On the occasion of the sixth World Braille Day, January 4, 2024, Guangzhou CC&TSPM displayed the braille manuscripts of the music score of Hymns of Universal Praise and the lyrics of the New Hymnal, extending wishes to the Mingxin Fellowship of Fangcun Church.
According to Guangzhou CC&TSPM, the Guangzhou Christian History and Culture Center currently houses these two braille manuscripts and presents them in its exhibition hall. The manuscripts were first copied, punched holes, and bound with threads into volumes by the hands of various believers of Fangcun Church’s Mingxin Fellowship, and have been used in “reading” music scores and lyrics while praising at gatherings for nearly 40 years.
A deacon of the Fangcun Church initially held them before giving them to her close friend, Sister Guo Ci, who was also a member of the Mingxin Fellowship, for safekeeping. Guo's family members donated them after she passed away in 2022.
Both manuscripts are equipped with front and back covers, endpapers, and spine guards to protect the braille within. The content was years of united effort from the members of the Mingxin Fellowship, who copied the music scores and lyrics point by point, line by line, and page with Braille writing pens and writing boards onto the Braille papers.
When reading the Brallie, it goes from left to right with a light touch on the raised dots. However, it’s the reverse for writing, which is a process of forming concave spots at the back of the paper from right to left so that the raised dots are in the correct reading order when flipped over for reading. Each cell of Braille is composed of six small dots, and each character is composed of one or more cells of Braille.
The piano score manuscript for Hymns of Universal Praise contains nearly a hundred hymns from the collection, totaling 148 pages. Similarly, the manuscript for the lyrics of the New Hymnal consists of the corresponding lyrics, with a total of 264 pages bound using the "four-hole binding" technique.
On September 9, 2023, the Guangzhou Christian Historical and Cultural Center hosted a donation ceremony for the Mingxin Fellowship's Braille manuscripts at the Guangzhou Fangcun Church.
Dr. Mary West Niles, a North American Presbyterian missionary, established the Ming Sum School for the Blind (also known as the School of the Understanding Heart) in a rented structure on Renji Street in 1891. In 1912, Mingxin School built a school for blind children in Shangfang Village, which was named "Mingxin Academy" after its completion.
The government took over Mingxin Academy in 1951 as a facility for the disabled and visually impaired. The Mingxin Fellowship was later established with the approval of the authorities, and gatherings began at the Pingmin Church (now Fangcun Church) near the Mingxin Academy.
Mingxin Fellowship has resumed gatherings since March 1983, with the maximum number of congregants exceeding 40. Mingxin Fellowship served the piano performance during gatherings, singing in Sunday worship, and sacred music worship on festivals from Fangcun Church's resumption in 1986 to the end of 2001. Due to older members passing away in recent years, only about 10 members attend the church. The pastoral staff of Fangcun Church distributes the Holy Communion and leads fellowship meetings at the Mingxin meeting point on the afternoon of the first Saturday of each month.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
2024年1月4日是第六个世界盲文日，当日，广州市基督教两会以文为念，展示介绍《普天颂赞》琴谱盲文手抄本和《赞美诗（新编）》歌词盲文手抄本，藉此表达对芳村堂明心团契的祝福。
据广州市基督教两会，这两本盲文手抄本现由广州市基督教历史文化中心珍藏，并于广州基督教会历史文化展厅陈列展示。这两本盲文手抄本是由芳村堂明心团契的多位信徒亲手抄写，团契成员手工“穿孔线装”装订成册，用于明心团契聚会唱诗时“识谱”“阅读”，使用至今已近40年。
手抄本先由芳村堂一执事保管，后委托其挚友交予同为明心团契成员的郭慈姊妹代为保管。郭姊妹于2022年去世后，后由其家属将琴谱捐赠。
两本手抄本均装有封面、封底、衬页及书脊护页，以保护内页点字。内容用盲文书写笔、书写板及盲文专用纸，由明心团契弟兄姊妹逐点逐字、逐行逐页，长年累月、同心合力抄写完成。
阅读盲文时，轻轻触摸凸起的点即可从左向右阅读。 然而，书写则相反，即在纸张背面从右向左形成凹点，以便翻转阅读时凸起的点处于正确的阅读顺序。盲文的每一个方块的点字由六个小圆点组成，而每个文字则由一个或多个方块的点字组成。
