In his thirtieth letter to Rev. Jimmy Lin, 67-year-old “Mr. Huang” from Beijing, China, wrote, “I used to be a Communist party member and an atheist. I have been listening to your program since the fall of 1997. I committed my life to Christ in 1998 and was baptized in 1999. God has turned my life around completely through many drastic events and your program.”
Huang’s story is just one that illustrates the importance of media reach into China. An average of 900 people each month phone, write, or e-mail The Back to God Hour’s Chinese staff telling of changed lives, asking questions about God, or requesting literature to help them live out their Christian faith.
One new believer wrote, “I have been daily bombarded by the counseling of party officials at my workplace and the advice of people from the National Birth Control Bureau to have an abortion of my second baby. Now my husband wants me to do the same so that we will not be punished and that our first-born will not be discriminated against. I am at a loss as to what to do.”
A gynecologist asked a similar question: “If I follow the policy of my country and perform these abortions, I will be sinning against God. If I don’t follow, I will surely be in deep trouble! Pray for me and I hope you can give me some advice.”
For those living in difficult situations, the Chinese ministry is making a difference. “This little booklet brought me into God’s presence and changed my life. It gave me perspective and helped me to hold on,” wrote one reader of the Chinese TODAY devotional.
In rural areas, poverty and persecution bring particular challenges. “You can never imagine what the conditions are in the more rural areas of China,” a veteran Christian worker wrote to Lin.
“They do not have enough to eat, to wear. They cannot afford to buy Bibles or Christian literature. They do not have the luxury of a church building or a pastor. But they are happy they have the Lord.
“Early each morning almost the entire village will gather in the open area and listen to a Christian broadcast such as ‘The Back to God Hour’,” he said. “They have to do it together not just because they enjoy the fellowship, but also because they only have one or two good radios in the village.
“You will receive very little response from them because most do not know how to write and the postage is almost beyond their reach. But your work is very important to these dear souls.”
Your prayers and support are making a difference in the lives of people you may never meet until you see them in heaven. Thank you!
Continuing the Legacy
Driven by a passion to bring the message of freedom in Christ to Chinese people trapped by the communist regime, Rev. Isaac Jen began broadcasting the gospel to China in 1974. Jen directed The Back to God Hour Chinese ministry until his death in 1988.
Seeking to continue the work he began more than 30 years ago, the BTGH established the Rev. Isaac I. Jen Chair in Chinese Broadcast Ministry Endowment Fund. Funds from the endowment are used to support Chinese ministry. More than $500,000 has been donated so far toward the goal of $2 million, which will help ensure the future of ministry to Chinese people.
For information about how you can be a part of supporting Chinese media ministry through this endowment fund, contact BTGH at info@btgh.org.
Jack Strong is director of advancement for The Back to God Hour.
