Churches feeling effects of virus

Missionaries coming home; overseas efforts called off over outbreak

Coronavirus is already having a direct impact on churches and religious institutions in the United States.

American missionaries are being recalled, overseas programs canceled, and at one predominantly Chinese church in Houston, leaders say attendance has plummeted because some members fear services could make them susceptible.

Complicating the issue is the Chinese government’s ban on Christian missionaries entering the country. Since that rule went into effect in 2018, those hoping to evangelize in the communist nation have done so under the guise of teaching jobs or for business opportunities. Now, many are stranded overseas while their sponsoring churches and groups work behind the scenes to return them without compromising their identities or missions.

At Houston Chinese Church, leaders said attendance at Chinese-language services has plummeted by roughly 30 percent in recent weeks.

Pastor Fred Tow said the drop is likely due to members’ unfounded fears of coming into contact with the illness via immigrants in the congregation or those who’ve recently traveled abroad. A few members flew overseas to celebrate the Chinese New Year, Tow said, and the church has asked those members to take a two-week hiatus from services as a precaution.

He said he has been advising other members to remain calm and, as part of that effort, avoid unreliable news reports.

Tow said there have been some concern that the Chinese community in Houston could face discrimination or stereotyping simply because of their ethnicity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention addresses that very concern in a fact sheet about the stigma of coronavirus.

But Tow said he’s confident that the community will persevere.

“There are certain things that are within our control,” Tow said. “But there are things that are out of our control, and that’s when we turn to the Lord. Because he is in control of

all things and he protects.”

The virus — labeled COVID-19 by health officials — has killed more than 2,850 people and sickened more than 83,000 globally, according to the World Health Organization.

The spread of coronavirus follows years of rising missionary activity in Asia, including China, which has increasingly cracked down on religious minorities. Christians account for roughly 5 percent of China’s population, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which continues to list China as a “country of concern” because of its “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.”

Much of the crackdown has been directed at Tibetan Buddhists and Uighur Muslims, but Christians have not been spared.

While religious organizations continue to send missionaries to China, they are unwilling to say so publicly out of safety considerations.

Many fear that the spread of coronavirus will accelerate those trends.

“If it spreads quickly and uncontrollably, church meetings and gatherings may be banned,” one missionary recently told Catholic News Service. “Authorities may also use this a pretext to crack down on the church more severely.”

The concerns are not limited to China. Even those in countries that allow missionary work have been reticent about the situation on the ground, fearing it could jeopardize their return flights or, once back home, arise suspicions that they’re also sick.

Earlier this week, a college affiliated with the Church of Christ had to recall students from Florence, Italy. Two of the students are Houston natives who, according to family, had been planning and saving money for years in preparation for what they thought would be a semesterlong stay.

The group arrived in early February and are expected to fly home in the coming days.

“He’s just bummed, disappointed and very confused about what’s next,” said the mother of one student, who asked that her son not be named as a precaution. “It’s a lot of planning, but of course you feel for the people who are sick. You feel for everyone that’s involved. It’s just a bad situation all around.”

On Thursday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discouraged international members from traveling to the United States for the faith group’s annual conference in April. The move follows a recent decision to transfer more than 100 LDS missionaries serving in Hong Kong. And multiple Mormon temples in Asia have been closed.

Two Southern Baptist seminaries have also been impacted by the virus. The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina canceled upcoming trips to China, South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan, spokesman Griffin Gulledge said this week.

Fort Worth’s Southern Baptist seminary similarly nixed upcoming trips abroad. Officials said this week that they’re exploring ways to “better advise international students who regularly return to their home nations.” They did not specify which countries.

Adam Greenway, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said he and others were praying for those who’ve been affected, as well as for government officials.

“In the midst of such public health crises, we’re reminded that ultimately our only hope is in the promise of eternal life offered through Jesus Christ, and we urge all to look to Him for salvation,” Greenway said.

The International Mission Board, the nation’s largest missionary group, is fundraising to help those working in affected areas. The IMB, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, does not disclose where missionaries are stationed. On Friday, the mission board announced that it had created a task force to assist “implications” for personnel in hard-hit areas.

Wade Burleson, a former IMB trustee, compared the crisis to the outbreak of SARS in 2003. An exchange program with Japanese students at Burleson’s church in Oklahoma was also canceled this week.

“We are living in apocalyptic times,” he said.

At Grace Covenant Church in Austin, a group of about 25 members decided against going on their trip to Thailand out of concerns that they’d get stranded or be quarantined once they return to the United States.

They’re going to Belize instead.