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Rev. Ray Miles -
Trip to China
(Click on any photo for a larger view)
Pre-Trip Training
Rev. Ray Miles, Regional Minister of
Georgia and his wife Rev. Wendy Miles are in China. They left
Macon Georgia on March 13, 2008 and expect to return on March 30.
The trip is sponsored by Global Ministries which is the joint ministry
of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Division of Overseas
Ministries and United Church of Christ Wider Church Ministries.
Members of the group include a delegation of Regional Ministers, their
spouses and a member of the Global Ministries Board who is also chair of
the subgroup who oversees East Asia ministries. Though the Region
is not financially committed, the Regional Board gave Dr. Miles the time
for this trip as part of his ministry. Ray's goal is to learn
about the church in China and what can benefit the church in Georgia.
After leaving Macon, Ray and Wendy spent
one day in Detroit where they engaged in Ministry and Mission
Interpretation training so they can better share the story of the trip
when they get back.
Report 2
The first night of the trip to China is one where we
are tired from a long day and looking forward to another one tomorrow as
we make the flight to Shanghai.
 Tonight
we met the others on the trip: Disciples Regional Ministers and spouses,
Richard and Emily Guentert from Upper Midwest Region; Ken and Susan
Moore from Nebraska; Danny and Nina Stewart from Mid America Region;
Wendy and I from Georgia, and Tom and Carol Brooks who are on the Global
Ministries board. Our leaders will be Xiaoling Zhu and Maria Cruzado
from Global Ministries staff.
During orientation we thought about Philippians 1:3-11
in terms of the partnership, link or sharing we have with other
Christians. We heard that Global Ministries works to be a Critical
Presence which means we are
 walking
alongside other Christians in their walk of faith. Different from older
methodologies of mission we are not imparting wisdom as much as we are
receiving and sharing our journey.
As Wendy and I walk through this next couple of weeks
with Christians in China, my goal is to learn what can help us, our
congregations in Georgia, grow in our walk and become faithful as we
transform to be what God calls us to be.
Pray for us for strength and especially for insightful
vision that we might see what God has for us to learn. We will share
with you as we can during this trip. God bless you.
Report 3 - More Than A Welcome Mat
 This
was a long day of traveling; Detroit to Shanghai but I did discover one
thing. I was amazed at how much English I found on signs in Tokyo and
Shanghai. In both places directional signs were in the native language
but also in a couple of other languages including English. As we drove
from the airport, we encountered sign after sign, street signs and
billboards which had English on them. I could always find someone who
had at least a better than basic knowledge of English to help me when I
had questions. It seemed as if the people were really trying to make us
feel welcome and at home.
 I
wonder about our congregations. At a time when our country seems intent
on making those from other places feel unwelcome, especially with the
attitude that foreigners must learn English and do it right away. Do our
churches extend the same impression of unwelcomness? I’ve been overseas
three times now and each time I have been impressed by the way others go
out of their way to make me feel welcome. Can we say the same of our
congregations or do we force others to become like us before they feel
like they belong. Do our Spanish speaking, Chinese speaking, Korean
speaking and Creole speaking congregations find a welcoming atmosphere
or do they have to work hard to feel included?
This is the kinds of learning I hope we can grow from
as a trip overseas. Tomorrow and the next day we are in Shanghai – the
second largest city in the world, with nearly 18 million people.
Report 4 - Worship In A Strange Language And Culture Is Still
Worship.
 A
busy day again but I believe I could start every report that way.
This morning started with worship on Palm Sunday at Grace Church in
Shanghai. There were close to 1000 in the sanctuary and the
service was video cast to Sunday School rooms filled with people.
We sang songs which we recognized and sang in an English Chinese
parallel hymnal. The service was translated for us on headsets and
we felt like we were in a place where the Spirit really was. The
church is involved in many innovative and helpful ministries to members
and the community so that the government has recognized them and given
them official status. By their ministries they have become
respected.
