During the May Day tourism season, I visited Changchun Christian Church with a sister, which is said to be the oldest Christian church in Changchun. Changchun Christian Church, commonly known as Nanguan Christian Church, also known as Xiwuma Road Church, is one of the most important and largest Christian churches in Changchun.
The Scottish United Presbyterian Mission sent British missionary Thomas C. Fulton to Changchun as early as 1886 to preach. Two years later, Pastor Thomas C. Fulton baptized the believers for the first time.
In 1890, Pastor Thomas C. Fulton left Changchun and went to Liaoning to carry out evangelical work. In 1894, Pastor Fulton established the Manchuria Christian College in Gaotai Temple, Yuechuangm Hutong, Daxiguan. He taught elementary theology in the class for baptism candidates and trained preachers throughout Northeast China. In 1898, Pastor Fulton and Pastor John Ross of the Scottish United Presbyterian Mission founded a seminar.
In 1893, the British pastor William Gillespie became the second Christian missionary in Changchun.
In 1897, the fourth year after he came to Changchun, Gillespie purchased the land now located in the Xiwuma Road Christian Church and began to establish churches, hospitals, and schools. This church was completed in 1898, and in 1899, Changchun's first large Christian church was built. It was an Irish chapel with a single-peak bell tower. In 1920, it was affiliated with the Chinese Christian Council in Shanghai, China.
In 1896, Gillespie founded the first Western medicine hospital in Changchun, Christian Women's Hospital (now Changchun Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital), with a construction area of 16,000 square meters. Subsequently (founded in 1907), the Church Cuiwen School was founded, which is now Xiwuma Road Primary School.
In 1894, during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895, all British missionaries retreated to Yingkou. In 1895, Pastor William Gillespie and others returned to Changchun.
In July 1900, the Boxer Rebellion sprang up in Changchun, and the British pastors in Changchun fled Russia. After the Boxer Indemnity, the British missionaries returned to Changchun and reformed the church.
In 1920, a killer assassinated Pastor Gillespie shortly after his third visit to Changchun to serve. After his death, the church ordained two Chinese priests for the first time, Chen Mingshan and Shi Shiliang.
In 1934, under the stewardship of Zhang Shidun, an English priest, a large chapel (known as the Old Chapel, which is actually the second chapel) with a single-peak bell tower covering an area of 600 square meters was built in the churchyard, and four years later a smaller chapel (the third chapel) was built.
Following the start of the Pacific War in December 1941, the Japanese Kwantung Army interned the British missionaries in Shenyang before promptly expelling them from northeast China.
During the War of Resistance against Japan, Xu Tangqing, the 15th Chinese preacher of the Church of Christ, cooperated with the underground Communist Party of China to fight against the Japanese aggressors.
In 1980, following the implementation of the religious policy after the Cultural Revolution, the Changchun Municipal Government funded the renovation of the original Xiwuma Road Church and built a new chapel in 1990.
In 1997, the original old church was identified as a dangerous building by the Changchun Housing Appraisal Center, and believers contributed to the construction of the existing cathedral. The church was completed in June 1998 and underwent a major renovation in 2010.
Today, this church covers an area of 5,000 square meters (7.5 mu). The main building has a floor area of 2,900 square meters (total area: 5,800 square meters with annex) and can accommodate at least 4,000 worshipers on all three floors.
