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Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration in Liverpool
“It has been the first time in my life to be in a church, and the activity was so well-organised, I felt it was like a big family, and I felt so warm and touched.” Wendy Wang, a nonmember from Beijing, China, left this message for the missionaries after she and her friend attended the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th of September in the Liverpool stake centre. “We definitely want to come back in the future,” Wang said.
Elder Li, a missionary from China, observed, “The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. To the Chinese, the festival means family reunion and peace. Families get together, and people will also eat tasty pastries called mooncakes.” Elder Li continued, “It is also a great opportunity to help the Chinese know about the gospel based on their knowledge about families and love.”
There were over 120 people present, many of them being of Chinese as well as English heritage, with at least 30 people being nonmembers. Most of them were from Liverpool and Manchester.
Sister Westover, one of the missionaries serving in Liverpool who speaks Mandarin, said, “We want to help the Chinese community to know more about our Church and introduce the Chinese culture to our local members as well.” Miki Dong, a Chinese member from Manchester YSA Ward, also said, “When I heard about this festival in Liverpool, I had a sincere desire to bring my friends.” Dong continued, “It’s not only a fantastic opportunity to make lots of new friends but also to help them know better about my country and my culture.”
Food was prepared by Sister Sam Perrie, a local member from Liverpool Ward, and senior couple missionaries. One senior missionary, Sister Quinn, made mooncakes from scratch. “The mooncakes were impressive,” Danny Wilkinson, a member of Liverpool Ward, said.
The activity also included some performances, mainly from the missionaries. There were Chinese traditional songs and magic tricks as well. Sister McFadden, a senior missionary from Utah, USA, performed a beautiful piece with her violin whilst accompanied on the piano by a nonmember.
The evening concluded with a gathering in the chapel for the final scores and a testimony meeting. People shared in both the Chinese and English languages how the gospel of Jesus Christ had blessed their lives. Closing remarks were then given by President McReynolds, the mission president of the England Manchester Mission. People closed with singing the hymn “Families Can Be Together Forever,”1 which left a sweet and happy spirit with everyone.
Liverpool England Stake has a long history of having Chinese-speaking missionaries, and the universities in the northwest also have many Chinese international students. Over many years, many Chinese people have joined the Church whilst travelling or studying here in the UK.