Editor's Note

To keep up with the times, the Chinese Christian Church of Greater Washington, DC (CCCGW) is transitioning its Living Spring Journal to a brand new digital format, beginning with the June 20, 2024 issue. Through this modernized medium we aim to share stories of church life and faith in hopes of strengthening our relationships with each other and our cohesion as a church. The Journal is also our bridge for communicating with others beyond our church.

The digital Journal builds on a long history at CCCGW. To this day, our church library still holds some early issues, including several from the 1970s. In those early days when computers were not yet widely available, the publication was carefully crafted under spartan conditions, with each cover hand-drawn, the content in Chinese hand-written,  and the content in English typed out on manual typewriters. The Journal shared insights into faith, spiritual growth, church life, and personal testimonies, all of which were highly treasured by our church community. The 1980s saw the formal introduction of the Living Spring Journal; its long record of the real-life experiences of brothers and sisters in the church—their struggles, victories, and spiritual growth—has left us a rich legacy of testimony to God's grace, power, and glory in the lives of His people.

In the new digital format, the Journal will continue to uphold the principle of glorifying God and benefiting its readers. It aspires not only to share information but also to enhance communication among church members and with others farther afield. The Journal will include content in both Chinese and English and highlight recent activities and events at CCCGW, announcements of major upcoming events, and new ministries or initiatives.  It will also feature testimonies from members of our congregation on their spiritual walk with the Lord and their personal growth in faith. We also hope to showcase faith-related artwork, particularly by our children and youth, and to recommend good books. With permission from the artists, we plan to feature the artwork on our church website. We long to see more of our church members take advantage of this channel to share their stories for mutual encouragement, so that we can savor together the abundant grace and love of God in our lives. 

The Journal will be published quarterly, perhaps more often if more brothers and sisters sign up for this ministry by joining the website and editorial teams.  We will continue to optimize and update this electronic Journal to meet your needs and expectations. Please send us your feedback and suggestions, and do continue to follow us so that together we can witness the growth of this Journal, and rejoice at its progress.  We hope this publication will inspire you, warm your heart, and lead us all to praise God for His goodness.

 

May the grace of the Lord be with you,

The Church Journal Editorial Team