One Sunday afternoon in a residential courtyard in northern China, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy clinic, normally used for consultations and patient waiting, quietly transformed into a temporary "sanctuary." In the space of less than 30 square meters, the plastic door curtain lifted again and again as a scattered group of "workplace believers" gathered together.
A Temporary "Sanctuary"
Sister Wang, the clinic owner, leaning over a small table, carefully adjusted a gray metal music player. When the hymns began, she joined in joyfully.
The curtain lifted once more as Pastor Wang entered, wearing the light-colored suit that had accompanied him for nearly two decades. He greeted everyone with a warm laugh, his naturally curling hair bouncing slightly. Sister Wang's tall husband moved quietly around the room, setting out chairs for the friends arriving one by one.
"Most of the people here are Christian brothers and sisters from the workplace," Pastor Wang said. "For various reasons, they became scattered—sheep without a shepherd. But thanks be to God, through Sister Wang's shop, we have been gathered together once again."
Transformation in Lives
As the gathering began, Ms. Li—wide-eyed and slightly out of breath—arrived carrying a folding keyboard. She quickly set it up on the small round table. After leading everyone in singing through the sheet music and correcting mistakes, harmonious melodies and choral voices gradually settled the room.
"Before, I simply followed my mother's faith and served a lot in the big church, but I felt my spiritual life wasn't growing," Li shared. She had once been a capable volunteer in her previous congregation, yet here she rediscovered her hunger for spiritual growth.
Wang also recounted her own change. Running two TCM clinics had once left her overwhelmed. "I was a believer in name only, with no time to attend gatherings, let alone cultivate a life of faith," she said. Her husband was not a believer at the time.
"Thank the Lord—now her husband has also come to faith, and they are even offering their space and beginning to serve," Pastor Wang said with a smile.
Sister Wang's husband then brought out a large bag of snacks from the back room and set it on the table. A year ago, such a gesture would have been unimaginable. When he was first baptized, Sister Wang recalled, "I told him to be baptized, and he just did it." Today, he is part of the ministry team. "In the past, I felt a lot of pressure," Sister Wang added. "I would go hiking from time to time to relieve it. But now I have God—I can praise and pray…"
Transformation in Pastoral Care
Pastor Wang noted that disruptions in faith are common among workplace Christians. His small group meetings began five or six years ago, during the suspension of church services amid the pandemic.
He candidly admitted that his early efforts were driven not by innovation, but by weakness and fear. "I realized that at 40, I still didn't have a heart willing to die for the Lord. I used to be afraid of paying the price," he recalled. It was only during the pandemic that he gradually released his fear of death and worldly anxieties.
"Humans are truly weak, and we should have compassion for their weaknesses," Pastor Wang emphasized. In difficult circumstances, he believes a pastor's primary responsibility is to "protect fellow believers."
He observed that single Christians navigating faith on their own face greater challenges than those with Christian family backgrounds. "If they lose access to gatherings and support, it becomes very difficult for them to regain their footing once they stumble."
Pastor Wang's initial motivation for starting small group meetings was therefore to provide a safer and more reliable pastoral model, helping scattered Christians nurture their faith and strengthen their convictions.
His guiding principle remains simple yet resolute: "What one person can achieve in a lifetime is extremely limited. I cannot say how many will come to Christ, but at least I can protect the people God has entrusted to me."
Returning to the Makeshift Gathering
By nearly five o'clock in the afternoon, the gathering was coming to a close. Participants began returning chairs to their places as the clinic prepared to resume its regular function. Sister Wang and her husband stood at the door, seeing everyone off. That afternoon, they did not run their clinic or discuss work; their focus was simply to extend hospitality, welcome brothers and sisters, and find rest in the Lord's love.
"We don't want a group of Christians who only know religious rituals," Pastor Wang said firmly before departing. "We want a group of Christians who truly have the Lord in their lives."
The plastic curtain lifted once more, and the participants, their long shadows stretching behind them, walked toward the setting sun. Next Sunday, they will return to this makeshift gathering space to continue their faith journey.
Originally published by the Christian Times
- Edited and translated by Poppy Chan
