Beijing International Christian Fellowship - www.bicf.org
Hear Mark’s sermons at: http://bicf.org/english-service
Our Email blairstan2@gmail.com or blairstan@psmail.net (secure)
Our Blog www.blairstan.blogspot.com Skype: blairstan
Greetings from the world’s most populous nation!
We are back in chilly Beijing from almost three weeks in warm and friendly Tonga. About 110,000 people live on the 177 islands of the Kingdom of Tonga. We only saw Tongatapu, the largest island. We were in the capital of Nuku’Alofa with their 22,400 citizens. It was humid, hot, sunny, and rainy at the same time! There are many connections in language, culture, and history between Tonga and Hawaii. Some say Tonga is like Hawaii of fifty years ago. Not one stop-light in this kingdom! No Golden Arches, no Pizza Hut, no KFC, no Burger King, and no Starbucks – we REALLY were on a mission! But, despite such afflictions, it was a joy to make many new Tongan friends.
We were sent to Tonga by the BICF to strengthen our ties with our Pacific Fellowship. We were hosted by the young Tongan pastor who serves with us in Beijing. Through Pastor Benny we were connected to many Christian leaders of the nation. We spoke to the students of the Sia’atoutai Theological College. We appreciate the welcome we received from the leaders of this important theological college (pictured here). Tonga is a ‘Christian Kingdom.’ The Royal family members take prominent seats in various congregations. People speak with nostalgia about the late King who wrote hymns and creeds and took his turn as a regular Sunday preacher. Tonga is a very conservative place. On Sunday’s all shops are closed. If you are found swimming you will be arrested. Everyone is either home sleeping or in church on Sundays. But there is more emphasis on morality than about God’s saving mercy in Christ. Various fights and splits have created many different churches in Tonga. And on an island, where everyone knows everything about everyone, the sad stories of church splits, pastoral failures, and hurt feelings are told over and over for generations. We emphasized having a real, living, faith in Christ.
To compound the challenge, you can hardly drive one mile without seeing a new, large, well kept, air conditioned, fast growing Mormon church with their satellite dishes pointed to Salt Lake City. In addition they have large Mormon schools and a Temple too. Tonga has the second largest concentration of Mormons after Utah.
We had opportunities to speak to the leaders of the Tongan Free Wesleyan – the oldest and largest in the Kingdom (above). Dress in the Tongan churches is very formal – at least for the upper part of your body. Pastors must wear a tie or a clerical collar. When you preach you should wear a suit coat. The fact that it is very hot and humid is no reason not put on your coat. Seeing the sweat pour from the preacher is appreciated. I carried my suit coat, putting it on for brief moments, and then played the “dumb foreigner” card and took it off. Tongan men also wear wrap around cloth skirts and then a thatched natural fiber cloth on top, tied with a rope. I stuck with trousers. They either have no shoes or rubber slippers. My first meetings I wore shoes, but soon donned rubber slippers - Happy feet!
We are now Tongan Televangelists! Mark’s “TV Sermon” was shown live and then re-aired three times in the two weeks we were there. We were local celebrities because there are so few choices on TV! My normal opinion is “The best thing about having preachers on TV is that you can turn them off!” Now I am one of them. I spoke from Luke 15 where both the rebellious son AND the religious son were far from their Prodigal Father. Both needed to repent of trying to manipulate their Father and receive His mercy. Religious people don’t think they need grace while rebellious people don’t care that it’s available. Both need to come to Jesus to be found.
Please pray for the people of Tonga, especially the young people whose choices will guide their nation. We have learned much about the context and challenges faced by the Pacific islanders we serve in BICF. We met dozens of Chinese who moved there and run businesses. We tried to be faithful to teach, preach, and model God and His Word of grace, power, and authority. We had smaller meetings with faithful leaders who are trying to stand for real, Biblical, faith in this hyper-religious environment.
And we reminded the Tongans of their own rich mission history. From its birth in the 1820’s the Tongan church has been a missionary church. Many of the islands of the south Pacific were first reached by Tongan missionaries. Now, sadly, most Tongan Christian leaders who go out from Tonga leave because they are too radical for the oppressive conservatism there. More Tongans live outside the kingdom – in New Zealand, Australia, and the USA mostly – than inside. We urged believers and leaders to re-kindle their mission calling. There are still hundreds of islands in the Pacific with no Christian witness today.
Now we’re back in Beijing - eager to begin a new season of ministry. The dozens of Universities that surround our church location are packed with students from all around the world. This Spring Mark plans to preach through the letter of Paul to the Galatians. Pray that we will, like the author, “never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6.14). Ask the Lord to make His Word alive to our members, mostly students, from over 70 nations. Pray they will return to their nations, like Tonga, and declare His marvelous grace. Mark will also be team-teaching three seminary classes through our BICF seminary this spring. Lots of great opportunities ahead! May we have strength and wisdom for the many tasks!
Finance Update
We have heard from our mission that we need to raise more support. Who doesn’t!! We are almost $1000 a month below what we need. We’d be grateful for your prayers about this. We have been generously supported for so many years! We are very grateful. If the Lord prompts you to put some coins in our bank to keep us going for a few more laps of Gospel service. Truly, we thank God in every remembrance of you!
Our Mission
Pioneers - 10123 William Carey Drive - Orlando, FL 32832 – USA www.pioneers.org
Declaring His Praise in the Islands, Mark and Dayna Blair
Our Mailing Address
Beijing International Christian Fellowship / Zhong Guan Cun
Raycom Infotech Park, Tower C, Room B115,
2 Kexueyuan Nanlu, Haidian District, Beijing, China 100190
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