Four services on Sunday were held in a centennial church in Shaanxi, in western China.
A pastor in Nanxin Street Church in Xi’an preached the sermon “Prayer Hold Up Life” based on James 5:13–16 in the Sunday service on March 19, encouraging believers to express their situation to God through prayer instead of bearing heavy burdens themselves when confronting various circumstances and challenges. Believers should also learn to look to God humbly and pursue God’s glory in their lives rather than satisfy their own needs.
According to reports, the church was built in 1914 and put into use in 1919. It was built by people including the Chinese Rev. Zhang Ziyi, Yue Wenqing, who was a Xi’an Christian celebrity, and so on following the introduction of the Baptist Church in England. With the help of Shao Boqing (Chinese name), a British Baptist pastor, as well as others, the church and its attached houses were initially built with more than 20 rooms and covered an area of more than 1.65 acres.
After liberation in 1949, the church was used for religious activities and as the office of the Shaanxi Christian Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and the Xi’an Christian Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee. During the Cultural Revolution, it was occupied by an art company in Xi'an and returned to normal use in 1980. It established the church management committee in 1984. There are three pastors and three elders in this church at present, with more than 11,000 believers.
The church has been visited by Rober A. K. Rancis, Archbishop of Canterbury; Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Norwegian Prime Minister; Donald Louis Evans, former US Secretary of Commerce; a delegation of major assistants of US congressmen; and so on since 1983.
Nanxin Street Church was repaired in 2004 with its own funds. Declared a “Protective Building in Xi’an” in 2005, it was awarded the title of “Place of Civilized Religious Activities” by the Xi’an Municipal Religious Affairs Administration.
At present, apart from the four services on Sunday, the church also has a prayer meeting on Wednesday mornings and activities such as catechism classes and Bible study classes in different periods.
- Translated by Stephen Huang
中国西部的陕西省的一个百年教堂主日举办4场礼拜。
3月19日，西安的南新街礼拜堂，第二天主日礼拜中，牧者则以“祷告托起生活”为主题，围绕雅各书5：13—16节证道。勉励信徒在面对各样环境和挑战的时候，藉着祷告把自己真实的境况带到神面前，不要自己负重担。同时也要学习谦卑仰望，不是以自己的需要为满足，而是在生活中追求神的荣耀。
据介绍，该堂始建于1914年，于1919年投入使用。随基督教英国“浸礼会”传入，由中国牧师张子宜及西安基督教知名人士岳文卿等筹建。在英浸礼会牧师邵伯清等人的协助下，最初建造的礼拜堂及其附属房屋有20多间，占地10余亩。
1949年解放后作为宗教活动场所和陕西省基督教三自爱国运动委员会与西安市基督教三自爱国运动委员会办公驻地。文革期间，教堂被西安市美术公司占用，1980年恢复正常使用。1984年教堂成立堂管会。目前，本堂有三位牧师和三位长老。信徒有11000余人。
从1983年至今，先后到访本堂的有英国坎特伯雷大主教伦西(Rober A K Rancis)、挪威前首相谢尔马格纳·邦德维克(Kjell Magne Bondevik)、美国前商务部长唐纳德·路易斯·埃文斯(Donald Louis Evans)、美国国会议员主要助手代表团等。
南新街礼拜堂2004年曾自筹资金对教堂进行了一次维修，2005年被公布为“西安市保护性建筑”并获得西安市宗教事务局“文明宗教活动场所”称号。
目前，该堂除主日四场礼拜外，另于周三早上设有祷告会，并分时段设有慕道班、查经班等活动。
陕西百年教堂曾接待英国坎特伯雷大主教、美国前商务部长
Four services on Sunday were held in a centennial church in Shaanxi, in western China.
A pastor in Nanxin Street Church in Xi’an preached the sermon “Prayer Hold Up Life” based on James 5:13–16 in the Sunday service on March 19, encouraging believers to express their situation to God through prayer instead of bearing heavy burdens themselves when confronting various circumstances and challenges. Believers should also learn to look to God humbly and pursue God’s glory in their lives rather than satisfy their own needs.
According to reports, the church was built in 1914 and put into use in 1919. It was built by people including the Chinese Rev. Zhang Ziyi, Yue Wenqing, who was a Xi’an Christian celebrity, and so on following the introduction of the Baptist Church in England. With the help of Shao Boqing (Chinese name), a British Baptist pastor, as well as others, the church and its attached houses were initially built with more than 20 rooms and covered an area of more than 1.65 acres.
After liberation in 1949, the church was used for religious activities and as the office of the Shaanxi Christian Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and the Xi’an Christian Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee. During the Cultural Revolution, it was occupied by an art company in Xi'an and returned to normal use in 1980. It established the church management committee in 1984. There are three pastors and three elders in this church at present, with more than 11,000 believers.
The church has been visited by Rober A. K. Rancis, Archbishop of Canterbury; Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Norwegian Prime Minister; Donald Louis Evans, former US Secretary of Commerce; a delegation of major assistants of US congressmen; and so on since 1983.
Nanxin Street Church was repaired in 2004 with its own funds. Declared a “Protective Building in Xi’an” in 2005, it was awarded the title of “Place of Civilized Religious Activities” by the Xi’an Municipal Religious Affairs Administration.
At present, apart from the four services on Sunday, the church also has a prayer meeting on Wednesday mornings and activities such as catechism classes and Bible study classes in different periods.
- Translated by Stephen Huang
Archbishop of Canterbury and Former US Secretary of Commerce Once Received in a Church in Shaanxi
