Join us for a very special mission trip honoring the past, present and future relationship of First Presbyterian Church with Christians in China. This relationship began over 100 years ago, in 1895, when George and Emma Worth (Children of First Presbyterian in Wilmington, NC) left Wilmington for Jiangsu Province on the eastern Chinese coast. For the next 54 years First Presbyterian Church actively underwrote the Jiangyin mission for medical and educational missionaries.
In 1951, the Jiangyin mission closed under pressure from the Chinese Communist government, and the missionaries returned home. Between 1966 and 1976, the years of the Cultural Revolution in China, Chinese Christians were persecuted. Since that time official tolerance for religious groups in China has improved. In 2007 and 2009, Dr Ernie Thompson led a delegation from First Presbyterian to form the basis for the reconnection of First Presbyterian with the congregation in Jiangyin.
In 2008, a delegation of pastors and government officials from Jiangyin, Wuxi and Jiangsu Province came to Wilmington to further the relationship between the two congregations. First Presbyterian and the Church in Jiangyin now have a partnership and the first project has been to open a training center for leadership development in the Chinese Christian Church.
Our hope for the future is to nurture a relationship of mutual respect and support and to develop our partnership even further. Our trip to China in October 2010 will serve as a way for members of First Presbyterian Church to meet the Chinese Christians and worship in China and explore the cultural highlights of China while developing our mutual partnership and friendship with the Church in Jiangyin. First Presbyterian and the Church in Juangyin have certainly maintained a bond and friendship that has lasted 115 years and we invite you to be a part of this renewed friendship and to help us strengthen our mutual partnership in Christ.
Psalms 41:9 … A faithful friend is a strong defense: and he that hath found one hath found a treasure.
The proposed itinerary is as follows:
Day 1 Depart US.
Day 2 Arrive Beijing in the afternoon / TOF staff will be meeting the delegation at the airport and bring us to hotel for check-in / General orientation at dinner time.
Day 3 Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the Temple of Heaven after breakfast / Visit the Forbidden City and Hutong after lunch / Visit the Wangfujin pedestrian mall after dinner.
Day 4 Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the Great Wall and have lunch in the vicinity / Visit the Summer Palace / Free time after dinner and debrief.
Day 5 Check out after breakfast / Worship at the Gangwashi Church (originally a Presbyterian church) / Flight to Xi’an after lunch / Check in at the hotel / Visit the Shaanxi Provincial Bible College / Dinner with the Shaanxi Provincial Christian Council leadership.
Day 6Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the Forest of Steele and walk the Xi’an city wall / Visit the Tomb of Emperor Qin and see the terracotta warriors after lunch / Attend a cultural show after dinner.
Day 7Check out after breakfast / Flight to Nanjing / Hotel check-in / Visit Sun Yet-San Mausoleum after lunch / Dinner with the Jiangsu Provincial Christian Council leadership.
Day 8Breakfast at the hotel / Visit Amity Press (largest Bible printing press in the world) / Visit Nanjing Union Theological Seminary (national level seminary) and Jiangsu Provincial Bible College after lunch / Visit Confucius Temple shopping area after dinner with and debrief by Dr. & Mrs. Don Snow, PC (USA) regional liaisons in China.
Day 9 Check out after breakfast / Visit Jiangyin Christian Church and have lunch with Pastor Mary Xiong / Bus ride to Hangzhou / Check in at hotel / Dinner with Hangzhou Municipal Christian Council leadership.
Day 10 Check out after breakfast / Visit West Lake and have lunch by the lake / Bus ride to Shanghai late afternoon / Hotel check-in / Visit Nanjing Road pedestrian mall after dinner.
Day 11 Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the Bund / Visit Shanghai Museum after lunch / Attend a cultural show after dinner.
Day 12 Breakfast at the hotel / Worship at the International Church / Visit the Yu Garden after lunch / Free time before and after dinner and final debrief.
Day 13 Check out and head out to the airport after breakfast / Returning flight to the States / Dinner at home.
Costs: Approximately $3500.00 - $3700.00 depending on international airfare.
The cost will cover accommodations, daily meals, local transportation, domestic flight fares, entrance fee for sites, China visa fee, international flight fares, and miscellaneous fees (parking, toll, tips for bellboys, guides and drivers, etc.)
If you are interested in joining this mission trip, please contact Ernie Thompson or Bridget Thomas (click on their name to send them an email).
