A church in Fujian Province in southeast China held a new church dedication service.
On May 1st, Taihu Church in Chengxiang District, Putian City, held a thanksgiving service and completion celebration for the new hall.
Pastor Lin Libin gave a sermon on "the significance of dedication" around the verses of 1 Kings 8:28–30 and 6:11–13.
In the sermon, Pastor Lin started with the grand dedication ceremony held by Solomon after the completion of the first temple in Jerusalem and extended the significance of the present dedication. The temple belongs to God, and God uses the temple to show His presence. The temple is a place where the earth connects with heaven and man meets God. God's people are determined to follow His way.
Subsequently, Chen Yuanmei, deputy director of Taihu Church, introduced the church's history.
In 1905, Peng Hanzhi, a native of Dongpu Qicuo village, Xindu Town, received the gospel in Hushi Town and returned to his hometown. He successively preached in villages such as Dongpuyu and Taihu Lake and established churches.
Chen Huaide, a priest sent from Houdong Pastoral Area, decided to build a hall according to the then-church situation. He first preached to Chen Yiyi, Chen Guiyuan, and other believers to donate all their money, and other believers followed so as to build a church.
In 1937, when the Anti-Japanese War broke out, Taihu Church was demolished and its followers scattered. During the Cultural Revolution, the old church was borrowed by the township government as the site of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
In 1978, the church resumed its gathering. As the number of believers increased, the responsible co-workers decided to rebuild the church in early 1993.
After that, the church started construction on October 4, 1993, and was completed on July 16, 1994.
In January 2018, the church could not accommodate the increasing number of believers and had cracks after more than 20 years of use. The church held a meeting and decided to rebuild the church.
On October 6, 2018, the church applied to the Lingchuan Township Government for the dilapidated church renovation and got approval from the government and relevant departments.
Many believers donated when they heard the news. According to incomplete statistics, the believers' donation from Shanben Church reached over RMB 2 million. By the end of August 2020, it would have finished what had begun on April 12, 2019. The new church covers an area of more than 800 square meters, with a construction area of 530 square meters. It is five stories high and can accommodate more than 600 people.
(The writer is a pastor of a Fujian church.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
中国东南沿海的福建省的一个教堂举行新堂献堂礼拜。
5月1日，莆田市城厢区太湖堂隆重举行了新堂献堂感恩礼拜与落成庆典。
林丽宾牧师围绕列王纪上8章28至30节以及6章11至13节经文，以“献堂的意义”为题进行了证道。
证道中，林牧师从第一座圣殿即耶路撒冷的圣殿建成后，所罗门举行的盛大献堂典礼讲起，引申出当下献堂的意义。即表明圣殿是属于神，神以圣殿来表明祂的同在；圣殿是连接地与天，与神约会的地方；神的子民立志遵行祂的道。
随后，太湖堂堂会副主任陈元美介绍本堂教会历史的发展过程：
1905年，新度东埔岐厝人彭罕治从笏石领受福音回乡后，先后在东埔余、太湖等乡村开展布道，建立了教会。
从后董牧区派来一位牧师陈怀德针对当时教会状况，决定建造圣殿。在建造之初，他先传道感化陈以义、陈桂元等信徒把家中尽有的钱捐献出来，带动信徒奉献建起了一座教堂。
1937年，抗战爆发，太湖教会被拆，信徒分散。“文革”期间，原旧教堂被乡政府借用作供销合作社社址。
1978年，教会重新恢复聚会。当时教会的信徒加增，教会负责同工于1993年初，堂会决定重建教堂。
堂址落实后，1993年10月4日破土动工建堂，于1994年7月16日竣工。
2018年元月，因信徒人数不断增加，原教堂已容不下众多信徒，并且教堂使用二十多年后，出现裂痕。堂会在会议后决定旧堂翻建。
堂会于2018年10月6日，向灵川镇人民政府申请教堂危房翻建。得到政府和有关部门同意。
许多信徒闻讯开始奉献。据不完全统计，单本堂信众建堂奉献款达200多万元。于2019年4月12日动工，至2020年8月底装修完成。新堂占地面积800多平方米，建筑面积530平方米。高5层，可容纳600多人聚会。
注：本文作者为福建教会一牧者
福建省莆田市城厢区太湖堂重建落成献堂典礼举行
A church in Fujian Province in southeast China held a new church dedication service.
On May 1st, Taihu Church in Chengxiang District, Putian City, held a thanksgiving service and completion celebration for the new hall.
Pastor Lin Libin gave a sermon on "the significance of dedication" around the verses of 1 Kings 8:28–30 and 6:11–13.
In the sermon, Pastor Lin started with the grand dedication ceremony held by Solomon after the completion of the first temple in Jerusalem and extended the significance of the present dedication. The temple belongs to God, and God uses the temple to show His presence. The temple is a place where the earth connects with heaven and man meets God. God's people are determined to follow His way.
Subsequently, Chen Yuanmei, deputy director of Taihu Church, introduced the church's history.
In 1905, Peng Hanzhi, a native of Dongpu Qicuo village, Xindu Town, received the gospel in Hushi Town and returned to his hometown. He successively preached in villages such as Dongpuyu and Taihu Lake and established churches.
Chen Huaide, a priest sent from Houdong Pastoral Area, decided to build a hall according to the then-church situation. He first preached to Chen Yiyi, Chen Guiyuan, and other believers to donate all their money, and other believers followed so as to build a church.
In 1937, when the Anti-Japanese War broke out, Taihu Church was demolished and its followers scattered. During the Cultural Revolution, the old church was borrowed by the township government as the site of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
In 1978, the church resumed its gathering. As the number of believers increased, the responsible co-workers decided to rebuild the church in early 1993.
After that, the church started construction on October 4, 1993, and was completed on July 16, 1994.
In January 2018, the church could not accommodate the increasing number of believers and had cracks after more than 20 years of use. The church held a meeting and decided to rebuild the church.
On October 6, 2018, the church applied to the Lingchuan Township Government for the dilapidated church renovation and got approval from the government and relevant departments.
Many believers donated when they heard the news. According to incomplete statistics, the believers' donation from Shanben Church reached over RMB 2 million. By the end of August 2020, it would have finished what had begun on April 12, 2019. The new church covers an area of more than 800 square meters, with a construction area of 530 square meters. It is five stories high and can accommodate more than 600 people.
(The writer is a pastor of a Fujian church.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
Dedication Ceremony for Rebuilding Taihu Church Held in Fujian
