The Lord Jehovah says, “But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went; and his seed shall possess it.” Numbers 14:24) Caleb followed the Lord completely and his loyalty pleased the Lord. There is a “university“ amed after Caleb in the church on Fengshou Lu in Dalian City, China's northeastern Liaoning Province.
This is a Christian fellowship mainly for middle-aged and elderly brothers and sisters, founded in 2012 by Rev. Zhao Yonggang, who is the Chairman of the Dalian Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee.
Friday, September 11th, 2020, was the day designated by ”Caleb University“to read the Bible and praise the Lord.
I attended the assembly. The reasons why I admire the ministry are because it has many activites and attracts a large number of people. According to reports, there are more than 1,000 people. In the annual session of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Dalian City and important Christian assemblies, the well-know choir performance is very popular.
Over the past eight years, the team has continued to grow. The co-workers there are divided into groups. To make it convenient for the elderly to the gatherings and activities, the church arranges a pick-up service. The author talked with two older sisters. One of them is 84 years old; she has believed in the Lord for more than 40 years; the other is 82 years old and she has been a Christian for more than 30 years. They are devoted fans. They have been in the fellowship since the establishment of the "university." They said: we are so happy here. Pastor Zhao and the co-workers care about us and we feel the warmth and love of home.
The assembly day for "Caleb University" is scheduled for every Friday. In the main church, the brothers and sisters are seated as required. Under the leadership of the church staff, everyone recites scriptures and sings hymns. The most refreshing thing for the author is the "exercise time" before the sermon. Everyone stood up in front of a large screen, under the leadership of co-workers, they started doing exercises with Christian songs for their health.
Amid the sacred music and hymn from the choir of Caleb University, Senior Pastor Zhao Yonggang walked onto the podium. He cordially greeted the brothers and sisters and led the congregation in reading I Corinthians 2:15, with the theme of spiritual people as the main sermon. Pastor Zhao preached the gospel of suffering and grace, hard work and ministry. After preaching, some brothers responded to the call and came to the altar, determined to follow the Lord.
- Translated by Yuehan Jiang
