In late April 2021, my colleagues and I visited five churches in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Although the entrance was not allowed into some of them because it was not Sunday, we still witnessed the glory of the temples of God. I would now like to share my impressions with you as follows:.
Ningbo Centennial Church
This is a famous church both at home and abroad. Located at No. 63, Daliang Road, Jiangsha Street, Haishu District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Centennial Church greets people with red letters that read, Jesus loves you. Despite its name, this church was not built a hundred years ago. The present building of this church was first completed in May 1948 at Daliang Street by the Yincheng Pastoral District of the Zhejiang Diocese of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui (or the Anglican-Episcopal Province of China). The purpose of this church was to commemorate the onset of preaching activities by the Anglican Church in Ningbo in 1848, so it was named the "Centennial Church."
The Gothic-style building is one of the most famous churches in the history of Christianity in China. On April 8, 1979, worship was resumed in this church, and it was the first church to be reopened in China after the Cultural Revolution.
The Centennial Church is currently the central church of Ningbo and the office of the municipal CC&TSPM.
Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Yaohang Street, Ningbo
In Tianyi Square in Ningbo, you can see a Gothic church with Catholic characteristics and a Catholic cross at the top of the church from a distance. It is said that the clock tower here makes it the highest church in China at present, with a height of 66 meters, which is very noticeable even in a modern city with many tall buildings.
The official name of the Catholic Church in Yaohang Street is "Tianyi Church," also known as "Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral." The main hall of this church can accommodate up to 1,000 people for gatherings. A large statue of the Virgin Mary can be directly seen in front of the altar in the main church, whose commemoration day is celebrated on August 15 each year. There are many statues inside and outside the church that are lifelike and magnificent. The church was founded in the 11th year of the reign of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty (1872), and the bell tower was added in the 25th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1899). After more than 100 years of ups and downs, it was once even destroyed by fire, and now it is a rebuilt church.
True God Quankou Church in Xiaowangmiao, Fenghua
The predecessor of the "Xiaowangmiao Christian Church" of Fenghua is the "Church of the True God" in Xiaowangmiao Town, Fenghua County, which belonged to the Eastern Zhejiang Baptist Church (U.S.A.). It was founded in 1893, and the western missionary whose Chinese name was Song Aiwen presided over meetings in a rented house. In 1902, the meeting place was moved to another rented private house in Xiaowangmiao (Quankou), and a church branch committee was set up, with Mr. Yu Sicai as the director. In 1909, Sun Guofu, a Shanghai teacher, was invited to preside over the ministry of the church. This church branch was established in October 1916 and named "Quankou Church of the True God." In July 1920, a stone tablet was erected as proof (it still stands in front of the Xiao Town church).
During the more than one hundred-year history of Xiao Town Church, it has witnessed very significant changes, from renting houses for gathering, buying land for church building, ceasing gatherings, reopening the church, to purchasing land that has twice the total area of the original. The current number of believers is more than 300, with 8 prayer venues, 12 volunteers, and a total chapel area of more than 2,000 square meters.
Fenghua Xikou Jesus Church
Xikou Jesus Church is located on the bank of the Shanxi River in Xikou Town, Fenghua; this church, together with various Xikou scenic spots, echoes each other at a distance. The church’s current building was rebuilt three times, and the latest foundation stone was laid on November 2, 2013. The new church covers an area of 10 mu (about 6666 square meters); the planned area of the main hall is 3000 square meters, with an investment of more than 10 million yuan, and the main hall can accommodate a thousand worshipers.
The design of this church has a unique style: the front of the altar, the dome of the main hall, even the hall, and the door are all wide at the bottom and small at the top, giving people a sense of stability and steadiness. The pastor of the church said that the overall design of the interior of the main church is in the shape of a bottle. “There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at meat," according to the inspiration from Matthew 26:7.
The second phase of the building, that is, the complex building, is also under construction.
Fenghua Bridge Christian Church
Bridge Church was first built when the government allocated the farmland on the edge of Doumen Village in Fenghua Bridge Town for the construction of the church, known locally as the “crap land.” After the church was built, it was recognized as a dilapidated building and was about to be demolished. But after reinforcement, according to the inspection reports of relevant departments, it no longer needed to be demolished. In 2021, the church was no longer in a remote suburb or “crap land," but in the center of this region, surrounded by commercial housing and business areas. One of China’s top ten real estate developers is optimistic about the location of the temple. After negotiation, a consensus was reached. The government allocated a new piece of land to rebuild the church.
The planned construction area of the new church is more than 14,000 square meters. The site is under intensive and orderly construction. The main body of the project is expected to be completed this year, and the whole project is planned to be completed in 2024.