 The
rest of the day was spent eating and doing a few tourist type things.
We had wonderful food and saw history as well as how modern a city
Shanghai really is. If not for the Chinese signs you would think
you were in any major metropolis in the world. It is a great day
and a wonderful experience.
We heard of the tornados in Georgia and pray that no
one from any of our congregations have been affected. God’s
blessing this Holy Week. As the pastor this morning said meditate
this week on Jesus, his words, actions and life as you prepare for
Easter.
Report 5 – A Day With The Church In Nanjing China.
Today we discovered that one of the issues of the
church we face is also an issue for the church in China. Development of
leaders who are theologically trained is the key to the future for the
church in China. We also are working to upgrade and find ways to train
both lay and clergy to lead the church into new times. We visited the
Jiangsu Bible School and visited with them about heir programs to train
clergy of the equivalent of licensed ministers and their lay leadership
training programs. Ray presented a gift to them from our delegation and
received on behalf of the church a gift to commemorate the occasion.
In the afternoon we visited the Nanjing Union Theological
Seminary which is the highest theological training institution for the
church in China. We not only visited with faculty and students but met
with our missionaries who are serving on the faculty there, Michael and
Doreen McFarlane. We were able to visit with them and see some more of
our DMF dollars at work.
This evening was an
amazing visit with the Amity Foundation which is doing unbelievable work
to assist the poor and needy in China. It is too big to discuss here but
we will tell more about those ministries when we get home. Suffice to
say we were very impressed by their programs and ministries as part of
the church. The other thing which has amazed us
and impressed us is that there is only one protestant church in China.
There are no denominations so they are able to be the Christians in
China. It kind of reminded us of the way Christians were referred to in
the New Testament. Tomorrow one of the
activities is to visit the Printing Plant which has printed more than 50
million Bibles here in China.
Report 6 - Nanking
Our final couple of days in Nanking we discovered how
important the work of Disciple missionaries was there. As we toured the
Nanking Massacre Memorial we learned that 300,000 Chinese in Nanking had
been killed by the Japanese during a six week period. At that time a
couple of Disciple missionaries were part of a group of 29 foreigners
who managed to save another 200,000 from being killed. It was humbling
and also proud to be a Disciple in that heritage and to have the names
and faces remembered in this Chinese memorial.
Then this morning we toured the Nanking Drum Tower
hospital. This hospital was started in 1892 by a Disciple missionary
from Canada. Today the hospital is modern with 1400 beds and a new wing
being constructed which will make it a 3000 bed hospital. Then it will
be the biggest hospital in China. A Disciple started that and the people
are so grateful for that.
One other incredible thing was to visit the Amity
Foundation Bible Printing Press. They have in the 20 years of existence
produced over 43 million Bibles to help the Chinese Church reach out.
Their new plant soon to be operational means they will be able to
produce as many as 1 million Bibles a month for the Chinese market. This
is all blessed and legal in the government’s eyes. In Fact the Bible has
been make recommended reading on the Shanghai education district reading
list.
Then in the evening for fun we went to Wal-Mart.
Imagine a bunch of Americans wandering around in China in a Wal-Mart.
Some things are incredibly global.
We continue to learn how special the church is in
China today and in the history of this place. Long days and short nights
mean I won’t write long tonight.
Blessings on this Maunday Thursday evening.
Report 7 - Easter
It’s been a hectic couple of days. We met the last
remaining Disciple pastor in China. Since 1980 the Church in China has
been without denominations. Rev. Pan was one who learned Disciples from
the Missionaries which we sent and who was a strong leader of the church
in China. We also met with more church leaders in the provincial bodies
which work with the church.
The highlight though has had to be the worship service
this Easter morning with the church in Chengdu. There in a simple church
which was crammed to overflowing we heard the songs of Easter. Though we
didn’t know the language we recognized and sang joyously, Christ the
Lord is Risen today and Up from the Grave He Arose. The overwhelming
thought was that this is really the church as much as we encounter in
Georgia and that the church of Jesus really is one regardless of how
many labels we try to put on them.
