Believers leave their hometown for work or caring their children and grandchildren, and will have to live in unfamiliar places. They consequently need to adjust their faith practices. As they may be unfamiliar with the new environment, languages or dialects, and different church norms, many of them struggle to integrate into local church communities. Over time, their faith may grow cold. How can churches care for these displaced believers? A church in East China has achieved remarkable results with its online groups.
This church is located in a county town and has a central congregation. The online ("air") group is one of its seven choir groups that have over eighty members in total. In addition, the choir body is further divided into specialized function teams, including a devotional group, a prayer group, a praise group, a Bible memorization group, and a singing practice review group.
The "air" group is unique among the seven groups. While most groups have more than ten members, this group initially had only six. Unlike the others, whose members gather in person, this group consists of believers who migrate across different cities and meets online. As its name suggests, the "air" group was created to allow its members to meet the Lord virtually through an online platform. The idea for this group emerged when the choir director noticed that some members were moving away to help care for their grandchildren. To keep them connected to their spiritual community, the choir director proposed the idea of virtual gatherings. Despite being established only two years ago, the group has grown from six to ten members.
The group leader has been living with her son in another province for seven years, helping care for her grandson. She is especially grateful for the "air" group: "The choir didn’t give up on me, and the church didn’t give up on me. They simply refused to let me become a wandering Christian, ensuring that we remain in fellowship."
She shared the group's daily activities with me. Except for in-person events such as weddings and funerals, the group participates in most activities alongside the home church’s choir. They have daily devotionals, following a passage of scripture shared by the choir, and then writing down their reflections to share in the group for mutual encouragement. Every morning from 5:00 to 5:30 am, they have prayer time, with members taking turns leading prayers aloud while others respond with "amen." Initially, some members were hesitant to lead prayers, but over time, they grew comfortable voicing their heartfelt prayers in front of others. Members can also post prayer requests in the group chat at any time. In addition to devotionals and prayer, they participate in Bible reading, scripture memorization, and regular choir rehearsals along with the rest of the choir.
In addition to engaging in online activities, the members remain connected to their home church through the main church chat group. They stay updated on church matters and listen to sermons delivered in their familiar hometown dialect, which brings them great comfort.
Though they do not meet in person, the group members feel like family. Every year during the Chinese New Year, most members return to their hometowns, allowing them to reconnect in person and seamlessly reintegrate into the choir. They can attend their home church's gatherings and continue serving. Since they have stayed involved throughout the year, they can easily participate in the choir’s regular twice-weekly rehearsals and even sing in the Sunday service. The group leader, who is also a deacon in her home church, is even able to help serve communion. She joyfully remarked: "This is our green channel! The church is unwilling to abandon anyone who desires to return home."
Despite maintaining such strong ties with their home church, all members also attend in-person worship services at local churches in their new locations. However, for reasons such as dialect barriers, the group leader has struggled to form close relationships with the local believers and has not felt a strong sense of commitment to the local church.
Seeing the spiritual revival in her hometown church and the fervent service of her fellow workers, this sixty-year-old group leader feels both eager and concerned. She constantly thinks about her home church, and she also worries about her husband, who remains there caring for his elderly parents in their eighties. However, when she sees her son and daughter-in-law working hard to pay off their car and home loans, she feels compelled to continue helping them. Her grandson will soon enter elementary school, and she plans to stay and assist with his care until he reaches middle school.
Looking forward to returning to the church where she has spiritually nurtured, lived, and served for twenty years, the group leader is filled with anticipation and joy, "The doors of my hometown church are always open, welcoming us home at any time!"
- Edited by Karen Luo, translated by Charlie Li
