Churches across China held special services to pay tribute to the elderly on the occasion of the traditional Double Ninth Festival which falls on October 4.
A centennial church in China’s southeastern coastal Zhejiang Province held a Sunday service to honor the elderly members with a communion service.
Rev. Jin Ruijuan preached a sermon with the title “Christians’ Unusual Later Life” in True God Church, Fenghua District, Ningbo City, on October 2. She encouraged senior believers to seize the moment in remembrance of the Lord, obey Him in any situation, and glorify Him no matter whether they live or pass away.
The Elderly Choir and the band in the church sang the songs “Respect for the Elderly” and “Ode to the Lord”, with musical instruments performance. After the sermon, Jin hosted a communion service. Then the church organized a festival for the elderly over 70 years old in Xiao Town, sending holiday gifts to celebrate the Double Ninth Festival falling on October 4 this year. At the end of the service, Elder Yuan Xiangzhong, a 94-year-old pastor, offered a prayer of benediction.
Guangdong Christian Union Church and its subordinate gathering points set October 9 as “Sunday of Respecting the Elderly”, when a series of related activities were carried out, according to Guangdong CC&TSPM.
In several Sunday services of the Union Church, several pastors were invited and preached a sermon with a title respectively in each service, including Pastor Fan Hongen, Chairman of Guangdong TSPM, with the title “An Old Man's Sayings Are Seldom Untrue”, Pastor Lei Yuming, Executive Vice President of Guangdong CC, with “A Christian View of Respect for the Elderly”, Pastor Cai Jianwei, Vice President of the Union Theological Seminary, with “Love of Older People Begins With the Love of One’s Parents and Grandparents”, Pastor Huang Zhaoping, Director of the church, with “Honor Your Parents That It May Go Well With You”, and Pastor Lu Enjie, Deputy Director of the church, with “The Beauty of the Dusk”. The five pastors jointly encourage believers to keep filial piety in mind and practice it in the real life.
During the services, the pastors gave gifts to the elderly over 70 years old. After the services, free clinic activities were carried out. Eight Christian doctors of different majors were organized to provide health consultation and help for the elderly and believers.
Hu Ai Hui, the senior fellowship of Fuhua Church in Fuqing, Fujian held its second general meeting since the fifth council performed its duties, with nearly 900 members attending the meeting on the morning of October 4, according to the Committee.
Pastor Lin Xiule gave a testimony there. He mentioned that at the Double Ninth Festival, a special festival for the elderly, China has had the custom of climbing on this day since ancient times, and ancient Israelites also had the custom of climbing the holy mountain in Jerusalem. They sang songs of ascents to express praise to God.
President Lin Rensheng made a report on the work of the plenary session in the past year. He introduced that there are 1763 members of the committee, who are divided into 107 groups (each group has 4-30 people). In 2022, 41 members returned to the Lord and 86 members are over 90 years old. He also introduced pastoral care work for the elderly believers: the Bible Reading Class helps the illiterate elderly to read the Bible fluently; the elderly who have been living at home for a long time due to illness or lack of strength were cared for and visited; the Elderly Choir, drum team, waist drum team, praise exercise team and dance team of the committee performed on stage at festivals; Mashan Nursing Home has been doing well during the three-year epidemic.
The second half of the meeting presented cultural programs on stage, in which the elderly performed six programs: chorus, “three sentences and a half”, drums, waist drums, praise exercises, and dance shows. One of the sisters, now in her eighties, performed as the choir director, a drummer in the drum team, and a member of “three sentences and a half”.
Staff members of Zhangzhou Municipal CC&TSPM in Fujian presented cooking oil and rice on October 3 to ten needy families and 140 families with elderly believers aged above 70 from Jingzaiwei Church and Qianling Church in Wuzhai Township, Pinghe County, funding 15 senior people over 90 years old, with donations in cash and kind worth 19,500yuan, said Fujian CC&TSPM.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
在10月的第一个主日，中国东南沿海的浙江省一个百年教堂举行圣餐礼拜和敬老活动。
10月2日，在宁波市奉化区泉口真神堂，金瑞娟牧师以《基督徒与众不同的晚年生活》为题目证道，勉励信徒抓住当下纪念主，任何处境顺服主，生死皆要荣耀主。
本堂老年诗班及乐队献唱了《敬老尊长歌》，《颂主歌》，并进行了乐器演奏。证道结束后，由金牧师主持了圣餐礼拜。
接着教会组织为萧镇七十岁以上的老年人过老年节，并为老人们送上节日礼物，以庆祝今年10月4日的重阳节。
聚会结束时，由94岁的老传道人袁相中长老为信徒们做感恩、谢恩的祝福祷告。
（本文作者为教会信徒）
广东和福建2个大教堂举行敬老活动，为庆祝10月4日的重阳节。
10月9日广东省基督教协和堂及下属各聚会点定为“敬老主日”，开展系列敬老事工活动，据广东省基督教两会。
在协和堂的各堂聚会当中，邀请了省基督教三自会主席樊宏恩牧师、省基督教协会常务副会长雷玉明牧师、协和神学院副院长蔡建伟牧师、本堂堂主任黄招萍牧师、本堂副主任卢恩杰牧师分别以《不听老人言，分裂在眼前》、《基督徒的敬老观》、《老吾老，以及人之老》、《孝敬父母，使你得福》、《黄昏之美》在主日各场崇拜中证道分享。五位牧者在证道中共同勉励信徒，怀孝心，践孝行。
崇拜中，牧者们特别为70岁以上的长者赠送了礼物。
主日崇拜结束后，开展了义诊活动，组织8位不同科目的基督徒医生，为长者、弟兄姐妹提供健康咨询和帮助。
