In September, 18 members and friends of the Reformed Presbyter-ian Church departed on a custom tour to visit mainland China. There were 6 from Kansas, 8 from Pennsylvania, and 1 each from New York, Illinois, Iowa and California. The group had two goals: to visit the major attractions of China and to seek the former Covenanter missions in southern China.

Chan Tsz King, one of the early converts to Christianity at the RP Mission, said at his conversion in 1909, “I have been a seeker all my life; I have studied Chinese philosophy, history and religion. When I learned that God sent His Son to bear my sins, that satisfied my seeking of the truth.”

The Reformed Presbyterian Church supported missions in China from 1898 to 1949. Forty-four ministers, evangelists, teachers, doctors and nurses served in the southern China mission field. Along with the churches, five institutions were founded, including the School for Girls, the School for Boys, the Reformed Presbyterian Orphanage, the Glen Memorial Hospital, and the Reformed Presbyterian School of Theology.

In 1949 the Communist government under Mao Zedong (or Tse-tung) closed all religious institutions including Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, Buddhist temples and Confucian shrines. In 1980 the government under Deng Xia ping began to give people human rights and to allow the practice of religion under government control.

We visited the former church in Deqing, formerly known as Tak Hing. We were informed that Deqing was a “small city” and had no commercial airport; however this small city has a population of 500,000. This is small in the context of China’s growing population of 1.4 billion people. Deqing is not an area where non-Chinese tours visit; so we received many inquisitive looks, especially toward the people in our group with blond hair and blue eyes!

We were able to visit the Deqing Christian Church that is located in the original RP Mission School for Boys. We attended church services on Sabbath Day; many young people were present, and the choir was of high school age. The singing was inspirational and the message was given to an attentive congregation. The pews were filled, and many people stood outside to hear the music and the sermon. After church, the high school students sang in English for their American guests their favorite songs like “Country Roads” by John Denver and “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd! Through an interpreter, one of the older members was able to share memories of the Reformed Presbyterian missionary Sam Boyle and showed us the home where Rev. Boyle resided.

The former Reformed Presbyterian Church in Deqing, China, is now a “Three Self” government-approved church. The name “Three Self” predates Communism and refers to self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating. The Communists would only allow churches to open again if they could prove they had already been an operating church before Communism. One of the church members of the Lo Ting Mission had buried the church charter and the church deed in the floor; so after the papers were found, the church could operate again. In 2004 the present pastor, Liu Ting-Chi, was ordained. He does not speak English or Mandarin—the majority language of China’s population—but speaks Cantonese, the language of South China and the language our missionaries learned while on the mission field. With the help of interpreters we were able to learn about the present congregation and its satellite churches. During the past decade the church has averaged 25 baptisms per year of both children and adults. The church also maintains a Sabbath school, Bible study and women’s group. The youth have opportunities for summer camp as well as the Bible training program. A new building is being planned, and construction work will begin soon. We observed freedom of religion is being practiced without interference or government control. With the majority of the population having access to the internet and to available technology such as iPhones and iPads, the average person is able to seek the truth.

Another exciting part of the trip was bringing psalmbooks from America. The church in China does not have sufficient books and supplies for their needs. Before the 18-member American delegation left for China, I asked each person to bring a psalmbook. Eighteen of the Book of Psalms for Singing were individually brought through customs and carried to our destination at the former RP mission church in Deqing. There was no problem with the Communist government in bringing our psalters through customs. During the trip we rehearsed Psalms 23, 68 and 122. At the Sabbath service we were asked to sing these psalms for the Deqing church and then presented our psalters to the congregation. They were pleased to have an entire set of books, and we were happy not to carry them anymore in our luggage!

Since the author of this article is a member of the Denison, Kan., RP Church, it was interesting to find that several of the missionaries to China came from Denison. Three missionary families from Denison were Rev. and Mrs. Andrew Robb, the first minister to arrive in China; Dr. and Mrs. James Mann Wright, the first physician to arrive in China; and Jennie Torrence, daughter of J. A. and Sarah Torrence of Denison.

While those missionaries were in China, death came to Jennie Torrence, Ella Torrence Robb (wife of Rev. A.I. Robb) and to their three-year-old son Joseph. They were buried in the cemetery by the church. After 1949 the Chinese church members hid the gravestones and moved them to the storeroom of the church. Inscribed on the tombstones in English and in Chinese was “Born in Denison, Kansas U.S.A.; died in Deqing, China.”

Dr. James Mann Wright was the founder of the hospital in Deqing and also of the Glen Memorial Hospital in Canton, now known as Guangzhou. Dr. and Mrs. Wright are buried in Denison as well as members of the Robb and Torrence families. Some present-day Denison members are related to these families.

On the Monday after the church service, 12 members of the church came to our hotel, including the pastor and another pastor from Hong Kong. A PowerPoint presentation showed photos of former missionaries and present church life. They told us there is a Chinese saying, “When you drink water, you remember its source.” It was inspiring that they remember their heritage and are thankful for the early mission work by the Reformed Presbyterian Church.

The American delegation was also able to visit major Chinese historical sites. After first arriving in the capital city of Beijing, trips were made to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and the 2008 Olympic “Bird’s Nest” Stadium. While in Beijing, we attended the large Haidian Three-Self Church. There were five services every Sabbath and entrance was limited to the first 1,200 for each service or 6,000 for the day. To be able to attend, people had to line up one hour in advance. Services were in English and in Chinese; the message was evangelical and the doctrine was fundamental Christianity. Another trip was to a section of the Great Wall, where a group photo was taken and there was a special “Geneva College alums” photo shoot! After flying to the west-central city of Xi’an, an impressive visit was made to the Terra Cotta Warriors. This was the only day it rained; fortunately this World Heritage Site of 8,000 reconstructed warriors was inside. Our next flight was to the south-central city of Guilin. From here while cruising by ship on the River Li, we experienced some of the most beautiful scenery of rural China. After the cruise we flew to Guangzhou, formerly known as Canton, and took a motor coach to Deqing. We spent four days in the area of the former Reformed Presbyterian missions. Rounding out the trip, we flew to the the very modern and exciting city of Shanghai, located on the eastern shore of China. The group also visited Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church, named for the first missionary to bring Christianity to China.

On the last day of the trip, we were informed that Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer, had passed away in California. We noticed what a profound impact Steve Jobs has made on China; a large percentage of the population is able to purchase iPhones, iPads and laptops. This has given the general population great access to information and a wonderful opportunity for evangelism. Steve Jobs was raised by devout Lutheran parents, but he converted to Buddhism as a young adult. However, he has given the media means to spread Christianity throughout China with technology.

After the trip was over, the group reflected on how Christianity is making a great impact on China but is concerned how much more work needs to be accomplished. It was very humbling to see firsthand how missionary families from the United States lived in very modest conditions 12,000 miles from home, but left a huge impact on Christianity in China today.

John Braum is a member of the Denison, Kan., RPC; he resides on a farm near Denison. In 2011 he organized and administered the sanctuary renovation of the Denison church, the oldest RP church building west of the Mississippi River.