Cheshire Church Adds Chinese Ministry

Each Sunday, more than 50 worshippers gather at in Cheshire to attend a Mandarin-language church service. Their new pastor is one of the few clergy members in the state who deliver sermons in Mandarin.

About 200 families in Cheshire are Chinese, church leaders said, while another 1,000 Chinese families live in Central Connecticut. The church has held bible study for Chinese familes for more than a decade, but had not provided a church service for members whose native language was Mandarin.

"We knew in the future we would need a pastor with a multicultural background," said church leader Joe Juger of Cheshire.

Pastor Joshua Huang, 40, of Taiwan, was selected by church members to fill the position. He came to the United States in 2005 and received his second Master of Divinity degree at Gordon-Conwell Seminary near Boston. He earned his first  degree while in Taiwan.

Huang began his ministry at the Grace Baptist Church in May 2011 and soon after, the congregation applied for a visa to allow him to work in the United States. The application process required that Huang return to his native Taiwan to await approval. After six months of review, the visa was recently granted.

Huang returned to Cheshire on Feb. 6 and began services again last Sunday. "I had to face uncertainty. I didn't know when my visa would be approved. I'm very grateful to God. It was an amazing journey," Huang said. The trip to Taiwan also allowed him to visit his parents for the first time in four years.

"The opportunity in Cheshire was not available in mainland (China)," Huang said. "The reason I came here is I can speak freely. I can freely join churches and listen to the gospel," he said.

Huang said there are about 70 million Christians in China, but worshipping is, at best, barely allowed. "Persecution is going on in many cities. Churches get together secretly," he said. They are called "House Churches," Juger said, and members meet in small groups in private homes.

"Worshipping is best done in the language you grew up with," said Dave Rogers, a church deacon. "We call it the 'Heart Language,'" he said.

"We've really gotten to appreciate the Chinese culture," said Rogers. For the second year, the church has held a Chinese New Year celebration, which has been well attended, he said.

Grace Baptist Church has about 35 non-Chinese members, Rogers said, so the new Chinese ministry about doubles its size. "We call it one church. The leadership is combined, there is a single budget, the money is combined," said Rogers. "We believe in the same things," he added.