Dear Sisters and Brothers at Hope Church
Greetings. Thank you for your prayers and love in Christ throughout the years. Your support and encouragement have meant a lot to me.
I will study at Western Theological Seminary in the ThM program for another year and do some studies on the Gospels, especially Matthew. During my previous studies, the more I explored Matthew’s texts and the Matthean community, the more parallels I found in my own Christian context marginalized by dominant cultures and threatened by various forces, so I’ve been fascinated by how the Matthean community respond in their faith to God.
I have been interning at a Chinese church in Grand Rapids as well as a bible study fellowship in Holland since last summer. We did the Book of Exodus and have now moved to Acts. We try to do bilingual bible study in Holland—Mandarin and English, so you are most welcome to visit us if you are interested in Chinese culture or learning Mandarin.
I’m grateful that my mentors at Hope, Pastors Jill, Gordon, and Beth, guided me, encouraged me, and gave me practical insights at the beginning of my pastoral ministry. And your hospitality and love that I experienced have transformed me. I pray that your faith and love will be passed on to the larger community in the body of Christ.
May the Lord who loves me love you even more.
Blessings,
Qiaoqiao Chen
