A church leader has devoted himself to volunteer services since the outbreak in Shanghai in early March.
Elder Chen Zhimin, director of Jinshan District CC&TSPM, stayed and worked in the outer suburb of Shanghai for nearly two months instead of staying with his family members living in the urban area, Shanghai CC&TSPM reported.
Following his example, having high blood pressure at more than 60 years of age, at least 60 pastoral staff and believers in the district served in streets, villages, and national road crossings, delivering vegetables to the elderly living alone in the community and donating more than 32,000 yuan in total.
A phone ran out of power
On the morning of March 5, after Elder Chen received the news that the district had reported suspected cases, he convened local Christian leaders, proposing to suspend the Sunday service that weekend. After the online meeting, they reached a unanimous decision of issuing an emergency notice to cease group meetings that weekend. He urged church leaders and church board members to publicize and explain the suspension to believers. Later, he forwarded the government's epidemic prevention and control information and the emergency notice of the district CC&TSPM by telephone and on WeChat, demanding churches to implement epidemic prevention and control measures. Before the evening came, his phone indicated that the battery was low, as his online work used up the power of his phone which was just charged in the morning.
Unfinished porridge
One afternoon in late March, Elder Chen, heated up a bowl of porridge after visiting some COVID-19 prevention workers. Wu Lirong, head of Tianming Church, called him via WeChat video, "Why are you still eating? Why don’t the volunteers who have signed up come?"
"Ah, isn't it at 14:00?" Chen put down the porridge, asking rhetorically.
"You remember wrong. It is at 12:00. The rest of us have arrived, waiting for you…"
He quickly got up to change his clothes, hurrying out of his house after drinking less than half of the bowl of porridge. Rushing to the COVID-19 testing point on Mengshan Road, he worked there until the evening.
Water soaked through shoes
Chen registered to be a volunteer in his community though he was under lockdown in his residential area, after the Jinshan District began to be closed and controlled on March 28.
He engaged in helping residents with nucleic acid tests or antigen self-test, maintaining order, assisting the elderly in applying for nucleic acid codes, and delivering vegetables, medicines, and goods in the community, which received praise from the community property and residents.
During those windy and rainy days when the temperature dropped several degrees, when seeing people or materials arriving, Elder Chen rushed forward to check the information or deliver goods regardless of the water dripping from his shoes, reducing the times of other volunteers walking in the wind and rain. When he got home, he found that his shoes had been soaked through by the rain, but did not complain.
In addition, on behalf of the district CC&TSPM, he presented medical protective masks and food to a public security checkpoint on the 320 National Highway in Fengjing Town, the district volunteer association, and Jinshanwei Town.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
自3月上旬上海疫情暴发，近两个月的时间里，金山区基督教两会主任陈志民长老顾不上家住市区的家人，一个人驻守金山，不顾自己六十多岁的年纪和长年高血压的身体，积极参与社区志愿服务.
在陈志民长老的亲身表率号召下，金山基督教界至少有60余名教职人员和信教群众在各街镇村居、国道路口等参与志愿服务，助力全区抗疫工作。 此外，他还积极组织各场所为抗击疫情捐款捐物、为社区独居老人上门送菜等。目前，金山基督教界为抗疫工作捐款捐物累计已超3.2万元。
用到没电的手机
3月5日上午，陈志民长老手机上收到了一条微信，打开一看，原来是工作群里收到了区民宗办转发的关于疫情防控最新的文件，说金山区出现疑似病例，陈志民长老第一时间用电话、微信等方式召集区内基督教各场所负责人，传达文件精神并提议暂停一次周末的主日聚会。在电话、微信里，陈志民长老从金山防疫工作大局出发，不断晓明利害关系，最终使区基督教两会线上会议达成一致决定，果断于当天下午发布紧急通知，及时暂停周末各基督教场所聚集性宗教活动。随后，他要求各场所负责人、堂管组成员要向广大信众做好宣传解释工作，他本人也继续通过电话、微信第一时间将政府疫情防控信息、区基督教两会紧急通知进行传达，要求区基督教界切实落实好疫情防控措施。傍晚未到，陈志民长老的手机已经提示电量不足，原来是当天线上办公已经用完了早上刚充满的电...
