On the morning of May 19, the Grand Opening
of the Bible Ministry Exhibition of the Church in China
was held in Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta,
following the great success in Los Angeles. Guests from
Atlanta, New York, Washington, Houston, Los Angeles as well
as Britain and Australia, etc. attended the Opening Ceremony.
The entire ceremony was composed of ribbon-cutting and
opening service. The ribbon-cutting was held in front of
the exhibition hall in the Family Life Center of Second-Ponce
de Leon Baptist Church. Before the ribbon-cutting, former
U. S. President, Mr. Jimmy Carter was shown around the exhibition
hall accompanied by Rev. Cao Shengjie and Mr. Ye Xiaowen,
the Director General of the State Administration for Religious
Affairs of the People¡¯s Republic of China. They had a photograph
taken in presence of the replica of the Nestorian Tablet.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was co-presided by Rev. David
Sapp, Senior Pastor of the Second- Ponce de Leon Baptist
Church, and Rev. Shen Cheng-en, Vice President of China
Christian Council. Rev. Cao Shengjie and Mr. Jimmy Carter
cut the ribbon. Representatives from BGEA, UBS, ABS, Haggai
Institute, members of Atlanta Regional Committee, Rev. Deng
Fucun, Rev. Mei Kangjun, Ms. Chen Meilin and Rev. Bao Jiayuan,
Mr. Ye Xiaowen, Mr. Su Ge, Counselor of Chinese Embassy
in USA, and Mr. Hua Jinzhou, the Consul General of Consulate
General of P. R. C. in Houston all attended the ribbon-cutting
ceremony. After the ribbon-cutting, Mr. Jimmy Carter went
to the Sanctuary of the Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church
to attend the opening service together with the congregation.
The opening service was held in a holy and solemn atmosphere
with an attendance of about 1, 000 people. After the prayer
and hymns, Mr. Jimmy Carter, Mr. Ye Xiaowen and Rev. Cao
Shengjie delivered speeches respectively. Mr. Jimmy Carter
expressed his gladness of being present at the Opening Ceremony
and also his pride of having the exhibition held in USA.
He mentioned that his visit to China in 1978 was a high
moment of his political life. Mr. Carter talked about the
situation of Christianity in China with Mr. Deng Xiaoping
when he visited the States. At that time, the Cultural Revolution
just was ended up, churches were still closed and religious
life was not resumed yet. Mr. Deng told him that China would
resume religious freedom and Bible Publication soon, yet
it was impossible to give the permission for American Missioners
to go back China because the Three-Self Policy was quite
important in China. Soon afterwards, churches were re-opened
and bibles were re-printed. Christianity has undergone tremendous
growth. Upon the mentioned current status of churches in
China, Mr. Carter said that he knew that Christian churches
had to be registered by the government which he understood.
He hoped that both Chinese and American Christians could
pray for each other and, under the highest concept of salvation
and eternity which bound us together, overcome cultural,
geographical or any other barriers that might cause separation.
After Mr. Carter¡¯s speech, Rev. Deng Fucun, Vice Chairperson
of National TSPM, on behalf of CCC/TSPM, presented a beautiful
jade vase to Mr. Carter for remembrance.
Mr. Ye Xiaowen, the Director-General of SARA made his response
to Mr. Carter¡¯s speech. He congratulated churches in China
on sponsoring the Bible Ministry Exhibition in foreign country
for the 1st time. He said as early as twenty-seven years
ago, Mr. Deng Xiaoping had told Mr. Carter two principles
guiding religious affairs in China: to protect the freedom
of religious belief and to maintain the independence and
self-governance of churches in China. These two principles
are like the two sides of a coin. They have been written
into the Constitution of China and have ensured a smooth
and healthy development of the church in China. China and
America are far apart in distance and different in historical
background, cultural traditions and level of development;
therefore, the two nations need to enhance communication
and seek common ground amid their differences. We should,
therefore respect truth and discard prejudice so that we
may move towards the goal of building a constructive and
cooperative relationship in the 21st century. In the end,
Mr. Ye Xiaowen quoted the famous motto of Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King ¡°I have a dream¡± to bring forward his own dream
that may the Bible Ministry Exhibition of the Church in
China be a new witness to the constructive and cooperative
relationship between our two nations.
Mr. Ye Xiaowen is addressing in the opening ceremony
On behalf of CCC/TSPM, Rev. Cao Shengjie, President of
China Christian Council expressed her gratitude to Mr. Jimmy
Carter for being one of the Most Honorable Chairpersons
of the Bible Ministry Exhibition and for addressing the
Opening Ceremony. She also thanked Rev. David Sapp of Second-Ponce
de Leon Baptist Church for providing the exhibition site
as well as the local hosting committee members. She emphasized
that after the disastrous ¡°Cultural Revolution,¡± Chinese
government re-implemented the policy of religious freedom,
and CCC/TSPM placed the publication of the Bible as the
top priority in their working agenda. 40 million copies
of Bible had been printed and published from 1980 to December
2005. The Exhibition has a theme, ¡°the Lamp to My Feet,
the Light to My Path,¡± which intends to present the important
impact of the Bible in Chinese Christians' life. The majority
of Christians in China have their own bibles, and reading
the Bible daily is part of their life. From that they can
attain the strength for their work and life and from which
they can be stimulated to bear good witnesses for God in
Chinese society. She believed that the exhibition will strengthen
the fellowship and friendship between the two countries
and contribute to the world peace.
The worship during the opening ceremony
In the end, Rev. David Sapp of the Second-Ponce de Leon
Baptist Church sent greetings on behalf of the local hosting
committee. He said that Jesus loved all the people in the
world and everyone was precious in his eyes. On behalf of
the hosting committee, he gave thanks to CCC delegation
for bringing such a wonderful exhibition. During the service,
Ms. Feng Juanjuan, a famous Guzheng soloist and the Lisu
choir presented musical performances. The choir from the
Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church also sang ¡°All Hail
the Power of Jesus¡¯ Name¡±. In conclusion of the service,
the presiding pastor asked the congregation to be hand in
hand and uphold their hands together to push the spirit
of love to a climax.
After the opening service, VIPs and the congregation visited
the exhibition. The feedback is very positive with much
praise and appreciation. Rev. Dr. Zhu Xiaoling, a member
of the local hosting committee said that the exhibition
realized his dream that he had for many years. An anonymous
Chinese American sent a message to Rev. David Sapp to thank
him for receiving the CCC delegation. Our American friends
also believe that they can know more about the development
of churches in China and the Bible publication and distribution
in China through the Exhibition. More than 10 Chinese and
foreign media like Atlanta Chinese News, China Tribune,
Chinese News Services, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, etc., came
to have live interviews. The exhibition will last for 6
days and it will end up on May 24th.
