Chinese Congregation Gives ELCA Funds for Midwest Floods
November - December 2008
The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla said he is rarely at a loss for words, but the generosity he and others witnessed Aug. 10, half a world away in China, left him speechless and grateful for the partnership of Luzhou Christian Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, and other ELCA leaders and staff, visited the congregation that Sunday to participate in worship. The Lutherans were in China for many reasons, one of which was to see how ELCA contributions following the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Provice are at work.
The earthquake’s devastation was beyond anything Malpica Padilla had seen before, including hurricanes and the 2005 South Asia tsunami.
Luzhou Christian Church’s pastor, the Rev. Liao Xin Qin, asked Malpica Padilla to offer a brief greeting and homily for the nearly 300 people who were assembled. After he finished, there was a surprise. “The pastor said, ‘We have been waiting for you.’ She mentioned that we had accompanied them as they had served their people through all of (their) challenges and particularly through the earthquake. But also, they came to know of the floods that had affected the United States and the ELCA’s involvement,” Malpica Padilla said. Liao then presented Malpica Padilla with an envelope containing the equivalent of $500 USD, the contributions of members. Barely able to express his appreciation, Malpica Padilla remembered what he saw at that moment.
“I could see their faces. They gave what they didn’t have, just to show their solidarity and love to a sister church that has walked with them. That was worth the trip,” he said. “In the midst of their need, they heard about ours and responded.” The gift is a sign of companionship and accompaniment, Malpica Padilla said.
The funds were designated for the 2008 Midwest floods and will go to Lutheran Disaster Response, a collaborative ministry of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, for its ongoing response.
Though 250 miles from the earthquake zone, Luzhou Christian Church was able to reach out to earthquake survivors because of its understanding of holistic ministry, said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director, Asia-Pacific Continental Desk, ELCA Global Mission, who was also on the trip. Their witness, that of other Christians and of partners such as the ELCA, has been noticed and appreciated by the Chinese government and its citizens, he said.
The congregation supports a cerebral palsy program at the local hospital, operates a clinic that provides basic health services to the community and helps develop rural communities. The ELCA provided a ventilator to the congregation for use by children at the hospital (see Seeds for the Parish cover story January-February, 2008). ELCA World Hunger funds were provided to the congregation to help pave a road and to provide water well pumps to some 100 families in the village of Tudiba. The village is a producer of a special lychee fruit, once a favorite of the Tang dynasty imperial court, Ishida said. The lychee fruit trade has brought economic rewards due to the improved road. For example, the fruit was sent to visiting dignitaries at the recent Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, he said.
ELCA Global Mission personnel and Christians in China have been working together for nearly four years through the China Christian Council and partners such as Luzhou Christian Church, Ishida said.
You can learn more about ELCA Global Mission at
www.elca.org/globalmission.