The church of Wenxi County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, held a dedication worship and ceremony.
On May 22, about 300 people in charge of local churches in the province attended the ceremony.
The interior of this church are divided into three floors. The first floor comprises a garage, a restaurant, and a guard room. The second floor houses the auxiliary hall and multi-function office, while the church is located on the third floor.
Pastor Wang Qingsuo of the church in Taiyuan shared the theme of "The Reasons for the Prosperity of the Church in Antioch" with verses from 11:19-30 of the Acts. Pastor Wang urged everyone to be united and follow the example of the church of Antioch to build a church of grace that pleases God and man.
After that, a ceremony was held to dedicate the church, and Elder Guan Xin'ai, head of churches in Wenxi County, introduced the process of building the church. Since 1980, religious policies of freedom have been implemented throughout China, and churches have gradually resumed worship. However, the original church in Wenxi County no longer exists. In 1983, the older generation of church leaders got the allocated land of 0.32 acres and mobilized the believers in Wenxi County to make their own bricks and tiles using abandoned brick kilns to build more than 20 brick-and-tile houses as a church, dormitories, and canteens.
However, disagreements arose during construction, and the church was not completely built. It was not until 2003 that the unfinished building was finally completed. Because these houses were made of bricks and tiles and they leaked rain, more than 20 houses were repaired by the believers. In 2009, due to the increase in believers, there was not enough space for activities, so a house with steel tiles was built on the bungalow in the south. In 2018, the church was classified as a dangerous building during a safety check. In July 2019, the church invited design experts from Ningbo to design the church drawings.
The new church covers a total area of 1552.68 square meters, with a total construction area of 2004.53 square meters. It can accommodate more than 600 people. The foundation stone was laid on May 1, 2020, and the renovation began in 2021. It was put into use in April 2024. The total construction cost is 8.7 million yuan, and more than 1.7 million yuan are still owed for the project funds and borrowings from the congregation and other churches.
In 1878, Timothy Richard distributed relief supplies in Wenxi County. In 1900, six missionaries, including William Graham Peat, his wife, and two children from the missionary station in Xixian County, the China Inland Mission, were martyred here. In 1908, Arthur Langhorne of the China Inland Mission was sent to visit Wenxi County and used the Boxer Indemnity to buy houses and set up two churches, a school clinic, and two mission areas. Wenxi County now has six pastoral areas, including 20 churches and about 2,000 believers.
(The author is a staff writer of the Gospel Times.)
-Translated by Nicolas Cao
山西省运城市闻喜县教会举行了献堂崇拜及献堂庆典。
5月22日，山西省所属各县教会负责人300人左右参加了庆典。
教堂内部分为三层，一层为车库、餐厅、门卫；二层为副堂、多功能厅办公室，三层是教堂。
太原市教会的王青锁牧师以《使徒行传》11章19至30节的经文，做了题为“安提阿教会兴旺发展的原因”的主题分享。王牧师劝勉大家要同心合意，效法安提阿教会的榜样，共同建立神人喜悦的蒙恩教会。
此后举行了献堂典礼，闻喜县基督教会负责人管信爱长老介绍了建堂经过。自1980年起，全国各地宗教政策不断落实，各地教会逐渐恢复崇拜。但闻喜县原有的教堂已经不存在了。1983年，教会老一代领袖们得到了划拨的2亩土地，发动全县信徒，利用废弃的砖瓦窑自己烧砖瓦，建造教堂及宿舍、食堂等二十多间砖瓦房。建造过程中出现了分歧，以致教堂没有彻底完工。直到2003年，没有完工的建筑终于完成。因为是砖瓦结构，又漏雨，后来把二十多间房屋又自建了一次。2009年，因为信徒增多，活动场地不够，就在南边平房上搭建了彩钢瓦房子。
2018年，教会在安全排查中被定为危房。2019年7月，教会邀请宁波设计专家来设计教堂图纸。新堂总占地面积1552.68平米，总建筑面积2004.53平米，可容纳600多人。2020年5月1日奠基，2021年开始装修，2024年复活节投入使用。建设总造价870万元，尚欠工程款及弟兄姐妹和兄弟教会借款170多万元。
闻喜县教会历史简介：1878年，李提摩太曾在闻喜县发放赈济物资。1900年，内地会隰县宣教站白守贞夫妇及2个孩子等六名宣教士在此殉道。1908年，内地会蓝恩光奉差来闻喜，用庚子赔款购房设立教堂2所，附设学堂诊所，布道区2个。现全县共有六个牧区，20所教堂，信徒约有2000人。
注：本文作者为福音时报特约撰稿人。
山西运城闻喜县基督教会举行献堂感恩崇拜
The church of Wenxi County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, held a dedication worship and ceremony.
On May 22, about 300 people in charge of local churches in the province attended the ceremony.
The interior of this church are divided into three floors. The first floor comprises a garage, a restaurant, and a guard room. The second floor houses the auxiliary hall and multi-function office, while the church is located on the third floor.
Pastor Wang Qingsuo of the church in Taiyuan shared the theme of "The Reasons for the Prosperity of the Church in Antioch" with verses from 11:19-30 of the Acts. Pastor Wang urged everyone to be united and follow the example of the church of Antioch to build a church of grace that pleases God and man.
After that, a ceremony was held to dedicate the church, and Elder Guan Xin'ai, head of churches in Wenxi County, introduced the process of building the church. Since 1980, religious policies of freedom have been implemented throughout China, and churches have gradually resumed worship. However, the original church in Wenxi County no longer exists. In 1983, the older generation of church leaders got the allocated land of 0.32 acres and mobilized the believers in Wenxi County to make their own bricks and tiles using abandoned brick kilns to build more than 20 brick-and-tile houses as a church, dormitories, and canteens.
However, disagreements arose during construction, and the church was not completely built. It was not until 2003 that the unfinished building was finally completed. Because these houses were made of bricks and tiles and they leaked rain, more than 20 houses were repaired by the believers. In 2009, due to the increase in believers, there was not enough space for activities, so a house with steel tiles was built on the bungalow in the south. In 2018, the church was classified as a dangerous building during a safety check. In July 2019, the church invited design experts from Ningbo to design the church drawings.
The new church covers a total area of 1552.68 square meters, with a total construction area of 2004.53 square meters. It can accommodate more than 600 people. The foundation stone was laid on May 1, 2020, and the renovation began in 2021. It was put into use in April 2024. The total construction cost is 8.7 million yuan, and more than 1.7 million yuan are still owed for the project funds and borrowings from the congregation and other churches.
In 1878, Timothy Richard distributed relief supplies in Wenxi County. In 1900, six missionaries, including William Graham Peat, his wife, and two children from the missionary station in Xixian County, the China Inland Mission, were martyred here. In 1908, Arthur Langhorne of the China Inland Mission was sent to visit Wenxi County and used the Boxer Indemnity to buy houses and set up two churches, a school clinic, and two mission areas. Wenxi County now has six pastoral areas, including 20 churches and about 2,000 believers.
(The author is a staff writer of the Gospel Times.)
-Translated by Nicolas Cao
Wenxi County Church in Yuncheng Dedicated