10月4日上午，福建福清福华堂老人互爱会举行了第五届理事会履职以来的第二次会员大会，到会会员约近900人，据福华堂老人互爱会。
林秀乐牧师为大会作了证道，他提到，重阳节是专属老年人的节日。我国自古便有在这一天登高的习俗，古时候的以色列人也有攀登耶路撒冷的圣山习俗。在上行的登山之路上吟唱诗篇，表达对上帝的赞美。
林仁生会长则向大会作了一年以来全会工作的汇报。介绍互爱会现有会员1763人，分为107个小组(每组人数4~30人）2022安返天家有41个，90岁以上会员有86人。并介绍对老年信徒的牧羊工作：如读经班让目不识丁的老人流利地诵读圣经；关怀探访因卧病、或因足力不济长期蛰居家中的老人；该会的老年诗班，洋鼓队、腰鼓队、赞美操队、舞蹈队等在教会的节日登台表演；3年疫情中坚持办好马山护理院。
大会的后半场是文艺节目，老人们一共献演了大合唱、三句半、洋鼓、腰鼓、赞美操和舞蹈六个节目。其中一个年届八旬的姐妹，一会是合唱队的指挥，一会是洋鼓队中的鼓手，一会又是“三句半”中的一员。
10月3日，福建省漳州市基督教两会同工满载食用油和大米前往平和县五寨乡新美村和前岭村， 为140户70岁以上老年人家庭（含五寨井仔尾教会、前岭教会）和10户困难群众家庭，给他们送去食用油和大米，为90岁以上老年人送去慰问金15份，共捐款19500元。 据福建省基督教两会
浙江百年教堂在主日举办老年节活动
Churches across China held special services to pay tribute to the elderly on the occasion of the traditional Double Ninth Festival which falls on October 4.
A centennial church in China’s southeastern coastal Zhejiang Province held a Sunday service to honor the elderly members with a communion service.
Rev. Jin Ruijuan preached a sermon with the title “Christians’ Unusual Later Life” in True God Church, Fenghua District, Ningbo City, on October 2. She encouraged senior believers to seize the moment in remembrance of the Lord, obey Him in any situation, and glorify Him no matter whether they live or pass away.
The Elderly Choir and the band in the church sang the songs “Respect for the Elderly” and “Ode to the Lord”, with musical instruments performance. After the sermon, Jin hosted a communion service. Then the church organized a festival for the elderly over 70 years old in Xiao Town, sending holiday gifts to celebrate the Double Ninth Festival falling on October 4 this year. At the end of the service, Elder Yuan Xiangzhong, a 94-year-old pastor, offered a prayer of benediction.
Guangdong Christian Union Church and its subordinate gathering points set October 9 as “Sunday of Respecting the Elderly”, when a series of related activities were carried out, according to Guangdong CC&TSPM.
In several Sunday services of the Union Church, several pastors were invited and preached a sermon with a title respectively in each service, including Pastor Fan Hongen, Chairman of Guangdong TSPM, with the title “An Old Man's Sayings Are Seldom Untrue”, Pastor Lei Yuming, Executive Vice President of Guangdong CC, with “A Christian View of Respect for the Elderly”, Pastor Cai Jianwei, Vice President of the Union Theological Seminary, with “Love of Older People Begins With the Love of One’s Parents and Grandparents”, Pastor Huang Zhaoping, Director of the church, with “Honor Your Parents That It May Go Well With You”, and Pastor Lu Enjie, Deputy Director of the church, with “The Beauty of the Dusk”. The five pastors jointly encourage believers to keep filial piety in mind and practice it in the real life.
During the services, the pastors gave gifts to the elderly over 70 years old. After the services, free clinic activities were carried out. Eight Christian doctors of different majors were organized to provide health consultation and help for the elderly and believers.
Hu Ai Hui, the senior fellowship of Fuhua Church in Fuqing, Fujian held its second general meeting since the fifth council performed its duties, with nearly 900 members attending the meeting on the morning of October 4, according to the Committee.
Pastor Lin Xiule gave a testimony there. He mentioned that at the Double Ninth Festival, a special festival for the elderly, China has had the custom of climbing on this day since ancient times, and ancient Israelites also had the custom of climbing the holy mountain in Jerusalem. They sang songs of ascents to express praise to God.
President Lin Rensheng made a report on the work of the plenary session in the past year. He introduced that there are 1763 members of the committee, who are divided into 107 groups (each group has 4-30 people). In 2022, 41 members returned to the Lord and 86 members are over 90 years old. He also introduced pastoral care work for the elderly believers: the Bible Reading Class helps the illiterate elderly to read the Bible fluently; the elderly who have been living at home for a long time due to illness or lack of strength were cared for and visited; the Elderly Choir, drum team, waist drum team, praise exercise team and dance team of the committee performed on stage at festivals; Mashan Nursing Home has been doing well during the three-year epidemic.
The second half of the meeting presented cultural programs on stage, in which the elderly performed six programs: chorus, “three sentences and a half”, drums, waist drums, praise exercises, and dance shows. One of the sisters, now in her eighties, performed as the choir director, a drummer in the drum team, and a member of “three sentences and a half”.
Staff members of Zhangzhou Municipal CC&TSPM in Fujian presented cooking oil and rice on October 3 to ten needy families and 140 families with elderly believers aged above 70 from Jingzaiwei Church and Qianling Church in Wuzhai Township, Pinghe County, funding 15 senior people over 90 years old, with donations in cash and kind worth 19,500yuan, said Fujian CC&TSPM.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
Chinese Churches Honor the Elderly
