HOUSTON (BP) — The Chinese Christian Fellowship of the U.S. and Canada is anticipating a fourfold or greater increase in attendance at its 2013 annual meeting in Houston, the result of several strategies to plant new churches and equip current churches for service.
Peter Leong, fellowship liaison ambassador, said the Southern Baptist-affiliated fellowship has planted 32 churches in the past year and identified 15 potential areas for church plants. In addition, the fellowship has encouraged annual meeting attendance through a letter-writing campaign and outreach through the Houston Chinese Baptist Fellowship, the local steering committee for the event, Leong said.
Leong anticipates about 200 members attending the fellowship’s meeting June 10 at 6 p.m. at Chinese Baptist Church, 900 Brogden Road, in Houston, with Dan Ho as senior pastor. Last year, about 30 people attended the fellowship’s annual meeting in New Orleans, as Leong recalled.
Speaking at the Houston gathering will be the fellowship’s president, Abraham Chiu, pastor of Crosspoint Chinese Community Church in San Jose, Calif.; fellowship executive director Galahad Cheung of Toronto, Ontario; and fellowship church planting ambassador Ted Lam of Oklahoma.
The meeting will be held in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s June 11-12 annual meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
The fellowship will continue in the coming year to work toward its goal of 800 church plants by 2020, with added goals of strengthening current congregations and equipping churches to serve, Leong said. Currently, about 310 Chinese churches comprise the fellowship.
Leong said the fellowship has enjoyed success in recruiting church planters by holding about 10 city and regional church planting conferences in the past year in various locations including New York City, California and Texas.
“The response is quite well and then there are some laymen who have the intention to find the will of God to become a church planter,” Leong said. Churches have been planted in several cities, including Oklahoma, California, Toronto and New York City.
In addition to president Chiu, fellowship officers are vice presidents Benny Wong, Paul Cheung and Jady Lo and secretary Andrew Ho.
–30–
Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ staff writer. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).