LAMPLIGHTER
Summer 2015
Ten Years of Ministry
by Kevin Fedewa
2015 marks an important milestone for the Chinese ministry at St. John’s. This year, the Chinese ministry is celebrating ten years of God’s grace and blessings. Over the past ten years, St. John’s has been blessed with the opportunity to provide worship services, adult and youth Bible study, and Christian fellowship— all conducted in Mandarin Chinese. This ministry is bringing the Word of God to a continually increasing number of Chinese nationals who are moving into our community. Some of these Chinese nationals have made Milwaukee their home. Many others are young scholars briefly passing through on their journey toward their long-term academic or career goals. As the number of these young scholars enrolling in our WELS schools increases, the role of the Chinese ministry at St. John’s is becoming all the more important. In the past six months, three Wisconsin Lutheran High School students and one St. John’s Lutheran School student were baptized into the Christian faith. In addition, Keyi Zou, the Chinese student currently enrolled at St. John’s School, was confirmed with the other members of his 8th grade class this spring. St. John’s has provided a place for these students to hear, grow, and be strengthened in the Word regularly in their mother language. Pastor Yu’s connections to new international schools in Shanghai could potentially bring even more Chinese students to the United States in the coming years.
In spite of all of these blessings, challenges also abound. Many Chinese students stay in Milwaukee for only a short period of time, leaving regular worship and Bible study behind when they relocate for college or work. In addition, the Chinese community within Milwaukee has grown, and this has led to an increase in events, activities, and weekend schools run and organized by the secular Chinese community. All of these activities fill up weekends and create conflicts with designated worship opportunities. To address these challenges, the Chinese congregation at St. John’s met on February 14, after the Chinese New Year worship service. The meeting established the congregation’s first advisory council. This council will support, encourage, advise, and assist Pastor Yu. In addition, the council will set a direction for the Chinese congregation and its ministry. Member Bill Wu was unanimously elected chairman of the advisory council. Three coordinator positions will also be filled: an education coordinator, a youth coordinator, and an outreach coordinator. With God’s help, this new council will work together with Pastor Yu to better serve Him and fulfill His work. All members of St. John’s are also encouraged to support the Chinese ministry with your prayers and involvement. The Chinese are one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in Wisconsin and outreach opportunities are abundant. If you have Chinese colleagues or neighbors, reach out to them, build relationships with them, share God’s Word with them, and encourage them to come with you to St. John’s.