Pray with China, February 22, 2026
Lectionary Selection: Matthew 4:1-11
Prayers for China
Dear God,
In this season of Lent, as we turn our minds toward the cross, renew us as we seek to listen again to the words of Jesus Christ. Break down any temptations of discouragement that could preoccupy our minds and dull your receptivity to your Spirit. Help us to see clearly your grace and love through the sacrifice you have made for us, and guide us to share your blessings and love with others.
We lift up the churches among ethnic minorities in Yunnan Province, China. We pray for spiritual breakthroughs among the many unreached groups and for courage among existing congregations. Please provide your love among them, your Word in every heart language, and empower the ongoing translation work in Yunnan. Protect communities and help churches be the centers of hope and healing. Bless our mission partner, Yunnan Christian Council, pastors and church workers, and their strategic ministries in the cities and villages, and raise up strong, healthy, and multiplying churches that bring glory to Your name among all people.
Lord, call us and lead us, your servant, let your love be genuine, hate what is evil. Give us grace to let your ministries bring an appreciation for the needs and distress of others, and to open our hearts to serve the people.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Mission Moment from China
Ethnic Minority Ministry of Yunnan Christian Council
We are grateful for God’s grace to continue to partner with Yunnan Christian Council to support their ethnic minority ministries in 2025. There are 3,000 Christian churches in Yunnan province, China, and 80% of them are ethnic minority congregations. They are often vibrant hubs of cultural and spiritual life, and access to the Bible in their mother tongue is a central part of that experience. Six minority language Bibles, Yi, Lisu, Jingpo, Lahu, Wa, and Miao, were translated by missionaries a century ago. To meet the spiritual needs of minority congregations in today’s context, the Yunnan Christian Council has been actively involved in editing and translating new versions of minority-language Bibles. Teams of native speakers work with experts, creating drafts reviewed over many years before a pilot print run for community feedback. This work is a complex, long-term commitment. While the work is extensive, challenges remain. Additionally, as younger generations become more proficient in Mandarin, preserving the active use of these language Bibles is an ongoing focus.
This year, the Zaiwa (one branch of the Jingpo minority language)-Chinese bilingual Bible was successfully published. Yunnan CC used the donated funds from Global Ministries to distribute 320 Bibles to Zaiwa ethnic minority congregations and to host a successful seminar for the Zaiwa Bible Old Testament Translation Review Consultation team. We are blessed to be part of this ministry, enabling ethnic minority brothers and sisters in remote mountainous areas to receive free Bibles in their own languages and opportunities to learn both Chinese and their native languages.
Ethnic minority ministries in Yunnan have always been a focus of Global Ministries in China. In the annual report of Yunnan CC, they said: “We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing support and prayers for our various ethnic minority ministries. It is through your steadfast prayers and contributions in Jesus Christ that our ethnic minority ministries in Yunnan have continued and progressed smoothly. We look forward to your continued support and prayers for our ministries, so that we may bless one another in the ministries.”
Most churches and minority communities in the undeveloped mountain areas of Yunnan face significant financial constraints. Some churches lack pastors, primarily because a small number of congregants are unable to support them financially, making ministry expansion particularly challenging. We also supported their social services, such as health promotion, a free clinic, and the dissemination of health knowledge programs among ethnic minority communities in the past years. We pray for God’s help and continue to support the ethnic minority ministries of the Yunnan Christian Council.
Mission Partners in China
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