RCMI Newsletter March 2021
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. II Timothy 2:2When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7
From Childhood
The goal of Revival Chinese Ministry International's "Church Development" focus, represented by the "C" in "RCMI," is to assist the Chinese Church develop on multiple levels.
"Church Development" – Timothy in China
Dear RCMI Friends and Pastors,
During the pandemic in 2020, the Chinese Church couldn't avoid being largely immobilized and was only able to interact and conduct meetings online; our ability to minister to them was also significantly affected!
During the most severe part of the pandemic, many Mainland churches were unable to meet in person and had to conduct their meetings online. They had supposed these online sessions would be banned and suppressed, but they were pleasantly surprised to find they had no difficulties; meetings went very well. Also they'd thought middle-aged and elderly believers wouldn't be able to participate since they aren't very familiar with how to use the internet. But they found that due to the strict lockdown measures, entire families at home together participated in meetings, and the younger ones helped the older ones with the technicalities of getting online. Not only that: after people got familiar with meeting online, in the unique situation in Mainland China, there is now no doubt the situation actually expanded the church's room for growth, Praise the Lord!
We've been able to conduct spiritual training, teach courses, provide devotional materials etc, online, too. Of course, the participants can't experience the same closeness or intimate sharing that in-person meetings give opportunity for. But the success of this method lies in the fact that geographic location no longer limits participation; we can easily reach and minister to people from all over the globe. Once near the end of 2020 we tried having a training conference online, and the participants, besides those from different provinces and cities in mainland China, were from various cities and countries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The conference began at 5:00 a.m. China time. When we got online at 4:45, many participants were already online, ready for the meeting. Many of these were not individuals but groups meeting together in churches or homes. The time was in the frigid winter, and their hungry hearts and zeal moved us more than we can say!
China's severe winter
The church of China's zeal to preach the gospel has not abated
Since in-person meetings have resumed, different areas have experienced different challenges; thankfully, most have been freely and safely able to continue meeting together. In just a few districts, the government has investigated and required churches to stop meetings; in these, they adjusted their methods of meeting and pastoring right away, switching to small-group format, meeting online or in homes. Although they've experienced all kinds of difficulties, most of the pastors and coworkers have been resolute in their faith facing the challenges; and we have been able to walk right along with them and encourage them. We're very grateful to have seen that during this time, many churches have been praying more and experiencing greater unity!
What moves us most is to see that the church's zeal to preach the gospel has not abated, and brothers and sisters are boldly continuing to bear witness for the Lord Jesus! We ask each of you to pray for the Church of China; May God protect them and open doors for them! Praise God!
The RCMI director, Revival Christian Church Senior Pastor Samuel Lau
Exclusive Interview with Pastor Kathy (2)
The Mark of Grace
Dennis and Kathy Balcombe -
50th anniversary of the Revival Christian Church
In our prior interview with Pastor Kathy, I believe everyone could see how God prepared Pastor Kathy in an amazing way. In this interview, we'll take a look at how Pastor Kathy and Pastor Dennis met, came to know each other, and then began working together in heartfelt unity to put God's call into practice.
The first time Pastor Kathy saw Pastor Dennis was when she was 18 years old at Shiloh Church in Oakland, California and heard him share from the platform. Pastor Dennis was the first missionary sent out by Shiloh, and the church strongly encouraged the brothers and sisters to care about and support his work. Since like him, she had a heart for missions, she obeyed their pastor's instructions to write him a monthly letter and encourage him. And so in this way, they continued to correspond for the first year.
In the second year, the Lord moved Pastor Dennis to begin thinking about finding a wife. Naturally, this sister, who had been obediently, faithfully writing and encouraging him every month came to his mind. When Pastor Dennis went back to the United States on furlough, he formally met Pastor Kathy for the first time. He invited her to join him at a dinner meeting with others and thus began their dating relationship. From that time on Pastor Kathy prayed about their relationship. She felt he was a person of good character and also quite nice. But what attracted her most was his heart for China.
After dating Pastor Kathy for more than a month, Pastor Dennis asked her to marry him and she gave a positive answer. When her close friends and family members heard about their engagement, they all felt very happy and agreed it was from the Lord. The two were soon married on April 3, 1971 which was Pastor Dennis’ birthday. After the wedding, their honeymoon was spent going around to many churches preaching and sharing about missions. It was at that time they began to establish their family practice of going everywhere preaching and sharing.
