Established in 1931, an ethnic Korean church in Gonghe Subdistrict, Tiexi District, Anshan City, Liaoning Province, witnessed God's grace and promises throughout its 90 years of history.
I came to visit the church on the morning of Sunday, May 9. Following COVID-19 protocols, believers entered the church after registering separately in Chinese and Korean language registries.
On the morning of May 9, there were two Sunday sermons held simultaneously with the same title "Live a Life with a Correct Understanding of God’s Will", sharing the same verses of Luke 19:11-27. One of the sermons was preached in Korean on the fourth floor by Senior Pastor An Fengxun for Korean ethnic believers, with Korean words shown in a big screen. The other was given in Chinese on the second floor by Pastor An Enguang for Han ethnic Christians.
According to the historical materials on the history of the church provided by Pastor An Fengxun, this four-story church was rebuilt in 2013, with a floor area of 1,900 square meters (0.47acres). With a towering cross on the main hall, two screens on both sides of the gate showed "Gonghe Christian Church" in Chinese and Korean respectively. It was founded in Qiming Street by the Women's Mission from Fengtian Church, owning four rooms for gathering and two for vicarage. Establishing an administrative board in 1943, the church was handed over to the pastor of the Han church, as most believers had returned to North Korea after the surrender of Japan in 1945.
After the liberation of Anshan on February 19, 1948, most believers left Anshan due to life problems, and a small number of believers gathered at home. The church was officially restored on June 27, 1983, given the implementation of the religious freedom policy after the reform and opening up. Later, the church was identified as a dilapidated building, because many cracks appeared due to years of disrepair. In 2013, it was rebuilt again to its current state.
During the past decade, the church has relieved 16 poor students in the mountainous areas of southern China. On the eve of this year's Spring Festival, the church staff visited poor families several times, presenting 500 kilograms of rice to poverty-stricken families. Beyond that, it also awarded scholarships to a primary school.
(The original article is published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
创立于1931年的辽宁省鞍山市铁西区基督教共和朝鲜族教会，九十春秋见证神的恩典和应许。
2021年5月9日主日上午，笔者来到共和教会拜访。
礼拜日的共和堂在按照防疫要求的前提下信徒戴着口罩，扫码、登记、测温，有序的来聚会。不同的是登记分为汉语和朝鲜语两种登记册.
今天的主日聚会，四楼由安奉勋主任牧师用朝鲜语为朝鲜族弟兄姊妹讲道，大屏幕显示的也是朝鲜语；二楼由年轻的安恩光牧师用汉语为汉族弟兄姊妹讲道。两堂的聚会证道在同一时间同步举行；分享的经文同为新约路加福音19章11-27节；证道是同一个题目：《正确认识神心意的生活》。
据安奉勋牧师提供的共和朝鲜族教会历史沿革史料介绍：现在看到的四层楼教堂，是2013年教会再一次翻建的，地上建筑面积为1900平方米。主堂上方十字架高耸，门前分别用汉语和朝鲜语表明“共和基督教会”。教会是于1931年奉天教会的妇女传道会，来鞍山启明街建立的。当时的规模礼拜堂为4间房子，牧师住宅2间。1943年教会建立了堂会。1945年日本投降后，绝大数信徒回到朝鲜，教会转交给当时汉族教会的牧师；
1948年2月19日鞍山解放后，因生活问题多数信徒离开鞍山，少部分信徒在家庭聚会；改革开放后宗教自由政策落实，1983年6月27日教会正式恢复，后来，因教堂建筑年久失修，多处出现裂缝，经政府有关部门鉴定为危房。2013年教会再一次翻建教堂，就是现在的教堂。
教会10年来一直救济南方贫困山区的学生，由起初的1人发展到16人；教会多次在春节前夕探访困难弱势家庭，送1000斤大米周济社区的特困户，还给宋三小学增发过奖学金。
（本文作者福音时报特约撰稿人。）
辽宁鞍山共和朝鲜族教会：九十春秋 荣耀见证
Established in 1931, an ethnic Korean church in Gonghe Subdistrict, Tiexi District, Anshan City, Liaoning Province, witnessed God's grace and promises throughout its 90 years of history.
I came to visit the church on the morning of Sunday, May 9. Following COVID-19 protocols, believers entered the church after registering separately in Chinese and Korean language registries.
On the morning of May 9, there were two Sunday sermons held simultaneously with the same title "Live a Life with a Correct Understanding of God’s Will", sharing the same verses of Luke 19:11-27. One of the sermons was preached in Korean on the fourth floor by Senior Pastor An Fengxun for Korean ethnic believers, with Korean words shown in a big screen. The other was given in Chinese on the second floor by Pastor An Enguang for Han ethnic Christians.
According to the historical materials on the history of the church provided by Pastor An Fengxun, this four-story church was rebuilt in 2013, with a floor area of 1,900 square meters (0.47acres). With a towering cross on the main hall, two screens on both sides of the gate showed "Gonghe Christian Church" in Chinese and Korean respectively. It was founded in Qiming Street by the Women's Mission from Fengtian Church, owning four rooms for gathering and two for vicarage. Establishing an administrative board in 1943, the church was handed over to the pastor of the Han church, as most believers had returned to North Korea after the surrender of Japan in 1945.
After the liberation of Anshan on February 19, 1948, most believers left Anshan due to life problems, and a small number of believers gathered at home. The church was officially restored on June 27, 1983, given the implementation of the religious freedom policy after the reform and opening up. Later, the church was identified as a dilapidated building, because many cracks appeared due to years of disrepair. In 2013, it was rebuilt again to its current state.
During the past decade, the church has relieved 16 poor students in the mountainous areas of southern China. On the eve of this year's Spring Festival, the church staff visited poor families several times, presenting 500 kilograms of rice to poverty-stricken families. Beyond that, it also awarded scholarships to a primary school.
(The original article is published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
90-Y-O Ethnic Korean Church in Liaoning Testifies God’s Grace
