50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 538 We must keep up with the times!
So, where did this Bishop Wilson get his bright yellow vestments from?

However, this was not the time to ask questions; his baptism ceremony began.

The process was the same as before, but men don't need to be as meticulous as women. He simply lowered his head and put it over the basin.

Water it.

He didn't care who performed his baptism, but the fact that a local bishop personally attended showed that the other party valued him, whether it was for money or something else.

The parishioners watching the ceremony were incredibly envious; the regional bishops rarely saw each other except for the annual grand festival.

Now that this reclusive Bishop Wilson has actually come out to perform a baptism for a Protestant, the identity of the baptized believer must be very important.

Sun Zhiwei's baptism ceremony ended quickly. Bishop Wilson chatted with him a few words in a friendly manner, and then left with a reserved air.

Next, Pastor Irwin presided over the Holy Communion ceremony, which is essentially eating Holy Communion.

This ritual originates from The Last Supper, which tells the story of Jesus Christ having his last supper with his twelve disciples before his arrest.

At the Supper, Jesus gave bread as his own flesh and wine as his own blood to his disciples, sacrificing himself to forgive their sins.

Since then, Holy Communion has become a sacrament, a memorial to the suffering of Jesus Christ for the world, and a testament to his eternal love for humanity.

Previously, when there was no bread, unleavened bread was used, but later bread was gradually used as a substitute.

However, this is not absolute. Many things are changing in the church in the new era. For example, some churches will use fermented bread or even wonton or dumpling wrappers instead.

Regardless of the food substitute used, the important core lies in using the act of "breaking bread" to symbolize the breaking and redemption of Jesus' body, emphasizing the connection among believers and their hope for the future.

In many churches, the bread and wine for communion are prepared by the priest himself.

However, no one is perfect. If you encounter a pastor who is not a good cook, you're in for a lot of trouble.

Sun Zhiwei and Tong Jiajia were lucky today. Pastor Owen's cooking skills were good, and they each received a small piece of bread, which tasted alright.

That concludes today's events; both Sun Zhiwei and Tong Jiajia have received their baptism certificates.

After the believers who shared communion had all left, Sun Zhiwei approached Pastor Owen again and handed him two envelopes, one bearing his name and the other Tong Jiajia's.

This was their first donation to the church. Because it was their first time, Sun Zhiwei was very generous and signed a check for one million and one hundred thousand.

The amount is written on the envelope, next to the name. Foreigners don't care about subtlety; they prefer it to be in real money.

Of course, he wouldn't spend this money for nothing; he would naturally earn it back many times over from the church in the future.

Generally speaking, donations to a church do not need to be given directly to the pastor, but rather through formal channels established by the church.

There are many legitimate channels mentioned here, such as Sunday offering boxes: most churches set up offering boxes during Sunday worship, where believers can directly put in their voluntary donations.

This is similar to the donation boxes or wish-granting boxes in temples; there is no minimum amount required.

However, Christian churches only display their offering boxes on specific days, unlike temples where they are always out there so you might not be able to find them.

Another type of donation, called an offering bag, has a specific purpose listed on it, such as church building fund, missionary fund, etc. Believers can choose which project to put their money into based on their needs. This is similar to pooling money to build a temple by buying bricks, pillars, or beams.

However, there is no limit to the amount in the donation bag; you can give as much as you like.

Building a temple is different. The price of a brick, a pillar, a statue, and a stele is clearly marked, and there are quantity limits. It's first come, first served.

No wonder those bishops don't understand economics. They just do whatever they want. How long will it take to finish building this temple?
We need to put some pressure on the believers, use scarcity marketing and limited-time sales tactics.

A comparison reveals the difference. St. John's Cathedral in New York has been under construction for over 100 years and is still not finished, looking like an unfinished project.

We can build a temple in our own home, no matter how big it is, the construction period is generally no more than three years.

And those church pastors and bishops, they are either elected or appointed by higher-level churches, there is no clear educational requirement.

That won't do; we need to keep up with the times.

In our family, to become the abbot of a major temple, one must at least be a postdoctoral fellow; an ordinary undergraduate degree is not even enough to get a place to stay as a monk.

Look at the operation of our temple; they all have to implement competitive recruitment, performance evaluation, contract management, and even A-share listing.

In short, temples abroad are no good.

If this happened in a later-day country, his million dollars wouldn't even be enough to buy a single incense stick. But here, a temple as large as St. John's might not receive a million-dollar donation for years.

So when Pastor Irving saw the amount on the envelope, he was speechless with astonishment.

He understands the so-called wealthy people outside; most of their assets are fixed assets or non-cash assets such as stocks.

A billionaire who can come up with a million dollars in cash is considered to have healthy assets. Therefore, Sun Zhiwei and Tong Jiajia's donation of $110 million is no small amount.

Reverend Owen thought to himself, "Bishop Wilson is truly remarkable. He personally took charge and immediately received an extraordinary reward."

Seeing that he was in a good mood, Sun Zhiwei took the opportunity to make his own request, hoping that the wedding ceremony could be held at St. John's Cathedral two weeks later.

Pastor Irwin readily agreed, as holding weddings for believers was one of the church's main functions.

He had even decided that he would persuade the bishop to go through the trouble of personally officiating the wedding for James and his wife.

Mr. James is not a stingy person. As long as things are handled well, there will definitely be some extra income later.

After confirming that the wedding could be held, Sun Zhiwei and Pastor Owen set the wedding date for Saturday, March 12th.

There are still more than two weeks left, so there should be enough time to prepare.

After leaving the church, the couple drove directly to their next destination: a wedding photography studio.

Jiajia had always wanted a Western-style wedding dress, but unfortunately, she never had the chance to realize it. Now that the two are holding a wedding again, they naturally want to make up for the regret of the past.

Wedding photography is now available in China, but neither the photography techniques nor the set design are very appealing, and foreign wedding photography brands have not yet entered the Chinese market.

(End of this chapter)