After they'd been married for a month, Pastor Kathy followed Pastor Dennis to Hong Kong. She considered the language to be a huge barrier, but she listened, and she learned, and after 6 months she used romanized Chinese to write her testimony in Cantonese. However, when she considered the idea of sharing from the platform, she felt it was very difficult-- when she heard Cantonese being spoken, she could understand, but herself speaking the language was a different matter. But not long after that, God spoke to her through a pastor who prophesied to her and encouraged her, "Don't be afraid; God is going to give you the language." From that time on, she made much more rapid progress -- the God in Whom we trust is just that practical!
Pastor Kathy and her two children
playing with the Chinese children (1977)
In Pastor Kathy's retelling of how she and Pastor Dennis related, she told how she had to learn a great deal because they were so different -- not to mention the huge challenges of being newly married, learning a new language, a new culture and running the church ministry, which she faced all at the same time. She reemphasized that taking time to draw near to God was and is the most important thing of all; otherwise, she would have become very discouraged. Her own mother often used to remind her of the importance of prayer -- whether in serving or in a marital relationship, having different ideas is not a big issue; the most important thing is that God hears our prayers.
Pastor Kathy describes Pastor Dennis as a very focused person. One time when their apartment needed painting, Pastor Dennis used two days and one night to finish the entire job of painting before he would rest. He's also like that with small things; and regarding the work and calling of God, even more so. God called Pastor Dennis as a missionary to China; and from the time Pastor Dennis arrived in Hong Kong until now, he has not stopped praying for China. From the time that Pastor Kathy arrived in Hong Kong, they both would go to the border of Hong Kong near China to pray and declare that China’s door would open soon. Finally, in 1978 China opened, and from that time Pastor Dennis and the brothers and sisters of Revival Christian Church have often gone into China to preach the Gospel and serve God's family there.
Pastor Dennis video recording at the church (1981)
It's hard to put into words the difficulties and challenges that they faced in ministry. Of course, there were times Pastor Kathy felt like giving up, but she kept relying on God's grace and persevered instead of quitting. She frankly admits she was very weak at times, but said that again and again, God used different ways to encourage her. She shared how important it is to find 'that secret place' with God -- otherwise a person can easily become bitter, and one’s relationship with God and people will be seriously harmed. Jesus Christ came into the world and suffered for us so that we can obtain an abundant life!
Pastor Kathy ministry in the church (1987)
Pastor Kathy has turned seventy years old and fifty of those years she has spent in Hong Kong and China. God has done many things in and through her life. She shares that now she's not just following Jesus, she's holding on to Him tightly so that she's not apart from Him for one second. Also she adds that we should not take issue with what others think about us. The most important thing is to hold firmly to the truth that God is the One who does the work. We have different kinds of ministry that we each do: some sow, some water, but only God can bring the increase. The most important thing for the church is that brothers and sisters walk together in unity; and by joining hearts in prayer, all problems can be solved.
As a missionary, Pastor Kathy gives the following heartfelt advice to those who have a heart for missions or who have already invested their lives as missionaries:
1) You must stay very close to the Lord at all times because missionaries have all kinds of work and ministry to do, and it is very easy when you're busy to rely on your own strength and thus get burned out. Only by relying on the Lord can you keep strong.
2) Set your focus on the Lord. Because you are ministering to people, it's very easy to be affected by their circumstances and opinions which will put pressure on you and possibly even make you depressed. But as the Bible says, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God, Who gives the increase" (1 Cor 3:6-7). So keep your focus on the Lord and do your best to be faithful doing His work; that's all you need to do.
3) Depend on the Holy Spirit and always be alert. Missionaries can easily feel lonely when away from their homeland, and in ministry it's easy to run into temptations, so you can't let down your guard.
4) Learn to minister through the love of God. Pastor Kathy understands very well that in foreign fields, missionaries face cultural shock. And there's no way they will ever get through it without relying on the Lord's grace. Human love and ability are very limited but understanding God's heart and learning to love with His love is the only way truly to love people.
Finally, Pastor Kathy's earnest desires are that each member of the church can stand firm in the Lord, grow, and become mature; that the church in Hong Kong can walk in unity; that Revival Christian Church can do more missionary work both locally and in foreign fields; that China will become more open; and that the Gospel will be preached throughout the whole world!
