For those looking for specific ways to pray for our friends in China, China Partnership (CP) has put together some excellent resources. China Partnership is a US-based organization that supports “an indigenous gospel movement in China.” They serve a network of urban churches that are able to provide timely and firsthand requests for prayer.
These resources grew out of conversations with pastors in China who want to help global Christians pray for Christians in China.
The core of their prayer ministry is sending weekly emails. It is the simplest and easiest way. Those who sign up will receive an email that lists a prayer item for every day of that week. They ask subscribers to commit to praying for the items in the email, either daily or for all of them once a week. They just want to encourage people to pray for China consistently.
They also have a monthly prayer gathering on Zoom. Every Thursday morning they meet for 30 minutes to pray for the requests mentioned in the weekly email. CP staff are on this call, but it is open to the public. It’s great for those who would prefer to pray through the emailed requests with other people. For information on how to join this prayer gathering, contact prayer@chinapartnership.org.
They recognize, however, that a weekly commitment can be difficult for many, so they also have a monthly 45-minute gathering on Zoom. These are held on the third Tuesday of every month. This one is also open to the public. For information on how to join this prayer gathering, contact prayer@chinapartnership.org.
Their third resource is a kit that people can use to lead in-person prayer gatherings at their church or with their small groups. This kit guides people through three movements of prayer, with specific topics and requests. They know from experience that many people want to lead prayer gatherings for China, but don’t know where to begin. As a result, they have tried to make this resource simple and accessible in order to encourage more people to engage in corporate prayer. You can sign up to host a prayer gathering here.
In addition, their website has a collection of videos focusing on prayer for different cities of China. These can be used by individuals or in group settings.
In a conversation I had with Matt, who heads the prayer initiative at CP, he gave a good reminder that when thinking about how to serve, praying should be first on the list, not going or sending. It is something that we all can do.
Now this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we have asked of him (John 5:14).
