Faith Chinese Fellowship History


October, 2001
St Anthony Park Lutheran Church is situated near a Chinese mission field because the U of M has the largest number of mainland Chinese students and visiting scholars of any U.S. school. These are China's brightest and best!

God brings people together in wonderful ways. Several of our members with China missionary roots gave us close ties with the Hospitality Center for the Chinese on Cleveland Avenue. Early in the 1990's a Bible study group was formed there for Chinese Christians and seekers. Another was formed by Chinese students from Luther Seminary. By early 1996 these leaders envisioned a fellowship for mainland Chinese to provide regular worship opportunities and began such a group at the Hospitality Center.

In June of 1996 we at SAPLC began exploring ways of supporting this fledgling ministry. After meeting with their leaders in July and with ELCA regional and synod leaders in August, our Cabinet enthusiastically invited them to use our Fireside Room and adjacent kitchen for a 1:30 p.m. Sunday worship. September 8, 1996 marked the first service of Faith Chinese Fellowship in our building, led by volunteers. Meanwhile a five-partner coalition was seeking ways of providing ongoing leadership for this ministry. They were:
  1. the Hospitality Center for the Chinese,
  2. St Anthony Park Lutheran Church,
  3. the St Paul Area Synod,
  4. the ELCA Regional Division for Outreach,
  5. and the World Mission Prayer League (WMPL).

Dorcas Wang, then a missionary with WMPL in the Fargo-Moorhead area, was called to be Mission Developer for Faith Chinese Fellowship, and in November she formed an 8-person steering committee from FCF participants. Worship began with 20 or so adults, and a Sunday School was formed for their several children. In two years Sunday attendance grew to 70- 80 adults and 20 children, with 17 adults and 3 children baptized. In its second year they outgrew the Fireside Room and moved into our sanctuary. Several weekday Bible study/fellowship programs were begun.

Dorcas fulfilled her two-year term in September 1998 and felt called to other work, so the coalition began a prayerful search for a second leader. Lin Qiu was called in November 1998 to be pastor-developer of FCF, and the ministry has continued to mature and grow with about 100 adults and 20-30 children participating. Last Sunday the members of FCF voted to become a congregation of the ELCA, and are now gratefully celebrating their first five years of ministry. They could teach us a good deal about evangelism, Bible study and zeal. Our partnership has been richly blessed. Thanks be to God!

Paul Ofstedal