没有喝完的粥
3月下旬的一天下午12:15，上午忙完区基督教两会外出慰问工作的陈志民长老刚热了一碗粥，微信视频响了。低头一看，原来是天命堂负责人吴莉荣打来的。接通后，对方见陈志民长老在喝粥，便疑问道，“你怎么还在吃啊？我们下午一起报名的志愿服务怎么没来？”
“啊，不是14:00吗？！”陈志民长老把粥放下，反问道。
“你记错了！12:00的班。我们其他几个人都到了，左等右等不见你...”
陈志民长老赶紧起身换好衣服，那碗刚热的粥喝了不到一半就匆匆从家里出来。12:30分，陈志民长老赶到蒙山路核酸检测点，一直忙到傍晚才结束。
被水泡透的鞋
3月28日，金山全区开始封控管理，陈志民长老被封在所住的小区。虽然走不出去，但他却“静”不下来，第一时间就主动向小区物业报名，积极参加小区志愿服务。
在每次的居民核酸检测或抗原自测中，都有他活跃在一线的身影，维持秩序，帮助老人申请核酸码，为小区居民送菜、送药、送物等...他的热心服务得到了小区物业和楼道居民的交口称赞。
期间有几天风雨交加，气温也下降了好几度。在参加社区值守志愿服务的陈志民长老为了不让同班的志愿者在风雨里反复奔波，他一看到有人、物资进入小区，就不顾鞋子淌着水，每次都抢着迎上前去查验信息、搬运东西，尽管雨水打湿了他的衣衫鞋袜，但他从未抱怨。回家后他才注意到，自己的鞋子已被雨水泡透了...
不仅如此，陈志民长老还代表区基督教两会深入抗疫一线，赴320国道枫泾公安检查站、区志愿者协会、金山卫镇为工作人员和志愿者们送上医用防护面具和食品， http://www.fuyinshibao.cn/article/index/id/62373
同心抗疫，共同守“沪”——记金山区基督教两会主任陈志民长老的抗疫事迹
A church leader has devoted himself to volunteer services since the outbreak in Shanghai in early March.
Elder Chen Zhimin, director of Jinshan District CC&TSPM, stayed and worked in the outer suburb of Shanghai for nearly two months instead of staying with his family members living in the urban area, Shanghai CC&TSPM reported.
Following his example, having high blood pressure at more than 60 years of age, at least 60 pastoral staff and believers in the district served in streets, villages, and national road crossings, delivering vegetables to the elderly living alone in the community and donating more than 32,000 yuan in total.
A phone ran out of power
On the morning of March 5, after Elder Chen received the news that the district had reported suspected cases, he convened local Christian leaders, proposing to suspend the Sunday service that weekend. After the online meeting, they reached a unanimous decision of issuing an emergency notice to cease group meetings that weekend. He urged church leaders and church board members to publicize and explain the suspension to believers. Later, he forwarded the government's epidemic prevention and control information and the emergency notice of the district CC&TSPM by telephone and on WeChat, demanding churches to implement epidemic prevention and control measures. Before the evening came, his phone indicated that the battery was low, as his online work used up the power of his phone which was just charged in the morning.
Unfinished porridge
One afternoon in late March, Elder Chen, heated up a bowl of porridge after visiting some COVID-19 prevention workers. Wu Lirong, head of Tianming Church, called him via WeChat video, "Why are you still eating? Why don’t the volunteers who have signed up come?"
"Ah, isn't it at 14:00?" Chen put down the porridge, asking rhetorically.
"You remember wrong. It is at 12:00. The rest of us have arrived, waiting for you…"
He quickly got up to change his clothes, hurrying out of his house after drinking less than half of the bowl of porridge. Rushing to the COVID-19 testing point on Mengshan Road, he worked there until the evening.
Water soaked through shoes
Chen registered to be a volunteer in his community though he was under lockdown in his residential area, after the Jinshan District began to be closed and controlled on March 28.
He engaged in helping residents with nucleic acid tests or antigen self-test, maintaining order, assisting the elderly in applying for nucleic acid codes, and delivering vegetables, medicines, and goods in the community, which received praise from the community property and residents.
During those windy and rainy days when the temperature dropped several degrees, when seeing people or materials arriving, Elder Chen rushed forward to check the information or deliver goods regardless of the water dripping from his shoes, reducing the times of other volunteers walking in the wind and rain. When he got home, he found that his shoes had been soaked through by the rain, but did not complain.
In addition, on behalf of the district CC&TSPM, he presented medical protective masks and food to a public security checkpoint on the 320 National Highway in Fengjing Town, the district volunteer association, and Jinshanwei Town.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Stories of Elder Fighting Against COVID-19 in Shanghai
