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           KUNMING, A CITY OF FIVE MILLION PEOPLE IN SOUTHWESTERN CHINA IS OUT-GROWING ITS CITY CENTRE…THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT TO MOVE TO A NEW HOME IN THE SUBURBS.  

          GRANDIOSE NEW BUILDINGS  ARE COMMONPLACE IN CHINA’S BOOMING CITIES…  ONE OF KUNMING’S NEW STRUCTURES IS LESS EXPECTED.  ROAD CREWS ARE STILL WORKING ON THE HIGHWAYS AROUND AN ENORMOUS NEW CHURCH.         

        CHRISTIANITY IS GROWING ALONG WITH THE ECONOMY.

        THE NEW CHURCH  IS PACKED FOR AN ELABORATE INAUGURAL SERVICE. THIS WILL BE THE KUNMING HEADQUARTERS OF CHINA’S OFFICIAL PROTESTANT CHURCH, KNOWN AS THE CHRISTIANITY THREE-SELF PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT. MORE THAN A DOZEN CHOIRS FROM OTHER CONGREGATIONS TAKE PART, MANY WEARING THE COLOURFUL COSTUMES OF THE REGION’S ETHNIC MINORITIES     

     THE CHURCH’S PASTOR, ZHANG BEN MEI, IS ALSO CHAIRMAN OF THE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE FOR KUNMING’S PROTESTANTS 

       SUPER: ZHANG BEN MEI, CHAIRMAN, KUNMING CHRISTIANITY THREE-SELF PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT COMMITTEE

           “One aspect is the government’s good policy on religion. Another is China’s social and economic development. China is becoming more like the rest of the world. That’s how I see it.”

        ALL RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN CHINA MUST REGISTER WITH THE GOVERNMENT. UNOFFICIAL CHURCHES ARE OFTEN SHUT DOWN.

STANDUP: THE GOVERNMENT IS QUICK TO SUPPRESS ANY RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY WHICH IT SEES AS A CHALLENGE TO COMMUNIST PART AUTHORITY. STILL IN SOME AREAS THE PARTY HAS BEGUN TO SEE SOME ADVANTAGE IN TOLERATING CHRISTIANITY AND EVEN ALLOWING IT TO FLOURISH THIS BRAND NEW CHURCH IS BY THE FAR THE BIGGEST AND MOST OFFICIAL CHURCH IN YUNNAN PROVINCE, BUT IT’S CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY ONE.

         THURSDAY NIGHT IS YOUTH NIGHT AT SAINT JOHN’S CHURCH IN KUNMING., A RECEPTION COMMITTEE CALLS OUT “WELCOME, JESUS LOVES YOU”

SUPER: CHURCH YOUTH GROUP MEMBER

“In years since I have believed in Jesus, my  heart is filled with joy and happiness and I also feel safe. Jesus is full of kindness and love.

      MANY SAY RELIGIOUS FAITH HAS GIVEN NEW MEANING TO THEIR LIVES.

SUPER: CHURCH YOUTH GROUP MEMBER

“ I that people who believe in God have a kind of love which is separate from their worldly interested. I slowly came to see the infinite love of God.

           A COMPELLING MIX OF PERFORMANCE AND PRAYER, POP MUSIC AND PIETY, ATTRACTS LARGE CROWDS OF  ENTHUSIASTIC WORSHIPPERS.

           THE GOOD-NEWS GOSPEL ISDRIVEN HOME BY THE DRUMS AND GUITARS OF A PROFESSIONAL BAND.

           IT’S A MESSAGE OF HEALTH AND HAPPINESS HERE ON EARTH AND LIFE EVERLASTING IN THE HEREAFTER.  

          CHURCH LEADERS SAY CHRISTIANITY IS IN TUNE WITH THE GOVERNMENT’S  PHILOSOPHY, CONTRIBUTING TO WHAT GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA CALLS ‘A HARMONIOUS SOCIETY’.

           AS THE SERVICES DRAWS TO A CLOSE,  PASTOR ZHANG YILIN LEADS THE CONGREGATION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER.

SUPER: ZHANG YILIN, PASTOR, ST JOHN’S CHURCH KUNMING

“The government sees Christians’ good behavior so it approves of the church. Our religion is a positive religion, and what we do has the government’s approval.

             BEICHEN CHURCH IN NORTHERN KUNMING IS FULL TO OVER FLOWING EVERY SUNDAY. AFTER THE SERVICE COMMITTEE MEMBERS EMPTY  COLLECTION BOXES.