(The writer of this article is a staff writer for the Gospel Times. Thanks for the help from all co-workers in Quankou Church of the True God, Xiao Town, Fenghua!)
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
2021年4月下旬，笔者和同工拜访、参观了宁波的5间教堂，虽然部分教堂拜访时不是主日未能进入，但是也目睹了圣殿的荣耀，现与亲爱的弟兄姊妹就观感分享如下。
宁波百年堂
这是一所中外闻名的教堂。该堂坐落在浙江省宁波市海曙区江厦街道大梁街63号，映入眼帘的是红色大字：耶稣爱你。所说百年，其实教堂并没有百年的建筑历史。该堂的由来是：1948年5月，基督教中华圣公会浙江教区鄞城牧区在宁波市大梁街动工兴建了一座新堂，目的是为了纪念英国圣公会1848年开始在宁波传教，因此定名为百年堂。
百年堂建筑是哥特式风格，气势宏伟、大气，在中国基督教史上最有名的一笔就是，1979年4月8日，百年堂恢复礼拜，是“文革”后全国第一个开放的教堂。
百年堂目前是宁波全市的中心堂，市基督教两会办公所在地。
宁波药行街天一天主教堂
在宁波的天一广场，远远望见带有天主教特色的哥特式教堂和教堂顶尖的天主教十字架，这里有据说是中国教堂目前最高钟楼，高达66米，就是在现代的高楼林立的都市也非常显眼。
药行街天主教堂的正式名称是天一教堂，也称为圣母升天堂，主堂可容纳1000人聚会。在主堂的祭坛正前方可以看到圣母玛利亚的巨型像，每年的8月15日是玛利亚的纪念日。教堂的内外有许多塑像，栩栩如生、蔚为壮观。该堂始创于清同治十一年（公元1872年），光绪二十五年（1899年）增建钟楼。经历了风风雨雨的百余年，甚至被火烧毁，现在是重建的教堂。
奉化萧王庙泉口真神基督教堂
化萧王庙基督教堂的发展前身，是原奉化县萧王庙镇真神堂，隶属于浙东浸礼会(美国)，成立于公元1893年，由西方牧师宋爱文（没找到对应的英文名，处理成中文名字了）主持租赁民房聚会。到公元1902年迁至萧王庙(泉口)租赁民房，并设立支堂委，虞思才先生理事，至公元1909年间请来上海的孙国富教师主持本堂圣工。直到公元1916年10月份成立本支堂公会，定名为泉口真神堂(顺剡江之称：溪口、泉口、江口)。公元1920年7月立石碑为证(现仍在萧镇教会门前) 。
萧镇教会的一百余年，其变化是非常大，从租民房聚会、买地兴建、停止、复堂，再购地面积大于原有二倍，现有信徒300多人，设有祷告点8处，义工12名，礼拜堂的总面积有二千多平方米。
奉化溪口耶稣堂
溪口耶稣堂坐落在奉化溪口镇的剡溪溪水之畔，与溪口的名胜古迹遥望。该堂现在的建筑是第三次重建的，于2013年11月2日奠基。新堂占地面积10亩，规划主堂建筑3000平方米，投资1000余万元，主堂可容千人礼拜。
这间教堂的设计别具风格：无论是圣台正面还是主堂穹顶，乃至堂廊、大门，均呈底阔、上小的造型，给人一种稳稳、踏实的感觉。教会的牧长说，主堂内部的整体设计是一个香膏瓶的形状。原来这是来自于圣经经文，比如马太福音 26章7节：“有一个女人拿着一玉瓶极贵的香膏来，趁耶稣坐席的时候，浇在他的头上”等。
该堂的二期建筑即综合楼也在计划开建中。
奉化大桥基督教堂
大桥堂起初建堂的时候，政府批准的是一块被当地人称为“烂田”的奉化大桥镇斗门村边缘的农田。教堂建起后，还曾经被定于“危房”，面临拆毁。但是经过加固后，经过有关部门检测不需要拆毁了。到了2021年，这里再也不是偏远的城郊和“烂田”了，已经是属于区域的中心，被商品房和商圈包围。一个中国十强房地产开发商看好了这殿所在地，经过商谈达成共识，由政府划拨土地，异地重建教堂。
教堂规划建筑面积是14000多平方米，现场正在紧张有序的施工，主体工程预计在今年完工，计划是2024年全部竣工。
（本文作者为福音时报特约撰稿人。感谢奉化萧镇泉口真神堂同工的帮助！）
【教堂巡礼】带你走近宁波五所教堂
In late April 2021, my colleagues and I visited five churches in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Although the entrance was not allowed into some of them because it was not Sunday, we still witnessed the glory of the temples of God. I would now like to share my impressions with you as follows:.
