WewantedtocreateafamilyenvironmentforAfricanslivinginBeijing,toworshipGodintheirAfricanstyleandintheirvariouslanguages,andtobeabletogrowspirituallyandintheirpracticalday-todaylives.
FavourIbom,Pastor,AfricanOutreachMinistry,Beijing
FOR27-year-oldMozambicanjournalistAnaRitaTene,thethoughtoflivinginChinawithoutbeingabletogotochurchwouldmeanbeingcastintoaspiritualwilderness.Tene,whohasbeeninBeijingfor10months,worksforaPortuguesedailynewspaperNotíciasinMozambique.ShewassenttoChinaforajournalismexchangeprogramlastyear.
Onarrival,heronlinesearchesforEnglishchurchservicesprovedfruitless.However,onemonthlater,ontherecommendationofafriend,shejoinedtheAfricanOutreachMinistry(AOM)andwaspleasantlysurprised.
“HereyoucanhavetheAfricankindofservice,soyoufeellikeyouareathome,becausethewayweworshipandpray,[and]eventhesongswesing,arealmostthesame[asbeingbackhome],”shetoldChinAfrica.
TheAOMwasfoundedbyadozenAfricanslivingandstudyinginChinain2005,undertheauspicesoftheBeijingInternationalChristianFellowship(BICF)-aninternationalnon-denominationalchurchinBeijingwhichdatesbackto1980.
“WewantedtocreateafamilyenvironmentforAfricanslivinginBeijing,toworshipGodintheirAfricanstyleandintheirvariouslanguages,andtobeabletogrowspirituallyandintheirpracticalday-to-daylives,”FavourIbom,PastoroftheAOM,toldChinAfrica.IbomisaNigerianwhohasbeenworkinginAOMsinceitwasfounded.
Overthepast12years,withtheincreaseofthenumberofAfricanscomingtoChina,thenumberoftheAOMchurchgoersattendingtheSundaymorningservicehasgrownfromlessthan20tomorethan200,whilethenumberreaches350onbigoccasionssuchasChristmasandEaster,accordingtoIbom.
“OurvisionistoreachoutandimpacttheAfricancommunityinBeijingwiththeloveandlifeofJesusChrist,”hesaid.
IbomisalsoconsciousoftheneedtoworkwithintheChineselawinrelationtoreligion.HesaidthattheChineseGovernmenthandlesreligiousaffairsinstrictcompliancewiththelawandprotectsnormalreligiousactivitiesofforeignersinChina.“Aslongasyouconductreligiousactivitiesinaccordancewiththelawandregulations,yourrightsandinterestswillbeguaranteedhereinChina,”hesaid.
Feelingathome
AOM’sservicesplacegreatemphasisonferventprayer,celebratoryAfricansinginganddancing,in-depthworshipandpowerfulteachingofthewordofGod.
“WorshipthroughmusicisveryimportanttoAfricans.TheAfricanwayofworshipisverycelebratory,vibrantandengaging,”saidIbom.“AtAOM,peoplefeelfreetoexpressthemselvesinworshipastherearenorestrictions.”
Andwithregardstothepreaching,Tenesaid,“Aslongasit’sanAfricanwayofpreaching,youwillfeelathome,nomatteryoufindyourselfinChina,intheUnitedStates,inRussiaoranywhereintheworld.”
Tene’scolleagueLitebohoMahula,aneditorwiththeLesothoNewsAgency,echoedhersentiment.“Onewillfeellonelywhenyouareinatotallydifferentenvironment,especiallywhenyouareawayfromyourregularchurchservicesyounormallyhaveathome.ButnowIstillfeelathomewhenIgotothechurchhereinChina,”shesaid.
GloriaOkolo,aNigerianwomanprofessional,hasworkedintheBeijingofficeofaNigeriancompanyforseveralyears.Shesaidshehasasenseofbelonginginthechurch.“Ourfamiliesarefarawayfromus,butthischurchislikeabiggerfamily.Herewehaveourmothers,fathers,sistersandbrotherswhowecantalkwithandcanaskanyquestion,”shesaid.