            THE CHURCH RELIES  ON DONATIONS TO PAY ITS BILLS…AND FINANCE GOOD WORKS.

          SOME CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALLOWED MORE ROOM FOR CHURCHES IN IT’S “HARMONIOUS SOCIETY” SINCE THEY MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE TWO YEARS AGO.

          PASTOR HUANG AILIN SAYS CHRISTIANS DO WORK FOR GOOD CAUSES, BUT MOST JOIN FOR PERSONAL REASONS.

          SHE SAYS THE CHURCH ATTRACTS PEOPLE OF ALL KINDS…

YOUNG AND OLD, RICH AND POOR ALIKE…. THEY ALL SHARE A THIRST FOR SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN

SUPER HUANG AILIN PASTOR, BEICHEN CHURCH

There is a big empty hole in chinese people’s hearts. Really, many chinese people are living in emptiness. We can say that most Chinese don’t have any religious faith, and are actually very miserable as they chase after money. They have no true happiness.

        IN KUNGANG IS A GRITTY STEEL TOWN OUTSIDE KUNMING, THE CONGREGATION AT THE CHURCH NEAR THE STEEL MILL IS MOSTLY WORKING CLASS.

        FEW PARISHIONERS HAVE A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE DETAILS OF CHRISTIANITY… BUT  THEY DO HAVE A DEEP FAITH IN THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL SALVATION.

SUPER: XIAN GUANBI, KUNGANG PARISHIONER…

     Jesus is God’s only son. He is the true God who created everything in the universe. The Lord our father sent him to this world to save thousands and thousands of sinful people. 

        HIS ARMS OUTSTRETCHED TOWARDS HEAVEN, ASSISTANT PASTOR CHENG SHAOMING  CALLS ON GOD TO SEND RAIN FOR DROUGHT-STRICKEN AREAS, TO HEAL THE SICK AND ABOVE ALL TO SOLVE THE CHURCH’S FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.

SUPER: CHENG SHAOMING ASSISTANT PASTOR KUNGANG CHURCH

The Lord conrols me every minute of my life, and rules every minute. Just as it says in the bible, the Lord is the power in the land, the master of my family, and the King of society. Every  day I have to ask the Lord for solutions for everything in my life. I ask him many times: what do I do now?

             THE KUNGANG CONGREGATION IS DEEP IN DEBT BECAUSE OF  PLANS TO BUILD A NEW CHURCH.

PASTOR WANG ZHIJUN IS AS PERSISTENT  AND PERSUASIVE AS AN AMERICAN TELEVANGELIST URGING  PARISHIONERS TO DIP INTO THEIR PENSIONS AND THEIR SAVINGS.

SUPER: WANG ZHIJUN, PASTOR, KUNGANG CHURCH

This church can’t hold enough people. At big Sunday services, the alleyway and the courtyard are full of people. Our sisters and brothers are worshipping out in the harsh sunlight ot in the wind and rain.

      IN THE CHURCH OFFICE, THE FAITHFUL LINE UP TO MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS… MANY GIVE MORE THAN THEY CAN AFFORD,  BUT

IT’S STILL NOT ENOUGH. LETTERS HAVE BEEN SENT TO CHURCHES ACROSS CHINA AND TO OTHER COUNTRIES ASKING CHRISTIANS ALL OVER THE WORLD IF THEY’DE LIKE TO LEND A HELPING HAND.

     THE DESIGN FOR THE NEW CHURCH IS AMBITIOUS AND COSTLY.

      A LARGE PLOT OF LAND HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR AND FOUNDATIONS HAVE BEEN DUG.

       EVERY DAY GROUPS OF CHURCH MEMBERS VISIT THE SITE TALKING EAGERLY ABOUT THE NEXT STEP: CONSTRUCTION.

       THE BUILDING WILL COST HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS,

A HUGE SUM FOR A GROUP OF WORKING CLASS CHRISTIANS IN CHINA,

THEY SAY ‘THIS IS GOD’S PLAN. NOT OURS… SO HE’LL PROVIDE WHAT WE NEED.

          THE PARISHONERS OF KUNGANG HAVE GONE FURTHER THAN MOST CONGREGATIONS, BUT THEY BELONG TO JUST ONE OF MANY RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES FINDING THAT CHINA’S TRANSITION FROM MARXISM TO THE MARKET ECONOMY HAS OPENED UP A LITTLE MORE SPACE FOR FAITH. PJB CBC NEWS KUNMING