"After passing the next stage of the completion inspection, the century-old Mingdao Church will be reopened once the equipment required inside has been purchased," said Rev. Chen Anti from the Church of Heavenly Peace in Fuzhou, Fujian.
An elder female believer from the Church of Heavenly Peace said, "The site of the Fuzhou School for the Blind, formerly known as the Mingdao Blind Girls School, is located in Mingdao Church near my home… ". This was shortly after the article "Century-old Fuzhou School for the Blind Founded by Missionaries" was published by the Gospel Times in early June.
Built in the 1870s by the Church of England, Mingdao Church was later rebuilt in 1928. In 1903, the British Indian Women Church established the Mingdao School for Blind Girls there.
The main body of Mingdao Church is a three-story modern Western-style building with a brick-wood structure and three large rooms. The front side is decorated with simple molds, and the top is made of a low parapet with four baluster columns. There is an arched door in the center of the first floor and arched windows on the second and third floors. The building has a total construction area of 800 square meters (0.198 acres) with two pastor’s buildings on the south side. The church was occupied during the "Cultural Revolution" and was returned after a new policy was implemented in 1999. It is also used as an affiliated gathering place for the Church of Heavenly Peace.
In 2018, the Fuzhou Municipal Government designated Mingdao Church as a historic building for original site protection. In April 2019, work was begun on the restoration of the church, with the work being completed after more than a year.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
今年六月初福音时报《拥有百年历史的福州盲人学校 前身为传教士创办》一文刊后不久，福州基督教天安堂的L老大姐给我来电话说：“福州盲校前身明道女童盲校校址是在她家附近的明道基督教堂里……”
福州明道基督教堂是英国圣公会在福州建造的一座重要教堂，始建于19世纪70年代，1928年重修。1903年英国印度妇女教会在这里兴办“明道女童盲校”。
明道基督教堂主体为三层砖木结构的近代西式建筑，面阔三间，正立面有简单线脚装饰，顶部做低矮的女儿墙并设四根望柱。一层中央做拱门，二、三层窗均发券。建筑总面积约800㎡，南侧还有两座附属建筑，是教堂的牧师楼。“文革”期间，该堂被占用，1999年落实政策、归还教会，并作为福州基督教天安堂的附属宗教聚会活动场所。
2018年福州市政府确定基督教明道堂作为历史建筑实行原址保护。2019年4月开始，对明道堂等历史建筑实施原址保护性修复。经过一年多的努力，明道堂修复工作已完成。
据天安堂陈安俤牧师透露，下阶段将对明道堂工程验收通过后，堂内设备进一步添置，迎接礼拜堂重新开放。
https://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/57487
福州明道基督教堂保护修复工程完工 施工中发现“明道堂”百年石碑
"After passing the next stage of the completion inspection, the century-old Mingdao Church will be reopened once the equipment required inside has been purchased," said Rev. Chen Anti from the Church of Heavenly Peace in Fuzhou, Fujian.
An elder female believer from the Church of Heavenly Peace said, "The site of the Fuzhou School for the Blind, formerly known as the Mingdao Blind Girls School, is located in Mingdao Church near my home… ". This was shortly after the article "Century-old Fuzhou School for the Blind Founded by Missionaries" was published by the Gospel Times in early June.
Built in the 1870s by the Church of England, Mingdao Church was later rebuilt in 1928. In 1903, the British Indian Women Church established the Mingdao School for Blind Girls there.
The main body of Mingdao Church is a three-story modern Western-style building with a brick-wood structure and three large rooms. The front side is decorated with simple molds, and the top is made of a low parapet with four baluster columns. There is an arched door in the center of the first floor and arched windows on the second and third floors. The building has a total construction area of 800 square meters (0.198 acres) with two pastor’s buildings on the south side. The church was occupied during the "Cultural Revolution" and was returned after a new policy was implemented in 1999. It is also used as an affiliated gathering place for the Church of Heavenly Peace.
In 2018, the Fuzhou Municipal Government designated Mingdao Church as a historic building for original site protection. In April 2019, work was begun on the restoration of the church, with the work being completed after more than a year.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
A Century-Old Fujian Church to Reopen after Restoration
