CCC&TSPM and the Uniting Church in Australia shared their current situation with each other in a virtual video conference.
On July 28, 2021, Rev. Shen Xuebin, vice president of China Christian Council, held a video conference with Sharon Hollis, the newly elected president of the Uniting Church of Australia (UCA). The participants introduced the current situation and the challenges of their respective churches.
According to CCC&TSPM, before the conference, Mark Kickett, the Interim Chairperson of the National Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), prayed for churches around the world.
During the conference, Pastor Shen said that Chinese churches have resumed in-person worship under effective pandemic prevention, pointing out how to face challenges such as a decrease in the number of believers and how to better lead young believers to give priority to dedication. Although the COVID-19 pandemic hindered our close contact, it would not hinder our friendship, he added. As the Chinese society was facing the problem of population aging, Chinese churches should do something in social services. Since Australian churches had rich experiences in social services, he prayed that the pandemic would pass as soon as possible, hoping that there would be more opportunities for mutual visits and exchanges after the pandemic.
Sharon Hollis said she was very happy to communicate with CCC&TSPM by video and to learn about each other's churches. At the conference, she introduced the challenges faced by UCA and its member churches. Mark Zikot and others shared the work and challenges of UCA in indigenous areas. The participants agreed that the church should seek commonness among differences.
The conference ended in Hollis’ prayer.
- Translated by Charlie Li
