Kan has his cross to bear

It's Sunday and pastor Kan Renping gets up at 6:30 am. It only takes two minutes for him to walk from his dormitory to the church where he begins his daily routine.

The Protestant has lived in Nanjing's St. Paul's Church for 14 years, even after he got married.

"I love living in the church because it is the house in which God dwells," he says with a smile.

The city is still blanketed in darkness, but the church is already filling up, with some worshippers having arrived at 4:30 am. After greeting them, Kan prays for a few minutes before reading the Bible. He then sets up his daily schedule while his mind is fresh.

As there is no canteen in the church, he goes out and has 3 yuan ($0.40) noodles nearby. "If I preach in the morning, I will be too busy to have breakfast," he says.

"Sometimes I am required to arrive at a crematory at 5:30 am to hold a funeral for a Christian, as people believe the one who gets cremated first during the day will be blessed."

Built in 1913 by American Episcopalian missionary G. M. B. Gill, St. Paul's is the oldest church in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province.

It was taken over by a local optical instrument factory when the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) erupted, during which it stopped religious services for nearly two decades, until 1985, when it was reopened.

Every week, it holds eight services for more than 4,000 people, a number which has grown from 1,000 in 1994, when Kan started.

Currently five clergymen (three pastors and two preachers) who all graduated from Nanjing Union Theological Seminary (NJUTS) serve in the church, with the assistance of nearly 200 volunteers.

According to Kan, there are about 200 churches and meeting points, including those in the countryside, serving a community of 120,000 Christians in the city, while the number of pastors stands at 17, nearly half of whom are women.

St. Paul's held four services on December 23 last year. The earliest one started at 7 am.

Kan is a busy man. When he is not in the pulpit, people come to his office asking him to pray with them, or to sign administrative papers, or some other church-related task.

At nearly 9 am, the Nanjing native quickly changes into a black clerical robe with a bright blue stole around his shoulders.

Now aged 40, Kan has developed a round belly which he tries to cover up with his robes.

"The more hectic my life is, the more weight I have gained. I cannot figure out why," he sighs.

Before appearing in front of the church, Kan quickly checks the sound-control desk.

When he appears, the 600 sq m building is packed to capacity. Those who arrive late have to sit on small stools or stand outside the gate.

It is not difficult to spot young faces among those gathered.

"Five years ago, many of my congregation were elderly women. Now, young people make up 40 percent of them, and 30 percent are middle-aged," Kan says.

"Some young people don't get satisfaction from material things and are looking for a spiritual home. Christianity promotes love, kindness and tolerance, which improves their nature."

Kan says he is glad the central government has recognized the "active role" that religion plays "in the development of a harmonious society".

When the service is over, Kan races to the church gate where he bids farewell to the crowd of worshippers.

He smiles and talks with them wholeheartedly, showing no trace of how busy he is.

"I do feel frustrated sometimes, as I cannot sort out all the problems the worshippers encounter - marriage and poverty for instance. The only thing I can do is to pray for them."

At 10:30 am, Kan holds an English language service, something that he initiated in 2003. He says he wants "expatriates to take part in the worship in their mother tongue, helping the Chinese Christians improve their English, and attracting English lovers".

The English service is held twice a month by Chinese people, rather than English native speakers. The number of worshippers attending the service has grown from 50 to 200 at present, including 30 foreigners who live in the city.

Kan returns to his office after 12:30 pm. The Chinese-style fast food his colleague brings him is already cold on his desk. As the vice president of the Nanjing Municipal Christian Council, Kan is the only Christian in his family. His parents died when he was young. After graduating from middle school, he lived independently and worked various jobs, such as being the owner of a chicken farm and machinist.

But life didn't go as smoothly as he had expected. The young Kan was in low spirits until he met his friend's mother-in-law, a Christian, when he was 19.

He took an entrance examination for NJUTS in 1990 and graduated from the seminary four years later.

As a senior pastor, his monthly salary is less than 1,900 yuan ($250). But Kan is happy with the income as long as it sustains him.

He says that he isn't jealous of the freedoms those outside of the church enjoy.

"I bless them but not envy them: I used to love football and going to pubs to watch games. I even prayed for our football players, but their performance was so bad that I later gave up."

He takes Monday off every week, the only time that he is able to switch off his mobile phone, and cleans the house and watches TV.

Kan has a government meeting to attend after baptizing a group of people at 3 pm.

As soon as he gets back, he's got a week left of dirty laundry waiting for him. "If I don't wash them today, I'll have to buy some new clothes," he says sheepishly.

When night falls Kan stays behind at the office. Beside surfing the Internet, his favorite activity is talking with his wife and son, who live overseas, for half an hour on the phone.

Kan goes to bed at midnight. Reading the Bible is the last thing he usually does - unless he is too exhausted. Touching the cover, he places the book next to his pillow and whispers: "Good night, God."

(China Daily 01/10/2008 page20)