Chinese Mission of the C&MA in Peru

(Updated 9/27/2006)

Church in Development

Chinese immigration to Peru started 157 years ago. Not until the late 1950’s, the gospel ministry began among the Chinese immigrants here.

In 2003, the Christian & Missionary Alliance in the US sent a missionary couple; while the Chinese Churches Association of the C&MA of US as well as Taiwan Alliance Church Union started supporting another couple to serve in Peru. At the time, there was only one Chinese church in the entire Peru. By God’s grace, the new Chinese Mission has started ministries in four key locations in Lima.

1. San Borja
Location: The District of San Borja is located in a more upscale area of the City of Lima, where many mid to upper middle class business owners reside.

Congregation: In 10/2003, the Chinese Alliance Church (CAC) in San Borja came to being. Currently, the CAC in San Borja is consisted of 35 adults, 12 youths & 10 children.

2. Los Olivos

Location: The District of Los Olivos is located in the north of the City. Many new immigrants find it attractive to start businesses there due to the lower cost.

Congregation: The CAC in Los Olivos was established in 6/2004. Currently the congregation is consisted of 15 adults & 9 children. The great majority of them are restaurant owners.

3. Lima Chinatown
Location: Chinatown is located in the City Center of Lima. It’s within walking distance to the Congress and the Presidential Palace. Within the surrounding of a few city blocks, quite many Chinese businesses, restaurants and Chinese fraternal/cultural associations can be found.

Gospel Center: In 3/2004, the Lima Chinatown Alliance Gospel Center began in the heart of Chinatown.

Services offered: Gospel literature, audio/visual material, free medical clinic, special topic seminars, counseling, introductory class to Spanish, and Bible study.

4. San Juan de Miraflores

Location: The District of SJM is located in the south of the City. It is an under-developing area of Lima. Together with the adjacent Districts of Villa Maria del Triunfo and Villa El Salvador, SJM is very attractive to the new Chinese immigrants due to its developing nature with more business opportunities.

Mid-night Bible Study: In March 2006, during the Lima Chinese Restaurant Campaign and STM effort, we discovered that there were many chifas run by people from the Province of Fujian. Some of them had prior contact with Christianity back in China. In April we started a bi-weekly Mid-night Bible Study in an Internet Café where is frequented by many Chinese expatriates in the surrounding area to get on-line and make long distance phone calls back to China.
On average there are 14 people attending the Bible study.

5. Iquitos

Location: Iquitos is a port city in the north of Peru in the Amazon jungle where the River Amazon initiates. It takes an hour and half by plane from Lima. There are close to 100 Chinese owned tiendas (shops) and chifas combined. Most of them are Cantonese. There are a sizeable Hakanese originated from Guang-dong.
STM Campaign: Starting in 2006 the San Borja CAC has adopted Iquitos as its missions target. In May, a team of five members went and ministered to the Chinese immigrants there for a week. The second STM trip is scheduled for the end of November.

Vision & Challenges

Evangelism
It’s been estimated that the Chinese population in Peru is about 150,000 persons and the Christian to population ratio is at 1:1000. To reach 5% goal, each present Chinese Christian believer would need to convert 50 people for Christ.

Church Planting
The great majority of Chinese immigrants reside in the Capital City of Lima. Enumerating the pockets of current Chinese population within the City, there are at least five more Chinese church plants are necessary: Lima downtown, Callao, Comas, Surco, Miraflores, and San Juan de Miraflores.

Co-Laborers and ministry opportunities
The work is plentiful, but the laborers are few! We currently are in need of two more Chinese Christian worker-couples to conduct pastoral/discipleship and evangelism/church-planting ministries. And there are more work to do: worship leading, preaching, discipleship training, follow-up visitation, Vacation Bible School, Youth Camp, special topic seminars, free medical clinic, music concert, evangelistic events, personal evangelism, prayer walk, etc.

“Chinese-Alliance Center”
To further the growth and expansion of the new ministries, we are in need to build a Multi-Purpose Community Center that would facilitate outreaching into the Chinese community and ministering to their needs. The center would also provide space for the CAC of San Borja, thus bridging the community and the church. The budget for the first phase of the project is $250,000. To date we have raised $150,000.

Any gift towards this purpose may be mailed to:

The Christian & Missionary Alliance
Donor Accounting
P.O. Box 35000
Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500
(Please put in the memo space: for Peru Chinese Evang/Ch Planting)



Prayer Requests
1. Rising of local believers to be disciples & church leaders
2. Building of the Chinese-Alliance Center in San Borja
3. Co-workers in ministry to be filled with His Spirit and be faithful in His Service
4. The Second generation ministry and its co-workers
5. Against dark binding forces (gambling, idolatry, ancestor worship, long hours of work and
worries)
6. Joint efforts with STM teams
7. Sharing of the Gospel through the monthly distribution of the Herald-Peru Edition (3,000
copies) & the Zhong Xin Magazine (200 copies)
8. Additional full time co-laborer couples
9. Pray against the Jehovah Witnesses’ activities targeting the Chinese in Peru. Their work is
conducted by Mandarin speaking Japanese and Korean couples.