Ningbo Centennial Church
This is a famous church both at home and abroad. Located at No. 63, Daliang Road, Jiangsha Street, Haishu District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Centennial Church greets people with red letters that read, Jesus loves you. Despite its name, this church was not built a hundred years ago. The present building of this church was first completed in May 1948 at Daliang Street by the Yincheng Pastoral District of the Zhejiang Diocese of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui (or the Anglican-Episcopal Province of China). The purpose of this church was to commemorate the onset of preaching activities by the Anglican Church in Ningbo in 1848, so it was named the "Centennial Church."
The Gothic-style building is one of the most famous churches in the history of Christianity in China. On April 8, 1979, worship was resumed in this church, and it was the first church to be reopened in China after the Cultural Revolution.
The Centennial Church is currently the central church of Ningbo and the office of the municipal CC&TSPM.
Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Yaohang Street, Ningbo
In Tianyi Square in Ningbo, you can see a Gothic church with Catholic characteristics and a Catholic cross at the top of the church from a distance. It is said that the clock tower here makes it the highest church in China at present, with a height of 66 meters, which is very noticeable even in a modern city with many tall buildings.
The official name of the Catholic Church in Yaohang Street is "Tianyi Church," also known as "Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral." The main hall of this church can accommodate up to 1,000 people for gatherings. A large statue of the Virgin Mary can be directly seen in front of the altar in the main church, whose commemoration day is celebrated on August 15 each year. There are many statues inside and outside the church that are lifelike and magnificent. The church was founded in the 11th year of the reign of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty (1872), and the bell tower was added in the 25th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1899). After more than 100 years of ups and downs, it was once even destroyed by fire, and now it is a rebuilt church.
True God Quankou Church in Xiaowangmiao, Fenghua
The predecessor of the "Xiaowangmiao Christian Church" of Fenghua is the "Church of the True God" in Xiaowangmiao Town, Fenghua County, which belonged to the Eastern Zhejiang Baptist Church (U.S.A.). It was founded in 1893, and the western missionary whose Chinese name was Song Aiwen presided over meetings in a rented house. In 1902, the meeting place was moved to another rented private house in Xiaowangmiao (Quankou), and a church branch committee was set up, with Mr. Yu Sicai as the director. In 1909, Sun Guofu, a Shanghai teacher, was invited to preside over the ministry of the church. This church branch was established in October 1916 and named "Quankou Church of the True God." In July 1920, a stone tablet was erected as proof (it still stands in front of the Xiao Town church).
During the more than one hundred-year history of Xiao Town Church, it has witnessed very significant changes, from renting houses for gathering, buying land for church building, ceasing gatherings, reopening the church, to purchasing land that has twice the total area of the original. The current number of believers is more than 300, with 8 prayer venues, 12 volunteers, and a total chapel area of more than 2,000 square meters.
Fenghua Xikou Jesus Church
Xikou Jesus Church is located on the bank of the Shanxi River in Xikou Town, Fenghua; this church, together with various Xikou scenic spots, echoes each other at a distance. The church’s current building was rebuilt three times, and the latest foundation stone was laid on November 2, 2013. The new church covers an area of 10 mu (about 6666 square meters); the planned area of the main hall is 3000 square meters, with an investment of more than 10 million yuan, and the main hall can accommodate a thousand worshipers.
The design of this church has a unique style: the front of the altar, the dome of the main hall, even the hall, and the door are all wide at the bottom and small at the top, giving people a sense of stability and steadiness. The pastor of the church said that the overall design of the interior of the main church is in the shape of a bottle. “There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at meat," according to the inspiration from Matthew 26:7.
The second phase of the building, that is, the complex building, is also under construction.
Fenghua Bridge Christian Church
Bridge Church was first built when the government allocated the farmland on the edge of Doumen Village in Fenghua Bridge Town for the construction of the church, known locally as the “crap land.” After the church was built, it was recognized as a dilapidated building and was about to be demolished. But after reinforcement, according to the inspection reports of relevant departments, it no longer needed to be demolished. In 2021, the church was no longer in a remote suburb or “crap land," but in the center of this region, surrounded by commercial housing and business areas. One of China’s top ten real estate developers is optimistic about the location of the temple. After negotiation, a consensus was reached. The government allocated a new piece of land to rebuild the church.
The planned construction area of the new church is more than 14,000 square meters. The site is under intensive and orderly construction. The main body of the project is expected to be completed this year, and the whole project is planned to be completed in 2024.
(The writer of this article is a staff writer for the Gospel Times. Thanks for the help from all co-workers in Quankou Church of the True God, Xiao Town, Fenghua!)
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
Pilgrimage to Five Churches in Ningbo
