The International Students, Inc. welcomed students to its Chinese Cultural Night Friday to discuss Christianity and share elements of Chinese culture.
The International Students Inc, or ISI, is a Christian missionary company that works with foreign exchange students at UB and other university at the college level. The group holds regular Friday evening events at the Christian Fellowship Baptist Church at 765 Niagara Falls Blvd.
Chinese Cultural Night included musical numbers from various guests and a presentation on the Chinese New Year.
Before the main event, nearly 100 exchange students and Christian families shared a potluck dinner in the church basement. Selections included a Korean-style sushi roll, curried rice and lasagna.
After dining, the crowd headed upstairs into the church proper for the main event.
Tapestries reading "Jesus is our lord," and similar messages adorned the walls. A table was set up in the back offering tapes about the life of Jesus in several languages. A reading room was open in the back, with books by Billy Graham and other authors.
ISI members Rhea Xi and Yanling Chen, a biological sciences major at UB, shared some history behind Chinese New Year festivities and talked about traditional bad-luck superstitions, such as not sweeping the house on New Year's day.
Deborah Chung, Niagara Mohawk Chair Professor of Materials Research who was an ISI member when she was an exchange student, performed on the piano. She played "In God We Trust," a piece she arranged from ancient Chinese melodies, and "Great is Thy Faithfulness."
"I like music because it gives me a way to express my joy to God," Chung said before sitting down at the baby grand.
The pieces she played both had traditional sounding Chinese melodies with Western harmonies.
Fan Zhang, a UB law student, made a speech about his conversion to Christianity, and the conversion of a friend. Other ISI members performed Chinese songs, and gave presentations about Chinese traditions.
According to Clark Nowlan, church team trainer for the organization, the main service ISI provides to UB foreign exchange students is the friendship partner program.
"We befriend them and share the love of Jesus Christ just like we do with everyone else," said Nowlan.
He explained how ISI links a foreign exchange student with an American family or person and they meet together once per month. The American person or family takes the student grocery shopping, makes dinner, or otherwise helps the exchange student to acclimate, Nowlan said.
Nowlan added that he views ISI as a kind of missionary service, except that instead of seeking students out, students come to ISI. The organization is not comparable to a missionary service in the respect that it does not actively try to convert students who have no interest, though non-Christian students are welcome.
Sohei Arakawa, a student teacher in the linguistics department, attends the ISI bible studies. He said that although he does not consider himself Christian, he goes to learn more about Christianity as a philosophy.
He also said that he likes the bible study because it helps him clear up misconceptions about Christianity.
"You get off the train at the station (in Tokyo) and there is a loud speaker saying 'believe in God if you want to live.' Lots of people in Japan don't like Christianity because they think that is what it's about," Arakawa said.
Arakawa found the organization when a friend of his invited him to attend a meeting.
Li Sian Goh, a communication and geology major, is also a member of ISI. She signed up for the organization because she was already a Christian.
"I wanted to be involved with their activities," she said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
