Gail [1 Attachment] Choir

From Gail Email 9/21/2014 10:19 AM 

Hi Helen,

I was told that tolerance of Christian churches depends on the mayor (not sure if this is the right term) of the province.  Judy told me that not long ago, a Buddhist mayor didn't like the Christians and several Christian churches were burned.  This is hearsay, of course, and I find it hard to believe that a genuine Buddhist would order or tolerate such violence, but perhaps corruption of the original religion is what happens when it is mixed with politics.

Futsing is a city of one million people and I was told 30% are Christian.  I don't know about the Catholic church or whether they were included in the 30% and didn't think to ask.

There was no mistaking the joy of the Fuhua church.  There were three different choirs and they processed in to the glorious music of Beethoven's Ode to Joy.  The entire 3 hour service was thrilling, which helped me to ignore the pain of sitting on hard wooden pews.

The whole China experience made a deep impact on me, which I am still thinking about.

Say hello to Dave for me.

Love,
Gail

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On Fri, Sep 19, 2014 at 8:17 PM, Helen A ...@hotmail.com [class59] <class59@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 

I have tears in my eyes as I write. Dave and I are glad you are home. Greetings and love from us both.

In my superficial knowledge of China from when I attended a Christian (RC congregation) in Chungchun, the central government tolerates and even supports certain Protestant churches. The Catholic Churches are another question, as the authorities are concerned about loyalty to the Pope rather than the PRC (central government). Over time, it was noticed that the Christians took care of each other, relieving the government of that obligation. Hence, the tolerance for some churches. 

Your parents influence is indeed far reaching.

Helen xo

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On Sep 19, 2014, at 11:52 AM, "Vance ...@gmail.com [class59]" <class59@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

gail what a beautiful gift

your story telling is moving

thank you
vyg