While going to break point, a daily look and an ever-changing culture through the lens

of unchanging truth for the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Mark Twain famously said that history doesn't repeat, but it often rhymes.

And history, rhymed recently when a Chinese church undertook a journey that resembled that

of the pilgrims, first fleeing their own land for the sake of religious freedom and staying

for a time in another country before finally finding sanctuary in America.

The whole ordeal has earned the small congregation, which was formally known as the Xinjiang Holy

Reform Church, the fitting name of the Mayflower Church.

Four years ago, the 60-plus members of the Xinjiang Fellowship blood their homes in Communist

China.

Basing the increasing intolerance of Beijing authorities not to mention the growing

megalomanias of Xi Jinping, the congregation was only left with one of two options, either

flee or bend the knee.

They chose the former, and to keep their faith.

After first making their way to territory that belonged to South Korea, where they were

denied asylum, they ended up in Bangkok, but only for a short time.

Just like centuries ago, the pilgrims found their initial refuge in Haolin less than ideal,

this Chinese church soon found that Thailand would not be their new home.

The authorities there detained the community for violating their immigration visas, which

put the refugees at risk of being returned to China.

Well, provinentially, and also due to the efforts of Christians in America, including

US congressmen, State Department officials, and the 2021 Colson Center Wilberforce Award-winner

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