Suzhou International Fellowship is a community of believers from around the world. We are drawn together to love, encourage, and serve one another as well as reach out in blessing to our community and beyond. We desire to grow deeper in knowing and loving God, and together we welcome all who seek to understand who Jesus really is. Whether you are visiting Suzhou briefly or residing here for a season, we invite you to become part of our family at SIF.
We are an English speaking, inter-denominational gathering of expatriate Christians in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.
We meet each Sunday for worship with Sunday school for children and youth. SIF’s home fellowship groups meet at various locations throughout the week, including groups for international students and young adults.
As an international church, SIF provides an opportunity for expatriates in Suzhou in worship, service, and outreach. Anyone seeking to understand Christianity is warmly welcomed. Meetings are conducted in English and, under China’s current law, are open only to foreign passport holders and their legal dependents.
How We Began
Suzhou International Fellowship (SIF) started informally in an expatriate home in November 1999. Expatriates gathered together for an English speaking fellowship to encourage one another in their walk with God while living in Suzhou. The group consisted of a mix of nationalities and occupations. Although the group was small, most of the families included children, so a concurrent Sunday School started shortly after the new millennium.
By November 2003, SIF had grown to about 30 to 40 adults and had to move to the Regent on the Park Clubhouse. Shortly after the move, the number of attendees had increased so much that a search had to be made for yet another new venue. A more formal SIF Leadership Team (SLT) was formed early in 2004.
SIF stepped out in faith and had its first large service in the Sheraton Hotel’s Ballroom on Easter day, 2004, then on September 26, 2004, SIF moved to Eton House International School for its Sunday services and Sunday School. The average attendance had gone from 80 to 130 and June 4, 2006, SIF moved to the International Building in the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) as the majority of attendees lived in SIP. In June 2010, SIF moved to the Dushu Lake Church in SIP.
Today, SIF continues to encourage Christians from many countries to walk with the Lord and fellowship together as they live and work in Suzhou.
SIF Vision 2021: Expats living, loving, leading like Jesus