Sunday Service

Earlier this week I met Bob and Lorraine, an American couple who are here teaching in another Department at WUT for one year. Both were professors in the states, but Bob had been an attorney for nearly 30 years prior. (We remarked how our 'flipping careers' was similar). He is teaching in the PhD program here and Lorraine in the undergraduate.

During our initial conversation—they live on the 2nd floor—I had remarked that I figured if President Bush could find a church in Beijing when he was here, it was possible I could find one in Wuhan for Christmas, since it is on Sunday.

There are no coincidences. Both are Catholic and they invited me to join them for the 4:00 mass at their Catholic church. Delighted, I said yes! This excursion resulted in three "firsts" for me: Attending a Catholic church, a church in China and riding on a Chinese public bus.

Bob has a teaching assistant, Shaw, who is an affable young Chinese man originally from the country who is now teaching English at the university; he accompanied us and served as translator. Our afternoon and evening together as a four-some (and later for dinner his finance joined us) was nothing short of miraculous.

I could never trace our bus trip and subsequent walk through the winding and narrow streets of old time Wuhan. We seemed transported back in time, a striking and sharp contrast to the modernized shopping area of Wuhan I experienced the day before. Shaw said this part of Wuhan dated back 1000 years and explained as we walked through this old, old neighborhood—reminded me of some scenes in the poor sections of Mexico and Spain—how the poor people here lived. Coal and wood, burned in small tin cans, is the primary source of heat and cooking. Some apartments and streets were well kept and others in shambles. Shaw indicated that's how you can tell the difference between owners vs. renters.

As we wound our way through and up and down stairs between streets Bob spied a Protestant Church. A small red cross on the outside, we entered to find three women who smiled broadly as we entered. Shaw translated that we were on our way to church and saw this one and wanted to send our greetings. The woman explained a man from the United Kingdom had arrived 141 years ago and built this church. During the Cultural Revolution it was turned into a factory. Five years ago they turned it back into a church. Spartan and cold, the warmth of the women in their greeting and statement that "God had sent you to visit us" was very overwhelming as they asked us to sign their visitors' book.

About 10 minutes' walk from this church we arrived at the Catholic church, which also serves as a seminary with 100 men who are in the process of becoming priests. Also without heat, this church had a few stained glass windows, a nice alter and as we entered we heard the congregation--about 30 or so--singing. This was a bi-lingual service. The Chinese priest lead the service and three different attendees read responsively in English; all three were English as a second language speakers. It was interesting since one was a high school boy from the Ukrane, a woman from a country in Africa where French was the primary language, and another woman whose country of origin I didn't know.

It was a wonderful experience and I hope that I will find another church to attend next Sunday--Christmas--since Bob and Lorraine will be in Beijing and there's no way I could find either church by myself.