Xiazhai Town is located in the west of Pinghe County, Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. In the early part of the last century, in order to introduce the gospel to Xiazhai villages and other places, Ye Hanzhang, one of the first Chinese pastors in China, was appointed by the church in 1883 to leave the Zhushu Church, return to his hometown Pinghe, and serve in the Xiaoxi Church with Lin Wenqu, a pastor from Tong’an. After arriving at Xiaoxi Town, Ye, at an old age, trudged over mountains upon mountains on foot to do his work for the Lord. In 1902, Ye helped to set up the Xiazhai Church.
Xiazhai Church was originally located in Qunying Village, which was diagonally opposite the Pinghe No.3 Middle School. After the Cultural Revolution, the church stopped gatherings. In 1972, a flood occurred in Pinghe, and the site of the church collapsed. The land later was transferred to someone else to build houses. With the grace of the Lord, church services resumed in 1991. The Xiazhai Meeting Point was established in the home of a believer named Zhou Huixin. Then, with the joint efforts of elders and local Christians, two firewood houses next to the old stage in Qunying Village were returned to the church, then a church building with a civil structure was built in 1996, covering about 80 square meters (0.02 acres). From 2010 to 2013, Huang Hezhong and Huang Binghuang, who served in the Xiamen New District Gospel Church, insisted on going to the Xiazhai Church every Saturday to help set up choirs, prayer meetings, Bible study meetings and visiting groups, so that the church work could be carried out in an orderly manner. However, the church became a dilapidated building due to low foundations, poor drainage, and decay in the walls and beams.
In 2012, a 330-square-meter (0.082-acre) piece of land on Futan Road was granted by the local government for the construction of the new church, with a total price of 230,000 yuan. In 2013, the construction of the new church with an area of more than 1,000 square meters (0.247 acres) began. Pastors, church members have provided great support. Churches in Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Jinjiang, Xiamen, and Zhangzhou have also contributed to the church construction.
In August 2019, after a general election of the church council, the senior pastors together with other pastors led the new team to focus on indoor and outdoor decoration. (The exterior wall and the third, fourth and fifth floors have been renovated, with the first and second unrenovated)
Reference: Pinghe Christianity Gazetteer (2020 Edition)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
平和县霞寨镇位于平和的西半县，上个世纪初为了将福音深入西半县的霞寨乡村等地，中国首批华人牧师之一——叶汉章于1883年接受闽南基督教教会指派离开厦门竹树堂，回到故乡平和，与同安籍林文曲传道人一道在小溪礼拜堂侍奉。叶牧师到小溪后顾年事已高，全靠步行跋涉，翻山越岭，为主做工。1902年帮助成立霞寨基督堂会。
霞寨礼拜堂原址是在平和三中斜对面的群英村，文革后教会停止聚会。1972年平和发生7.29洪灾倒塌，地皮被转让给个人建民房。蒙主的恩典，1991年复会，在周惠心弟兄家中建立霞寨基督教聚会点，随后在长老兄弟姐妹的共同努力下，把群英村旧戏台旁二间柴火房归还教会，教会于1996年在此基础上改建一间约80平方米的土木结构的礼拜堂。2010至2013年期间，厦门新区福音堂侍奉的黄河忠弟兄、黄炳煌弟兄，坚持每星期的星期六从厦门回到霞寨礼拜堂帮助建立诗班、祈祷会、查经会和探访组，使教会工作有序开展，福音得以兴旺。后礼拜堂因地基太低，排水不畅，墙倒梁蛀成了危房。
平和县霞寨镇政府曾多次建议改造这座危房，2012年获得一块在福坛路的330平方米土地用于新堂建设用地，地皮总价有23万元之多。2013年开始动工兴建使用面积1000多平方米新教堂。在牧师，弟姐妹提供了大力支持和帮助，泉州、福州、晋江、厦门、漳州等地教会募捐也为教会建设做出贡献。
2019年8月教会领导换届，主任牧师、传道带领新一届班组着手抓室内外装修工作。（外墙及三、四、五楼整修完成，一、二楼还未装修）
参考资料：《平和基督教志》2020版
感谢平和霞寨礼拜堂提供相关资讯及照片
百年教会福建平和县基督教霞寨堂
Xiazhai Town is located in the west of Pinghe County, Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. In the early part of the last century, in order to introduce the gospel to Xiazhai villages and other places, Ye Hanzhang, one of the first Chinese pastors in China, was appointed by the church in 1883 to leave the Zhushu Church, return to his hometown Pinghe, and serve in the Xiaoxi Church with Lin Wenqu, a pastor from Tong’an. After arriving at Xiaoxi Town, Ye, at an old age, trudged over mountains upon mountains on foot to do his work for the Lord. In 1902, Ye helped to set up the Xiazhai Church.
Xiazhai Church was originally located in Qunying Village, which was diagonally opposite the Pinghe No.3 Middle School. After the Cultural Revolution, the church stopped gatherings. In 1972, a flood occurred in Pinghe, and the site of the church collapsed. The land later was transferred to someone else to build houses. With the grace of the Lord, church services resumed in 1991. The Xiazhai Meeting Point was established in the home of a believer named Zhou Huixin. Then, with the joint efforts of elders and local Christians, two firewood houses next to the old stage in Qunying Village were returned to the church, then a church building with a civil structure was built in 1996, covering about 80 square meters (0.02 acres). From 2010 to 2013, Huang Hezhong and Huang Binghuang, who served in the Xiamen New District Gospel Church, insisted on going to the Xiazhai Church every Saturday to help set up choirs, prayer meetings, Bible study meetings and visiting groups, so that the church work could be carried out in an orderly manner. However, the church became a dilapidated building due to low foundations, poor drainage, and decay in the walls and beams.
In 2012, a 330-square-meter (0.082-acre) piece of land on Futan Road was granted by the local government for the construction of the new church, with a total price of 230,000 yuan. In 2013, the construction of the new church with an area of more than 1,000 square meters (0.247 acres) began. Pastors, church members have provided great support. Churches in Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Jinjiang, Xiamen, and Zhangzhou have also contributed to the church construction.
In August 2019, after a general election of the church council, the senior pastors together with other pastors led the new team to focus on indoor and outdoor decoration. (The exterior wall and the third, fourth and fifth floors have been renovated, with the first and second unrenovated)
Reference: Pinghe Christianity Gazetteer (2020 Edition)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
Century-Old Xiazhai Church in Pinghe, Fujian
