A rural church in China’s southeastern coastal Province of Fujian hosted its dedication service after the framework was built more than 30 years ago with believers worshipping inside.
During the service conducted on November 5 for the church in Tatan Village, Chengxi Town, Longhai District, Zhangzhou City, pastors from downtown Zhangzhou called believers to worship, gave prayers with congratulations, and led the congregation in reading scripture.
After the congratulatory messages made by local church leaders, Rev. Huang Lihong from Beimen Church in Zhangzhou delivered a sermon titled "The Dedication of the Temple", with a hymn from the choir of Jiexi Church in Shima Street, followed by the introduction of the church.
The church is located in a remote mountain village with an average altitude of more than 500 meters and a permanent population of fewer than 4,000 people.
Rev. Ouyang Hou, who proposed to set up a Christian school - Baotan Primary School - in 1925, purchased the land of the existing church, as well as an old house for gatherings. In 1938, the pastor invested in the renovation of the church, a rare one in the rural areas of southern Fujian at that time.
Tatan Church demolished the original large house and built a church building in 1942, with the number of believers gradually increasing as the meeting time changed from night to day. In the same year, Zhangzhou Dongbanhou Church set up a branch in Tatan Village. Till that time, the church had established seven branches which were called the "seven lampstands".
Pastor Ouyang Shuping who works in Fuzhou Shangdu Church shared that during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), Rev. Ouyang Hou sent her grandfather Ouyang Hongdai to school then supported him to advance in Minnan Theological Seminary. After returning to Tatan Village, Hongdai served as the president of Baotan Primary School founded by Hou, teaching during the day and preaching at night. When Hou went to Malaysia, he intended to bring Hongdai together with him but left him in Tatan Church considering that there was no pastor in the local church and Hongdai’s children were still young. Hongdai invited a female pastor surnamed Lu to live in Tatan Village with her youngest daughter to carry out mission work, with the gospel prospering as more than 20 families gathered at that time.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the church stopped its activities since there were no pastors in the village. After the implementation of the freedom of religion policy in 1978, Christians started to gather in believers' homes, with more and more people joining the meeting. Registered as a place for religious activities in 1999, the church which became a dilapidated building in disrepair for many years was rebuilt on the original site in 1998 with donations from the congregation and other brother churches.
After the framework was built in December 1999, the reconstruction was finished this year due to the lack of funds with believers worshipping inside meanwhile.
(The article is originally published in the Gospel Times and the author is a believer in Fujian.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
塔潭基督教堂位于福建省漳州市龙海区程溪镇塔潭村，平均海拔500多米，全村常住人口不到四千人，是龙海区程溪镇一个山高路远的偏僻山村。
1925年（民国14年），塔潭村人欧阳侯（原名欧阳石狮）牧师倡议，在塔潭村兴办基督教学校宝潭小学。欧阳侯牧师出资购买了现教堂的土地，也把一幢同字形的旧老厝全部买下作为聚会场所，1938年，欧阳侯牧师又出资改建教堂，成为闽南地区乡村中少有的基督教堂。
1942年，塔潭教会将原有大厝拆除，改建成礼拜堂；聚会时间由晚上改成白天，信徒逐渐增加。就在这一年，漳州东坂后基督教堂设支会于塔潭村，至此，东坂后堂添设七支会（天宝镇、山城、龙山、新塘、古湖、乌石亭、塔潭）称为“七灯台”。
福州基督教上渡堂欧阳淑屏传道回忆：抗日战争期间，欧阳候牧师培养她爷爷欧阳红代（又名欧阳建犹）读书，之后又送欧阳红代（欧阳建犹）到闽南神学院深造，回塔潭村后，在欧阳侯牧师创建的宝潭小学任校长，她爷爷白天教书，晚上传道。临解放欧阳候牧师去了马来西亚，也想把欧阳红代（欧阳建犹）传道带上，考虑到当地教会没有人，红代传道妻儿子女尚小，就没有随行……之后，欧阳红代（欧阳建犹）又请了一位姓卢的女传道带着小女儿阿秀居住塔潭，兴起塔潭基督福音工作。聚会信徒有二十几家，兴旺福音。
解放后，村里因为没有传道人员，教堂就停止了活动。宗教政策落实后才在信徒家恢复聚会，人数逐渐增加。1999年登记为宗教活动场所，礼拜堂年久失修，已成危房，本地信徒积极筹资并得漳州、石码、新塘、程溪等地教堂及信徒的大力支持，于1998年在原址重建，1999年12月建了大体框架，因缺乏资金，一直处于未建完全的状态，信徒一直在这里聚会。直到今年完全落成献堂，
