December 26, 2018

Jesus Christ - Hope of the World


Christmas Greetings!                                                                December 2018
 Despite what you may have heard, this month we in Beijing International Christian Fellowship did what Christians have been doing all over the world for the last 2000 years – rejoiced in Emmanuel!
We had the privilege of sharing the Good News of His coming with all people for the 8th year in the Haidian Church. We are very thankful for the welcome and Gospel-partnership we enjoy with the brothers and sisters of this church.
 For 2 nights in Dececmber the Lord filled their sanctuary with more than 1500 people as we declared our hope in Jesus through song, dance, drama, and proclamation.




Now that we have almost 30 Small Groups in our church, spread across many of the Universities in our part of the city, December is packed with Christmas outreaches and parties. Several groups decided to give popcorn to all the International students in their dorms. Lots of popping and packing! Then followed by lots of surprised smiles and words of appreciation for their random kindness in Christ’s name. Who doesn’t need a study break to enjoy some popcorn…and a Christmas card with some Great News!?

It was our privilege to enjoy dinner with this small group and their friends. We met in a ‘Halal’ Muslim restaurant near their campus. We enjoyed a great meal, sang Christmas carols, exchanged ‘white elephant’ gifts, and Mark was asked to share a brief Gospel message. Less than 25% of the students pictured above are members of the small group…so far! You can see that their friends had a lot of fun and are quite open!

Closed Doors can Open More
Our BICF ZGC Korean pastor had his visa revoked about a month ago. So, we suddenly had to organize Pastor John’s (in black coat, wearing a lei from Dayna) farewell/commissioning and Pastor Steven’s (blue tie, next to John) appointment. God has been preparing Steven through five years of serving with John.

Pastor John was here to welcome us to BICF ZGC, serving for over a decade. So, it was hard to say good-bye. But he continued to be a wonderful example and encouragement in Christ right to his final benediction. He enthusiastically told us to trust God who both closes and opens doors in the advance of His Kingdom. Pray for John and his family in their next steps of service and Steven and family in their new role.


We stepped up our game this Thanksgiving. We found a larger venue and a better menu! Over 200 happy eaters seemed to think it was a good move. Lots of students brought their seeking friends, pray for them!


Thanks for praying for our travels to Jinan, China in early November. We had the privilege meeting with 150 students from 33 cities in China who were chosen to participate in a Leadership Conference. They lead Small Groups on University campuses all around the nation, reaching their classmates with the Great News. Mark was asked to be their Speaker and shared “Lessons on Leadership: Paul’s Letter to Titus.” We learned together and from one another. Their testimonies of endurance and obedience were humbling and invigorating. Some groups are now forced to meet in dormitory stairwells! But they vowed to press on!  

Christmas Sunday

We had our normal 11 am and 6 pm services on December 23. Members worked hard to present a great program of dance, drama, music, and preaching from Luke 2. The Advent reading was presented in languages from the Pacific (Samoan, Hawaiian, and Tongan – with English translation on the PPT screen) and songs were sung in English, Portuguese, French, and Swahili! Jesus truly is Savior of the whole world!

After morning service many of us went to our new favorite all-church lunch spot. Lots of people were saying the meal even topped Thanksgiving! So, like people all around the world, we ate too much. But we were well-fueled for stepping back into the cold for Christmas caroling! And, like last year, we were invited inside our shopping mall, onto their center stage….!
Our newest ZGC ministry is called Joshua Training. The title was coined in hope that men and women will be better equipped for service through the message of the Word and mentoring in their walk and witness. We feel responsible to take even more advantage of the opportunity we have to equip student/leaders from around the world. We want to be more intentional in helping them be ready to serve their churches, even plant new churches, in the places God will lead them with the impressive academic credentials they earn here in Beijing.  Given the busy schedules of folks in Beijing, we are trying to find the right balance of how much time to require for this program. The current schedule is one day a month. Courses are offered all day on a Saturday or two Sunday afternoons. People can choose what works best. So far, we have had more than 100 ZGC members taking each of our Joshua classes. Mark will be part of the teaching team for the January course on “Ecclesiology: The Church”
We’re blessed to have our son Josiah with us these holidays. As we wrote, he has left Kazakahstan and has been looking at job opportunities here in China, and beyond. Thanks for praying for him. We had the best Christmas dinner right outta Dayna’s kitchen! Several friends came to share! Rejoice! Emmanuel has come!

Christ is Here, Christ will Come Again! and Happy New Year! Mark and Dayna Blair

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