Join us for a very special mission trip honoring the past, present and future relationship of First Presbyterian Church with Christians in China. This relationship began over 100 years ago, in 1895, when George and Emma Worth (Children of First Presbyterian in Wilmington, NC) left Wilmington for Jiangsu Province on the eastern Chinese coast. For the next 54 years First Presbyterian Church actively underwrote the Jiangyin mission for medical and educational missionaries.
In 1951, the Jiangyin mission closed under pressure from the Chinese Communist government, and the missionaries returned home. Between 1966 and 1976, the years of the Cultural Revolution in China, Chinese Christians were persecuted. Since that time official tolerance for religious groups in China has improved. In 2007 and 2009, Dr Ernie Thompson led a delegation from First Presbyterian to form the basis for the reconnection of First Presbyterian with the congregation in Jiangyin.
In 2008, a delegation of pastors and government officials from Jiangyin, Wuxi and Jiangsu Province came to Wilmington to further the relationship between the two congregations. First Presbyterian and the Church in Jiangyin now have a partnership and the first project has been to open a training center for leadership development in the Chinese Christian Church.
Our hope for the future is to nurture a relationship of mutual respect and support and to develop our partnership even further. Our trip to China in October 2010 will serve as a way for members of First Presbyterian Church to meet the Chinese Christians and worship in China and explore the cultural highlights of China while developing our mutual partnership and friendship with the Church in Jiangyin. First Presbyterian and the Church in Juangyin have certainly maintained a bond and friendship that has lasted 115 years and we invite you to be a part of this renewed friendship and to help us strengthen our mutual partnership in Christ.
Psalms 41:9 … A faithful friend is a strong defense: and he that hath found one hath found a treasure.
The proposed itinerary is as follows:
Day 1 Depart US.
Day 2 Arrive Beijing in the afternoon / TOF staff will be meeting the delegation at the airport and bring us to hotel for check-in / General orientation at dinner time.
Day 3 Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the Temple of Heaven after breakfast / Visit the Forbidden City and Hutong after lunch / Visit the Wangfujin pedestrian mall after dinner.
Day 4 Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the Great Wall and have lunch in the vicinity / Visit the Summer Palace / Free time after dinner and debrief.
Day 5 Check out after breakfast / Worship at the Gangwashi Church (originally a Presbyterian church) / Flight to Xi’an after lunch / Check in at the hotel / Visit the Shaanxi Provincial Bible College / Dinner with the Shaanxi Provincial Christian Council leadership.
Day 6Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the Forest of Steele and walk the Xi’an city wall / Visit the Tomb of Emperor Qin and see the terracotta warriors after lunch / Attend a cultural show after dinner.
Day 7Check out after breakfast / Flight to Nanjing / Hotel check-in / Visit Sun Yet-San Mausoleum after lunch / Dinner with the Jiangsu Provincial Christian Council leadership.
Day 8Breakfast at the hotel / Visit Amity Press (largest Bible printing press in the world) / Visit Nanjing Union Theological Seminary (national level seminary) and Jiangsu Provincial Bible College after lunch / Visit Confucius Temple shopping area after dinner with and debrief by Dr. & Mrs. Don Snow, PC (USA) regional liaisons in China.
Day 9 Check out after breakfast / Visit Jiangyin Christian Church and have lunch with Pastor Mary Xiong / Bus ride to Hangzhou / Check in at hotel / Dinner with Hangzhou Municipal Christian Council leadership.
Day 10 Check out after breakfast / Visit West Lake and have lunch by the lake / Bus ride to Shanghai late afternoon / Hotel check-in / Visit Nanjing Road pedestrian mall after dinner.
Day 11 Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the Bund / Visit Shanghai Museum after lunch / Attend a cultural show after dinner.
Day 12 Breakfast at the hotel / Worship at the International Church / Visit the Yu Garden after lunch / Free time before and after dinner and final debrief.
Day 13 Check out and head out to the airport after breakfast / Returning flight to the States / Dinner at home.
Costs: Approximately $3500.00 - $3700.00 depending on international airfare.
The cost will cover accommodations, daily meals, local transportation, domestic flight fares, entrance fee for sites, China visa fee, international flight fares, and miscellaneous fees (parking, toll, tips for bellboys, guides and drivers, etc.)
If you are interested in joining this mission trip, please contact Ernie Thompson or Bridget Thomas (click on their name to send them an email).