为迎接11月5日隆重举行的龙海塔潭基督教堂献堂庆典，塔潭教堂在做各种准备，礼拜堂内已装饰完工，整理得井井有条。
11月5日，漳州市龙海区程溪镇塔潭基督教堂落成举行隆重的感恩庆典，感恩庆典由石春生牧师主持，在《天上大开恩典的门》赞美声后，塔潭教会欧文瑞弟兄致欢迎词，叶益能牧师宣召，赖庭凯牧师祷告，刘庭勋牧师读历代志下7章1至5节经文。
由漳州市陈辉江、黄立红、汪少飞、赖庭凯、刘庭勋、林伟、叶益能、石春生等牧师组成的牧师团到会祝贺（下图）
漳州市基督教三自爱国会副主席陈辉江牧师、朱仕琪弟兄分别代表漳州市、龙海区基督教三自爱国会致贺词。
漳州北门堂黄立红牧师以《圣殿奉献礼》为题证道。
石码解西堂诗班献唱。
林伟牧师奉献礼文，林建基弟兄介绍百年塔潭教会的历史，汪少飞牧师为塔潭教会未来祷告，与会众200多人齐唱《愿上帝这时降临》的赞美诗后，在牧师团的祝福祷告中庆典会结束。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系福建福州一教会信徒。
福建省漳州市龙海区程溪镇塔潭村基督教堂落成并举行感恩庆典
A rural church in China’s southeastern coastal Province of Fujian hosted its dedication service after the framework was built more than 30 years ago with believers worshipping inside.
During the service conducted on November 5 for the church in Tatan Village, Chengxi Town, Longhai District, Zhangzhou City, pastors from downtown Zhangzhou called believers to worship, gave prayers with congratulations, and led the congregation in reading scripture.
After the congratulatory messages made by local church leaders, Rev. Huang Lihong from Beimen Church in Zhangzhou delivered a sermon titled "The Dedication of the Temple", with a hymn from the choir of Jiexi Church in Shima Street, followed by the introduction of the church.
The church is located in a remote mountain village with an average altitude of more than 500 meters and a permanent population of fewer than 4,000 people.
Rev. Ouyang Hou, who proposed to set up a Christian school - Baotan Primary School - in 1925, purchased the land of the existing church, as well as an old house for gatherings. In 1938, the pastor invested in the renovation of the church, a rare one in the rural areas of southern Fujian at that time.
Tatan Church demolished the original large house and built a church building in 1942, with the number of believers gradually increasing as the meeting time changed from night to day. In the same year, Zhangzhou Dongbanhou Church set up a branch in Tatan Village. Till that time, the church had established seven branches which were called the "seven lampstands".
Pastor Ouyang Shuping who works in Fuzhou Shangdu Church shared that during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), Rev. Ouyang Hou sent her grandfather Ouyang Hongdai to school then supported him to advance in Minnan Theological Seminary. After returning to Tatan Village, Hongdai served as the president of Baotan Primary School founded by Hou, teaching during the day and preaching at night. When Hou went to Malaysia, he intended to bring Hongdai together with him but left him in Tatan Church considering that there was no pastor in the local church and Hongdai’s children were still young. Hongdai invited a female pastor surnamed Lu to live in Tatan Village with her youngest daughter to carry out mission work, with the gospel prospering as more than 20 families gathered at that time.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the church stopped its activities since there were no pastors in the village. After the implementation of the freedom of religion policy in 1978, Christians started to gather in believers' homes, with more and more people joining the meeting. Registered as a place for religious activities in 1999, the church which became a dilapidated building in disrepair for many years was rebuilt on the original site in 1998 with donations from the congregation and other brother churches.
After the framework was built in December 1999, the reconstruction was finished this year due to the lack of funds with believers worshipping inside meanwhile.
(The article is originally published in the Gospel Times and the author is a believer in Fujian.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Dedication of Church Building Held After Three Decades' Reconstruction