Ahelpinghand
Thechurchalsooffershelptotheworshipersinneed.Tenesaidaftersheattendedthechurchforthefirsttimeandintroducedherself,shewaslateremailedbyotherconcernedworshiperswhoofferedherprayersandhelpifneeded.“Theyalwayscareaboutyouandhowyoulive.Ifyouencountersomeproblems,theywouldliketohelpyouanytime,”shesaid.
“Wheneveryoufindanyproblem,nomatterit’saphysicalorspiritualproblem,afinancialoranemotionalproblem,theyarewillingtohelpandwillmakesuretheproblemissolved,”saidOkolo.
OkolorecalledwhenshefirstcametoChina,shefoundoutthatChineselanguagewasdifficulttolearnandfeltfrustrated.SomeofthecongregatesgavehersomeChineselanguageteachingDVDsandbooks,whichwereveryhelpful.
ForthenewcomerstoabigcitylikeBeijing,AOMisagoodplacetogo,Ibomsuggested.
“ConsideringthevastculturaldifferencesandthehugepopulationinChina,it’ssoeasytofindyourselffeelinglonelyandmissinghome.Soit’simportanttogetconnectedinthefamilyofthechurch,”hesaid,addingthatpeopleinthechurchwhohavebeenlivinginBeijingforyearscanalwaysgivepracticalsuggestionstonewcomersabouthowtoquicklyadapttotheenvironment.
PastorFavourIbompresidestheAOM2017NewYearserviceonJanuary1,2017COURTESYPHOTOS
ThecongregationdancesduringchurchserviceSharingandlearning
InadditiontotheSundaymorning90-minuteservice,AOMhasothermid-weekandweekendprogramsandactivitiestonurturethefellowshipandtoreachouttomorepeoplebeyondtheSundayservice.
AOMalsohasseveralsub-ministriessuchasSonsofAbrahamformen,DaughtersofZionforwomen,ChristAmbassadorsfordiplomatsandGloryEncounterforyoungpeople.
Forinstance,thewomen’sfellowshipeveryTuesdayeveningisaprogrammedevent,withaspeakerandworkshopthatcoversawiderangeoftopicsfromwomen’shealthandempowermenttohowtobegoodwivesandmothers.
“WegathertogethertostudytheBible,sharethingsaboutlifeandwomen,organizeworkshops,andcelebrateevents,suchasnewbornbabiesandweddings,”saidOkolo.
Ibomsaidthewomen’sfellowshipaimsatequippingwomenwithpracticalteachingtobecomevirtuouswomenateveryseasonintheirlives,whetheraswives,mothers,daughters,sisters,homemakersoremployees.
“Inaddition,wehavecommunitygroupsofmixedgenderandagegroupssetupaccordingtomembers’geographicallocationsinthecity,whichhelpcongregantstointeractandjourneytogetherintheirspiritualwalkonadailybasisthroughsocialmediaplatformsandarrangedphysicalmeetings,”saidIbom.
However,thechurchservicesarenotlimitedtoAfricansonly.EveryonewholovestheAfricanstyleofworshipiswelcometojointheAOM.
“Wehavepeoplefromnon-AfricancountrieswhohavemadeAOMtheirhomeduringtheirtimehereinBeijing.Itisourdesiretoseepeoplefromallwalksoflife,AfricansandfriendsofAfricans,comeandexperiencefamilylove,care,comfortandgenuinefriendships,”Ibomconcluded.
CACHINA
REPORTServiceScheduleoftheAOM
Language:English
Time:11:00AM(everySunday)
Venue:3rdFloorConferenceRoom,BICF21stCenturyHotel
Address:No.40LiangmaqiaoRoad,ChaoyangDistrict,Beijing
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