TBL China Prayer Requests

 Pronunciation note: in English, Changchun is pronounced roughly as “Chahng choon”

December 7 – This week, pray for the needs of the people of Changchun. Pray for the church to be a Christlike witness to their friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family members.

December 8 – A pastor in Changchun says, “The middle class in China worries about everything right now. They worry about the stock market and national affairs, but also about social security, health insurance, cash flow, and income. They worry about their children’s education, their marriages, and their elderly parents. So anxiety and depression have become extremely common in recent years.” Pray for people in China who are worried about the economy, and caring for children and elderly parents. Pray for God’s grace to be with them.

December 9 – “In campus ministry,” says one Changchun pastor, “we also face big challenges. Students in general are not as interested in faith as before. They are guarded and wary. In the past, they were quite curious and open toward Christianity. Now, with the environment tightening and schools imposing stricter control, students feel pressure and fear.” Pray for more opportunities for student ministry, and for students to come to know Christ

December 10 – A pastor in Changchun says, “Some brothers and sisters are genuinely afraid that attending a house church could cost them their ‘system jobs’—positions in government agencies, public schools, or hospitals. Even older believers who are close to retirement sometimes just want to ‘retire safely.’ If they were to be more open about their Christian faith, they could face serious trouble. So some brothers and sisters feel very tense in church, especially when they hear reports of persecution. Any news of crackdowns frightens them, and they often become afraid and stop attending gatherings.” Pray for believers in “system jobs” not to be afraid, and for the Lord to be with them and protect them.

December 11 – A pastor who works with autistic children in Changchun says, “The proportion of children with autism in China is increasing; the rate is now close to 1%, and even higher in the U.S. So this field has grown rapidly in the last decade, especially the last five or six years. Through our work we want to care for these children and their parents and show them the love of Christ.” Pray for this ministry, for autistic children and their parents in Changchun to know the love of Christ.

December 12 – A pastor in Changhun says, “Although in society at large the birth rate is dropping, within the churches the next generation actually looks quite hopeful—we have more and more children. Many families now have two, three, or even four children. So within the church we see more and more children. Each year our first-grade classes in the Christian schools are larger than the year before. In that sense, the churches are contributing to society by bearing and raising more children.” Pray for Chinese society to be blessed by Chinese Christian parents and their children.

December 13 – A pastor in Changchun says, “We are coming into contact with more and more people struggling with depression, whether through our center or in the church—brothers, sisters, and pastors’ wives. This is a widespread phenomenon across China as education becomes increasingly competitive. Many teenagers are dealing with depression, often linked to public education. We now have people studying and preparing to offer more professional help for this group in the future.” Pray for good professional help for people struggling with depression, and for the church to show these people the love and compassion of Christ.

12月7日 – 本周，请为长春市民的需要祷告。祈愿教会能成为基督的见证，向他们的朋友、邻居、同事和家人彰显基督的形象。

12月8日 – 长春一位牧师表示：”中国中产阶级如今忧心忡忡。他们忧虑股市与国情，也担忧社保、医保、现金流动和收入。他们挂念子女教育、婚姻状况和年迈的父母。因此近年焦虑抑郁已极为普遍。”求主眷顾那些忧心经济、操心儿女与父母的中国民众，愿神的恩典常与他们同在。

12月9日——一位长春牧师表示：“校园事工同样面临巨大挑战。学生群体对信仰的兴趣远不如从前，他们变得戒备而谨慎。过去他们对基督教充满好奇与开放态度，如今随着环境收紧、学校管控加强，学生们深感压力与恐惧。”求主为校园事工开辟更多契机，使学子认识基督。

12月10日——长春一位牧师坦言：“有些弟兄姊妹真心害怕参加家庭教会会丢掉’体制内工作’——即政府机关、公立学校或医院的职位。就连临近退休的年长信徒有时也只想’安稳退休’。若公开表明基督信仰，可能面临严重麻烦。” 因此许多弟兄姊妹在教会中倍感紧张，尤其听到逼迫报道时。任何打压消息都令他们惊惶，常因恐惧而停止聚会。” 求主使体制内的信徒免于恐惧，愿祂同在护佑。

12月11日 – 长春一位自闭症儿童事工牧师表示： “中国自闭症儿童比例持续攀升，现已接近1%，比美国的比例更高。因此这领域近十年发展迅猛，尤其近五六年。我们愿通过事工关怀这些孩子及其父母，向他们彰显基督之爱。”求主祝福这项事工，让长春的自闭症儿童及其父母认识基督的爱。

12月12日——长春一位牧师表示：”尽管社会整体出生率下降，但教会内部的下一代却充满希望——我们的孩子越来越多。如今许多家庭生育两个、三个甚至四个孩子。因此在教会中，我们看到越来越多的孩子。基督教学校每年的一年级班级规模都比前一年更大。从这个意义上说，教会正通过生育和养育更多孩子为社会作出贡献。” 求主祝福中国社会，让基督徒父母和他们的孩子成为社会的祝福。

12月13日 – 长春一位牧师表示：”无论是通过我们的中心还是在教会中，我们接触到越来越多受抑郁症困扰的人——弟兄、姊妹、牧师妻子。随着教育竞争日益激烈，这已成为中国普遍现象。许多青少年正承受着抑郁症的困扰，这往往与公共教育有关。我们目前正培养专业人才，为将来能为这群人提供更专业的帮助做准备。”请为那些受抑郁症困扰的人能获得良好的专业帮助祷告，也请为教会能向这些人展现基督的爱与怜悯祷告。