其中，《普天颂赞》琴谱盲文手抄本，内容为赞美诗《普天颂赞》当中近百首圣诗的钢琴琴谱，共148页。《赞美诗（新编）》歌词盲文手抄本则为新编《赞美诗》所对应的歌词，共264页，采用“四眼装”手法。
广州市基督教历史文化中心于2023年9月9日在广州基督教芳村堂举办明心团契盲文手抄本捐赠仪式。
明心团契的历史最早可追溯至北美长老会传教士赖玛西于1891年在仁济街租房设立的明心瞽目学校。1912年明心瞽目学校在上芳村兴建盲童校舍，建成后命名为“明心书院”。
1951年，明心书院由政府接管，作为收容残障人士和盲人的中心。后经有关主管部门批准成立明心团契，并在明心书院附近的平民堂（今芳村堂）开始聚会。
1983年3月，明心团契恢复聚会。人数最多时达40多人。自1986年芳村堂复堂到2001年底，明心团契承担芳村堂聚会的司琴、主日崇拜献唱、重大节日的圣乐崇拜等事工。近年因年长肢体先后离世归主，实际参与明心聚会点的人数仅十余人。每个月第一个星期六下午由芳村堂教牧同工前往明心聚会点派送圣餐并带领团契聚会。
广州市基督教两会在第六个世界文盲日对芳村堂明心团契表达深切祝福
On the occasion of the sixth World Braille Day, January 4, 2024, Guangzhou CC&TSPM displayed the braille manuscripts of the music score of Hymns of Universal Praise and the lyrics of the New Hymnal, extending wishes to the Mingxin Fellowship of Fangcun Church.
According to Guangzhou CC&TSPM, the Guangzhou Christian History and Culture Center currently houses these two braille manuscripts and presents them in its exhibition hall. The manuscripts were first copied, punched holes, and bound with threads into volumes by the hands of various believers of Fangcun Church’s Mingxin Fellowship, and have been used in “reading” music scores and lyrics while praising at gatherings for nearly 40 years.
A deacon of the Fangcun Church initially held them before giving them to her close friend, Sister Guo Ci, who was also a member of the Mingxin Fellowship, for safekeeping. Guo's family members donated them after she passed away in 2022.
Both manuscripts are equipped with front and back covers, endpapers, and spine guards to protect the braille within. The content was years of united effort from the members of the Mingxin Fellowship, who copied the music scores and lyrics point by point, line by line, and page with Braille writing pens and writing boards onto the Braille papers.
When reading the Brallie, it goes from left to right with a light touch on the raised dots. However, it’s the reverse for writing, which is a process of forming concave spots at the back of the paper from right to left so that the raised dots are in the correct reading order when flipped over for reading. Each cell of Braille is composed of six small dots, and each character is composed of one or more cells of Braille.
The piano score manuscript for Hymns of Universal Praise contains nearly a hundred hymns from the collection, totaling 148 pages. Similarly, the manuscript for the lyrics of the New Hymnal consists of the corresponding lyrics, with a total of 264 pages bound using the "four-hole binding" technique.
On September 9, 2023, the Guangzhou Christian Historical and Cultural Center hosted a donation ceremony for the Mingxin Fellowship's Braille manuscripts at the Guangzhou Fangcun Church.
Dr. Mary West Niles, a North American Presbyterian missionary, established the Ming Sum School for the Blind (also known as the School of the Understanding Heart) in a rented structure on Renji Street in 1891. In 1912, Mingxin School built a school for blind children in Shangfang Village, which was named "Mingxin Academy" after its completion.
The government took over Mingxin Academy in 1951 as a facility for the disabled and visually impaired. The Mingxin Fellowship was later established with the approval of the authorities, and gatherings began at the Pingmin Church (now Fangcun Church) near the Mingxin Academy.
Mingxin Fellowship has resumed gatherings since March 1983, with the maximum number of congregants exceeding 40. Mingxin Fellowship served the piano performance during gatherings, singing in Sunday worship, and sacred music worship on festivals from Fangcun Church's resumption in 1986 to the end of 2001. Due to older members passing away in recent years, only about 10 members attend the church. The pastoral staff of Fangcun Church distributes the Holy Communion and leads fellowship meetings at the Mingxin meeting point on the afternoon of the first Saturday of each month.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
Blessings to Guangzhou Blind Fellowship on 6th World Braille Day
