You celebrate a Chinese Moon Festival. That is what Immanuel Covenant Church did on Friday.
Pastors Ben Gong and Linnea Carnes led the 80 attendees in the service that Gong likened to the American Thanksgiving. The festival – also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival – is celebrated differently throughout many Southeast Asian countries. It is the second most important festival, along with the Chinese Lunar New Year.
The event included a concert that featured 11 performers, most of whom are students from China attending North Park University and Northeastern Illinois University. The music was performed on piano, marimba, drums and voice with selections that ranged from Chopin to original compositions.
After the concert a meal and the traditional “moon cakes” were served to all in the fellowship hall. Moon cakes are small round or rectangular pastries with different fillings and are dense in consistency like American fruitcakes. They often have designs on them. The food was prepared by Pastor Gong and the students with the help of a local Chinese chief.
The congregation is used to honoring the different cultures of its members. Fourteen languages are spoken at the church, which has a regular attendance of just under 100 individuals.
To learn more about this multicultural congregation, please see a previously published online news story, Cultural Shift Brings Rich Rewards.