We’ve had a few tourist things also. We got to the
Giant Panda research park and saw many of the famous national treasures
of China munching on bamboo. Last night we saw a traditional Chinese
variety show filled with magic, music, and traditional dance. It was
great.
More than anything we are discovering that the Chinese
people are gracious and anxious to help. The hospitality of the church
here is overwhelming and we are so at home. This is a really surprising
place.
Report 8 - Chinese Culture is Very Different.
Today was a day of experiencing the culture of China
and recognizing their pride. We visited the Terra Cotta Warriors this
morning. It was amazing. They were only discovered since 1979 yet the
government and people have made them a National Treasure and really done
a good job of displaying the ongoing archeological exhibit. Later today
we visited the Wild Goose Pagoda which dates from the ancient times but
is still being used as a Buddhist Temple. It is amazing to see and
experience culture that is derived out of another religion than
Christianity. Things there were beautiful.
Tonight we saw a great show of singing and dancing and
music from the Tong Dynasty (right after Jesus). It was colorful, and
wonderful to experience. Following that we had a dumpling dinner.
Another cultural experience from this nation of wonderful hospitality
and care. Wendy has been using a wheelchair much of the time and a white
haired “foreigner” pushing a woman in a wheelchair is a great curiosity
for the people here.
Tomorrow we meet with church leaders and seminarians
to talk again about the state of the church in China. Then we fly to
Beijing.
Report 9 - from Xi’an
Xi’an is a wonderful smaller city in China – only
about 5 or 6 million people!! For us it has seemed the most historic of
all the cities we visited. Ancient buildings and walls from dynasties
hundreds of years ago are the core of the city. It also doesn’t seem as
madly hectic as some of the earlier cities we have visited.
We are definitely being impressed by the need for
leadership training for the church in China. We visited another seminary
where they were working hard to meet the need with programs like our
Institute for Ministry and with longer residential programs of training.
The Bible School is trying to become a seminary but doesn’t have the
library to do that. The Disciples and UCC have been helping with a three
year grant of money to buy books for the library. Your DMF dollars at
work.
We also yesterday toured the Forest of Stone tablets
which is a collection of tablets engraved with the history and wisdom of
China. One tablet outlines the first coming of Christianity to China in
the 600’s AD. I had never imagined Christianity was historic in China.
Spring is just breaking here and we were surrounded by
beautiful blossoms and fragrant trees. It is a wonderful time and God
has created a wonderful world for us.
Report 10 - The Great Wall and other things
 Today’s
highlight was seeing the Great Wall of China. After hearing about it my
whole life and never imagining I would see it Wendy and I actually
walked on it. It was a wonderful time and a real highlight for us.
We also drove past Olympic venues as we left the city
and saw where the Olympics are going to be held. That will be a magical
time for the City. Beijing to me seems more western than any of the
other cities we have seen. The streets are wider, and the sense of
openness is greater. It’s not a bad city to be in.
 We
stopped at the seminary which is right across the river from the Olympic
park and is the closest faith site to the Olympic park. Our leader
Xiaoling Zhu gave a lecture last night on aspects of pastoral care for
those who will be serving as volunteer pastoral care workers during the
games.
 Tomorrow will include a visit with the State
Administration for Religious Affairs to discover their role in the
development of the church in China. Also we will see the Forbidden City
today. The trip is winding down and in one sense we are happy and
another sad. Travelers among you will know the feeling.
Final Report
 Today
ended our trip to China with a celebration of our wedding anniversary.
It has been a full and overpowering trip crammed with senses, images,
and things we have learned. We will be anxious to share it with your
congregation after we have a couple of weeks to put things together into
a reasonable program. We have too many pictures to share with you in
just a show. We fly out early tomorrow morning and will be in Macon
(God willing) on Sunday evening.
Blessings
Ray and Wendy |
