On the morning of December 20th, two fellowships of the Yaodu District Church in China's northern Shaanxi Province held a Thanksgiving worship service to celebrate the incoming Christmas.
Early in the morning, members of the church's disability fellowship and the elderly fellowship came to the nursing home located in the Xinhe Nursing Home in the village of Mawu, Linfen, following COVID-19 protocols.
Singing the song "Happy Christmas-Good News", the congregation read Psalm 100 and recited the "Apostles' Creed" in the service presided over by Deacon Wang Jiarui. After Sister Zhang Qiuping reported the good news, the participants sang "Congratulations to Him as King" and "The Song of Three Magi", and read Isaiah 9:1-7.
Then Pastor Yan Minjuan gave a sermon on the theme of "The Christmas Gift". She explained that God’s gift is his only son Jesus who can save the people from their sins and give great light to the people sitting in the shadow of death. The people who believe will be redeemed. She exhorted the believers to prepare their hearts to offer their best gifts to God as the Magi did.
Then, the elderly members of the Evergreen Fellowship performed a church cantata, and the believers of the Disabled Christian Fellowship presented two small choruses, "The River of Life" and "The Greatest Treasure in the Universe". Four senior believers in their seventies sang "Old Couple Study the Bible" with actions and the crowd burst into applause. Jiao Mingqing, a disabled believer, performed "The Essentials of Each Volume of the Bible" to a strong beat. He spent half a year memorizing the performance, which contained nearly two hundred sentences, all that he remembered clearly. Several elderly believers sang "My Motherland", which resonated with the audience. Some even danced to the song. Later there was also a Bible contest and prizes were given to those who answered correctly. A 93-year-old believer who was baptized 4 years ago said excitedly: " It is a great thing that I live in Jesus, as I pray to God every day and God is with me and guards me in everything. "
Finally, five seekers prayed to accept Jesus. Later the attendees shared a love feast together and received Christmas gifts.
The Disability Fellowship also distributed Christmas gifts to ten sanitation workers on Fuli Road, including a pair of gloves, a pack of disposable medical face masks (pack of ten pieces), and a Christmas gift bag. They have shared in this public service for the past three years before Christmas, sending the love of Jesus Christ to those who work on the city’s beautification.
On December 19, Qin Xia Church in Dawang Village, the first pastoral district of the Yaodu District Church, held a Christmas and Thanksgiving worship service, attended by 70 believers. Couplets were posted at the gate, with the hollowed-out Merry Christmas paper cutting on the wall. Before entering the hall, the attendees registered their personal information and had their temperature taken.
At the Xucun activity site where the second pastoral district was located, a Christmas Thanksgiving service was held on December 20, and 70 believers from surrounding villages attended.
At the Dongzhang activity site of the third pastoral district, a Christmas and Thanksgiving worship service was held on December 17. Early in the morning, the colleagues in charge of reception had ribbons on which were written: "Jesus loves you." They greeted the believers following COVID-19 protocols. It was the first service after the coronavirus pandemic broke out and more than 90 people attended.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times)
-Translated by Abigail Wu
12月20日上午，地处河西马务村的馨和敬老院，与区基督教会残障团契和长者常青团契联合举办了圣诞感恩崇拜活动。
一大早，一些长者和残疾肢体冒着严寒陆续赶到，在门口经过测温、填写身份、体温等基本信息后依次进入。
圣诞感恩崇拜由王家瑞执事主持，会众齐唱《欢乐圣诞佳音》，以诗篇100篇宣召，共颂《使徒信经》。由张秋萍姊妹报佳音，大家齐唱了《贺他为王歌》《三位博士歌》，诵读了以赛亚书9:1-7的经文，闫敏娟传道以《圣诞礼物》为题进行证道。讲述上帝送给万民的礼物就是将独生儿子耶稣赐给万民，要将百姓从罪恶中拯救出来，要叫坐在死荫里百姓看见大光，这宝贵的礼物只要相信就必得着。我们也要预备心灵，如同当年东方博士把最美好的礼物奉献给神。
接着，长者常青团契的老年肢体表演了大合唱，残障团契的弟兄姊妹表演了小合唱《生命河》《宇宙中有一个宝》；四位七十多岁的老年人的表演唱《老两口学圣经》风趣幽默，引发了阵阵掌声；肢残弟兄焦明清弟兄表演的快板书《圣经各卷要义》，近二百多句记得非常清楚，哪知他为此下了半年功夫背诵；伴着歌声大家翩翩起舞，几位老弟兄姊妹还唱起了《我的祖国》，引发了全场的共鸣。中间还穿插了圣经知识竞赛，大家争先恐后踊跃抢答，还为答对者颁发了奖品。一位93岁高龄的老人已信主4年多了，她激动地说：“我信了耶稣每天祷告，神与我同在，每天保守看顾我，活在耶稣里真好。”
