The Wuhan pneumonia outbreak affects the hearts of overseas Chinese.
On January 26, 2020, Rev. Yu Hongjie, senior pastor of Silicon Valley Christian Assembly, urged Christians to pray for the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic in a Sunday service message.
He said that prayer requests from Christians who stayed in infected areas could be shared to the overseas church in the United States. The church's elders and co-workers would pray earnestly for them.
In the message, the renowned pastor urged Christians to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and serve as a power of stability and blessings in this situation.
In regards to how to deal with the situation, he shared that he knew there were two different viewpoints inside the Chinese church - one held that all the services and gatherings should be suspended while the other insisted the church activities must be not affected.
If a church had members who were returning from central China's Hubei Province, they should be quarantined for two weeks if possible, while attending only online worship.
"I hope the reason why some don't attend church comes out of love, not out of terror or due to lack of faith," he added.
He urged believers to build each other up and pray and watch for one another.
He said that each and every one should play his or her part; for instance, paying attention to personal hygiene, including handwashing and disinfection. At the same time, one should have faith without fear, otherwise he or she would live in anxiety and terror. Filled with hope, Christians should pray to terminate the novel coronavirus.
The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but the church should stand up and pray to end the epidemic in the name of the Lord. The church was expected to revive and play its own role, not only a role of receiving blessings, but of blessing others and expelling the deeds of the enemies through prayers.
- Translated by Karen Luo
