“May the God of Hope bring you such joy and peace in your faith that the power of the Holy Spirit will remove all bounds to hope.” (Romans 15:13) 

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For Saint Paul hope was not the same as optimism.  He wrote when many Christians were suffering martyrdom,  the church was suffering serious divisions, and he was in prison awaiting execution. Hope is a theological virtue enabling us to face foreboding realities with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

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Throughout the 35 years since its founding, USCCA has remained faithful to the spirit of St. Paul, and has remained strong in the hope for friendship and peace between the people of China and the United States. 

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Hope is enabled by humble dialogue among persons in hard times, and dialogue is made possible through building channels of communication.  Our 29th conference in 2024 will explore how to build these channels between American and Chinese Christians and the people of all faith in our challenging world. We will be especially eager to listen prayerfully to our Chinese brothers and sisters and learn from their witness to the faith. 

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Keynote speakers will discuss the signs of the times, wars and rumors of wars and the tensions between the US and China that endanger global peace. On the first evening, we will provide historical perspective for how Chinese Christianity has responded to such situations; on the second day we will focus on Christian responses to their current situation; on the third day we will offer perspectives of hope for the future. On each day we will strive to learn, receive mutual inspiration and understanding for the flourishing of the Church in China. 

 

Our panelists will discuss the building of mutual understanding and interpersonal encounter that will forge channels of communication within which blessed hope can arise. Panelists will discuss their perspectives, experiences, expertise, as well as share hopeful signs of the future on three main topics (a) theology and faith formation in the Chinese context, (b) clergy and church life in China, and (c) social services in China by both religious and lay people in both rural and urban communities. We will encourage dialogue and interaction between speakers and all participants.

 

The USCCA has been dedicated to building such channels for the past 35 years and we earnestly hope that this conference will discover new ways to fulfill this mission for the future years. We hope you will join us in the celebration of 35 years of USCCA and together to develop a vision and path for the future 35 years.