最后进行了呼召，有5位新来的慕道友做了决志祷告。教会还发放了圣诞礼物，一起分享了爱筵。
残障团契还为福利路的十名环卫工人捐赠了圣诞礼物，每人一副手套、一包一次性医用口罩（十支）、一个圣诞礼包。这样的微公益，每年圣诞前已经坚持了三年，把耶稣基督的大爱送给“城市美容师”。
12月19日，一牧区大王秦霞堂举办了圣诞庆祝感恩崇拜，大门口张贴了对联，悬挂了中间镂空的“圣诞快乐”彩色剪纸，人们进入堂内经过严格测温登记。70余名弟兄姊妹欢聚一堂共庆圣诞。
在二牧区许村活动点，12月20日举行了圣诞感恩崇拜，张贴了对联，来自周边村庄的70名信徒参加了礼拜。
在三牧区东张活动点，12月17日举行了圣诞感恩崇拜。一大早，负责接待的弟兄姊妹身披“耶稣爱你”绶带，迎接弟兄姊妹，经过消毒、测温登记后进入堂内。初次恢复礼拜，90多人一起参加了礼拜。
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/54689
山西临汾尧都区基督教会欢庆圣诞活动陆续拉开帷幕
On the morning of December 20th, two fellowships of the Yaodu District Church in China's northern Shaanxi Province held a Thanksgiving worship service to celebrate the incoming Christmas.
Early in the morning, members of the church's disability fellowship and the elderly fellowship came to the nursing home located in the Xinhe Nursing Home in the village of Mawu, Linfen, following COVID-19 protocols.
Singing the song "Happy Christmas-Good News", the congregation read Psalm 100 and recited the "Apostles' Creed" in the service presided over by Deacon Wang Jiarui. After Sister Zhang Qiuping reported the good news, the participants sang "Congratulations to Him as King" and "The Song of Three Magi", and read Isaiah 9:1-7.
Then Pastor Yan Minjuan gave a sermon on the theme of "The Christmas Gift". She explained that God’s gift is his only son Jesus who can save the people from their sins and give great light to the people sitting in the shadow of death. The people who believe will be redeemed. She exhorted the believers to prepare their hearts to offer their best gifts to God as the Magi did.
Then, the elderly members of the Evergreen Fellowship performed a church cantata, and the believers of the Disabled Christian Fellowship presented two small choruses, "The River of Life" and "The Greatest Treasure in the Universe". Four senior believers in their seventies sang "Old Couple Study the Bible" with actions and the crowd burst into applause. Jiao Mingqing, a disabled believer, performed "The Essentials of Each Volume of the Bible" to a strong beat. He spent half a year memorizing the performance, which contained nearly two hundred sentences, all that he remembered clearly. Several elderly believers sang "My Motherland", which resonated with the audience. Some even danced to the song. Later there was also a Bible contest and prizes were given to those who answered correctly. A 93-year-old believer who was baptized 4 years ago said excitedly: " It is a great thing that I live in Jesus, as I pray to God every day and God is with me and guards me in everything. "
Finally, five seekers prayed to accept Jesus. Later the attendees shared a love feast together and received Christmas gifts.
The Disability Fellowship also distributed Christmas gifts to ten sanitation workers on Fuli Road, including a pair of gloves, a pack of disposable medical face masks (pack of ten pieces), and a Christmas gift bag. They have shared in this public service for the past three years before Christmas, sending the love of Jesus Christ to those who work on the city’s beautification.
On December 19, Qin Xia Church in Dawang Village, the first pastoral district of the Yaodu District Church, held a Christmas and Thanksgiving worship service, attended by 70 believers. Couplets were posted at the gate, with the hollowed-out Merry Christmas paper cutting on the wall. Before entering the hall, the attendees registered their personal information and had their temperature taken.
At the Xucun activity site where the second pastoral district was located, a Christmas Thanksgiving service was held on December 20, and 70 believers from surrounding villages attended.
At the Dongzhang activity site of the third pastoral district, a Christmas and Thanksgiving worship service was held on December 17. Early in the morning, the colleagues in charge of reception had ribbons on which were written: "Jesus loves you." They greeted the believers following COVID-19 protocols. It was the first service after the coronavirus pandemic broke out and more than 90 people attended.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times)
-Translated by Abigail Wu
Shanxi Believers Mark Christmas in Nursing Home
