Christians in Shanghai are stepping up to offer practical help and prayer as the city of 25 million endures the second week of a Covid-19 lockdown that has left many cooped-up residents screaming from their apartment balconies and windows.

According to an article by Christianity Today (CT) published yesterday (April 13), based on the personal experiences of local church elders in the city, believers are donning personal protection equipment and risking catching the virus to serve their neighbours in need.

Residents of Shanghai have been holed up in their homes since the start of the month after the government imposed its largest city-wide lockdown. The move came after the city recorded its highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic.

But the strict measures seem to have done little to slow the spread of the virus. On Wednesday (April 13), Shanghai recorded more than 26,000 cases, setting a daily record for the 11th time in 12 days. 

Clearing rubbish, cooking meals

With the majority of residents prohibited from going out to buy food, people are relying on volunteer groups formed by neighbours to have their groceries and necessities delivered, though there have been complaints on social media about food shortages and rising prices.

As part of a neighbourhood volunteer team, Pastor Xue* from GB Church*, whom CT interviewed, has been collecting rubbish from the doorways of 72 homes in an apartment building and helping his neighbours make online group purchases.

Another believer, Elder Jiang*, also volunteered to organise Covid-19 tests and distribute supplies, even though the lockdown was a chance for the pilot to spend time with his wife and young son, said CT.

Though he and his wife ended up testing positive for the virus and had to be separated from their three-year-old son who tested negative, he did not regret his choice, according to CT.

Yet another individual, Sister Tang*, has also been running errands and making late-night phone calls to help dispense and purchase medication for those in need in her residential block.

On top of that, she also cooks home-cooked food and delivers it to those who are pregnant or single.

When asked why she chose to do this, she told CT: “Their parents are away, and at this special time, I want them to taste double the love because our heavenly Father loves us this way too.”

Pastor Xue added: “The benefits we seek for our community in this life cannot be saved for eternity, but it is worth doing. For when we love our neighbours, we show them what God is. We manifest God’s love. And when we not only love our neighbours but commit ourselves to our communities, we testify to God’s principles and manifest his wisdom.”

In CL Church*, which is in another area of the city, members have been even more generous with their offering during the lockdown, “unexpectedly surpass(ing) the previous few months”. This has allowed the church to bless those who are in need.

According to CT, the leadership team has plans to use some of the funds to support the poor and vulnerable in the city, as well as affected missionaries, ministries and preachers.

Authenticity as a form of Christian witness

Churches and believers have not only been extending practical help to others, but spiritual and emotional support too as residents battle emotional and financial pressures as a result of the lockdown, according to CT.

CL Church have been urging its members to pick up the phone to pray for and with those in need, including non-believers.

The church’s pastor, Pastor Han*, also encourages those who are not sure how to pray to do so according to God’s word.

“When our refrigerator at home is full, our spiritual condition is not necessarily better, but when our spiritual condition is better, we will not have inner anxiety when we see the refrigerator empty. God speaks to us every day through the Scriptures, and we need to think and respond to him in prayer,” he told CT.

There has also been a “significant” and unexpected increase in attendance at their half-hour morning prayer meetings since the lockdown, including many non-Christians, said CT. 

“The seekers appreciated the sincerity of the church even more because they had heard Christians share honestly about their anxiety and insecurity during the lockdown,” said the article.

This authenticity has been a powerful form of Christian witness.

“In the midst of the pandemic, members of (Pastor Han’s) church, who used to hold each other at arm’s length and were predominately elite white-collar workers, shared for the first time their anxieties about the epidemic, their worries about the lack of supplies at home, and their problems in child-rearing and marriage,” said CT

“Because of their authenticity, non-Christians no longer turned away from Christians, but can come before God as sinners with real needs and call on God’s love.”

Said Pastor Han to CT: “We may be going through the biggest crisis in the two years since we planted the church, but this particular experience has also shown us that what was planted before the epidemic is now blossoming.

“As we enter the last week of Easter, I am especially reminded that the hope of the resurrection determines our state at this moment. The more we believe in the resurrection, the lighter we look at the hardships of this moment.”

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

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