not have any more violence or war but this peace of Christ shall reign; the Chinese leaders can also have this freedom in Christ and that the forgiveness of God can fall upon China.
In between the prayers, Xia Min led the crowd to sing the “Heart of China.”
Streaks of sunrays shot through the clouds, which seemed to be a response to the prayers of those gathered. Throughout the event, a helicopter circled above them, recording this unforgettable scene of hundreds of Chinese Christians praying for the evangelization of the world’s most populous nation.
[Editor's note: reporter Sharon Chan in San Francisco contributed to this report.]
