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May 21, 2002
Dear Friends,
China Notes #4
I (Don) am just back from visiting schools and Amity teachers
in Nanjing, as well as helping decide on placements for the incoming
teachers. Over the week in Nanjing I had a chance to catch up
with a number of PC(USA) teachers in China, so am reminded that
maybe this is a good time to introduce other people who are working
in China with full or partial support from PC(USA).
The Amity Teacher Project
As you probably all know, for the past 17 years the PC(USA)
has sent English teachers to China under the auspices of the Amity
Foundation. This is done through the Church World Service in conjunction
with many other denominations. Because many teachers have
support from more than one denomination I don't always know who's
support is primarily from the PC(USA), but as best I can make
it
out, there are currently seven regular Amity teachers in this
category:
- Suzanne Weber taught in Yangzhou (Jiangsu) for four years
in the 1990s, and now teaches in Nanjing (Jiangsu). In addition
to teaching English and learning Chinese, she has also found
time to get married and become a mother!
- Robbie Wellington has been teaching in Weifang (Shandong province)
since 1998, and has learned most of the Chinese language in
the process.
- Susie Smith also began teaching in China in 1998, and teaches
at Zaozhuang Teachers College in Shandong. Susie is generally
recognized as the Teacher Project's artist in residence, and
is the one called on when there is a need for art work.
- Also 1998 arrivals, Lynn and Jon Hilton teach at Huzhou Teachers
College in Zhejiang province. Lynn first came to China as a
teacher in Amity's Summer English Program, and liked it so much
she signed up to teach in the regular academic year program,
bringing her husband Jon along with her.
- Caroline Sunquist, teaching in Yuncheng (Shanxi), is relatively
new to the Teacher Project, but not to Asia: She previously
lived in Singapore and came to China already knowing quite a
bit of Chinese.
- Hugh Wire has spent the last year teaching at China Pharmaceutical
University in Nanjing. Given that he has previously worked for
Church World Service, as well as being a pastor in the PC(USA),
he is helping Amity gain a better understanding of how to build
its support base in North America.
- Two other PC(USA) personnel, Kim and John Strong, are on direct
assignment from the PC(USA) to the Amity Teacher Project. Both
teach part-time at the Jiangsu Institute of Education and also
provide administrative support for the Teacher Project. Kim
is coordinator of the Summer English Program, a program with
which she has been involved for over a decade. John serves Amity
in the area of communications through such things as working
with videos and editing the Teacher Project's in-house newsletter,
the Echo.
- Last but not least, Amity teacher Ann Wire has a unique role
in that she is teaching New Testament at Nanjing Union Theological
Seminary. A faculty member at San Francisco Theological Seminary,
Ann was born in China of missionary parents, and when the opportunity
arose for her to teach at the seminary in Nanjing she insisted
that the arrangement include her, as well as husband Hugh, as
part of the Teacher Project.
Shenyang
There are five PC(USA) personnel serving in the city of Shenyang
in northeastern China. The work of two couples is focused primarily
on the Korean minority population in that region.
- Min Young and Ho Ban have served the Korean Vocational School
in Shenyang for the past several years. Ho works in the area
of computer science.
- Recently, Min Young and Ho have been joined by Sun Hee and
Andy Chang-Hyun Yoo, whose responsibilities include teaching
English for Shenyang's Xita church.
- Barbara Penny is also in Shenyang, teaching at Shenyang Teachers
College. Before going to Shenyang, Barbara taught for several
years in Nanjing through Amity, and she continues to assist
Amity teachers in professional areas such as the teaching of
composition.
United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UB)
Susan and Jay Boone have served at universities in several Chinese
cities—Suzhou, Hangzhou, and most recently Changchun—under
the
auspices of PC(USA) and the United Board. Jay is a specialist
in law and economics, while Susan teaches English. They first
began work with China when Jay was invited by the Chinese government
to help set up their oil-exploration-related laws at the time
China and the U.S. normalized relations, and Susan and Jay have
subsequently spent most of the last two decades teaching in China.
Hong Kong
As you already know, Wei Hong and I are PC(USA) personnel based
in Hong Kong. I work for the Amity Teacher Project from the Hong
Kong Amity Office, and Wei Hong works at the library of Lutheran
Theological Seminary. What you may not know is that much of the
financial support for the coordinator of Amity's Hong Kong Office,
Theresa Carino, is also provided through the PC(USA). Theresa
has been involved with Amity for a long time, first as founder
and director of the Philippine-China Resource Development Center,
then as editor of the Amity Newsletter.
Additionally, the PC(USA) provides part of the support for Judy
Chan, who works in the area of staff development and public relations
for the Hong Kong Christian Council.
The point of all this is that the PC(USA) has a pretty impressive
cast of characters serving China, both in terms of experience
and sheer longevity, and we can all use your prayers. The level
of support provided by the PC(USA) for people serving China also
shows that the PC(USA)'s long-standing commitment to China is
still strong.
God's peace,
Don Snow
The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 179
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