At present, there are more than 200 fellow workers and volunteers in the church, and there would be more than 1,000 people at the Sunday meeting.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
五一旅游季时，笔者与一位姊妹一同参观了据说是长春历史上最悠久的基督教堂——长春基督教会礼拜堂。长春基督教会礼拜堂，俗称南关基督教堂，又称西五马路教堂，是长春历史上最重要和最大的基督教教堂之一。
早在1886年，英国宣教士傅多马受英国爱尔兰基督教长老会的派遣来长春传道。两年以后，傅多马牧师首次为信徒洗礼。
1890年，傅多马牧师离开了长春，前往辽宁开展福音工作。1894年，傅多玛牧师在大西关月窗胡同高台庙成立文会馆，采用学道班课程教授初级神学，为东北各地培养传道人。1898年，傅多玛牧师与苏格兰长老会罗约翰牧师共同成立神学院。
1893年，英国的纪礼备牧师成为长春第二位基督教宣教士。
纪礼备在来到长春的第四年1897年，买下了现在位于西五马路基督教堂的这块地，开始创办教会、医院、学校。教堂1898年竣工，1899年长春最早的一座基督教大礼拜堂建成。建筑风格为爱尔兰式单峰钟楼礼拜堂。1922年归属中国上海中华基督教总会。
1896年纪礼备创立了长春市第一家西医院——基督教女施医院(今长春市妇产科医院)，建筑面积16000平方米。随后（1907年创办）又创办了教会萃文学校，即现在的西五马路小学。
1894年，中日甲午战争期间，英国传教人员全部退避营口，1895年，纪礼备牧师等人返回长春。
1900年7月，长春兴起义和团运动，在长春的英国教牧人员远避俄国。庚子赔款后，英国传教人员返回长春，重整教会。
纪礼备牧师第三次回到长春事奉不久被盗贼杀戮身亡（1920年）。纪礼备去世后，教会第一次封立陈明善和史世良两位中国人为牧师。
1934年，在英国牧师张士敦的主持下，教堂的院内修建了一座占地600平方米的单峰钟楼的大礼拜堂（被称为老礼拜堂，实际是第二座礼拜堂），四年之后又修建了一座小礼拜堂（第三座礼拜堂）。
1941年12月，太平洋战争爆发后，英国传教士被日本关东军拘禁于沈阳，不久被驱逐出中国东北地区。
抗日战争期间，基督教堂的第15位中国传道人徐棠清牧师配合中共地下党展开反对日本侵略者的活动。
1980年，文革后落实宗教政策，长春市政府拨款修缮了原来的“西五马路教堂”，并于1990年新修小礼拜堂。
1997年，原有老教堂被长春市房屋鉴定中心鉴定为危房，信徒奉献建造现有大教堂。教堂于1998年6月竣工，于2010年又进行了一次大的改造。
时至今日，教堂占地5000平方米（合7.5亩）;主堂建筑面积2900平方米（加上附属用房，总面积共5800平方米），教堂共有三层，可同时容纳至少4000人做礼拜。
教堂目前参与服事的同工和义工一共有200多人，平时主日聚会有1000多人。
长春历史上最悠久的基督教教堂：西五马路教堂的百年历史
During the May Day tourism season, I visited Changchun Christian Church with a sister, which is said to be the oldest Christian church in Changchun. Changchun Christian Church, commonly known as Nanguan Christian Church, also known as Xiwuma Road Church, is one of the most important and largest Christian churches in Changchun.
The Scottish United Presbyterian Mission sent British missionary Thomas C. Fulton to Changchun as early as 1886 to preach. Two years later, Pastor Thomas C. Fulton baptized the believers for the first time.
In 1890, Pastor Thomas C. Fulton left Changchun and went to Liaoning to carry out evangelical work. In 1894, Pastor Fulton established the Manchuria Christian College in Gaotai Temple, Yuechuangm Hutong, Daxiguan. He taught elementary theology in the class for baptism candidates and trained preachers throughout Northeast China. In 1898, Pastor Fulton and Pastor John Ross of the Scottish United Presbyterian Mission founded a seminar.
In 1893, the British pastor William Gillespie became the second Christian missionary in Changchun.
In 1897, the fourth year after he came to Changchun, Gillespie purchased the land now located in the Xiwuma Road Christian Church and began to establish churches, hospitals, and schools. This church was completed in 1898, and in 1899, Changchun's first large Christian church was built. It was an Irish chapel with a single-peak bell tower. In 1920, it was affiliated with the Chinese Christian Council in Shanghai, China.
In 1896, Gillespie founded the first Western medicine hospital in Changchun, Christian Women's Hospital (now Changchun Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital), with a construction area of 16,000 square meters. Subsequently (founded in 1907), the Church Cuiwen School was founded, which is now Xiwuma Road Primary School.
In 1894, during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895, all British missionaries retreated to Yingkou. In 1895, Pastor William Gillespie and others returned to Changchun.
In July 1900, the Boxer Rebellion sprang up in Changchun, and the British pastors in Changchun fled Russia. After the Boxer Indemnity, the British missionaries returned to Changchun and reformed the church.
In 1920, a killer assassinated Pastor Gillespie shortly after his third visit to Changchun to serve. After his death, the church ordained two Chinese priests for the first time, Chen Mingshan and Shi Shiliang.
In 1934, under the stewardship of Zhang Shidun, an English priest, a large chapel (known as the Old Chapel, which is actually the second chapel) with a single-peak bell tower covering an area of 600 square meters was built in the churchyard, and four years later a smaller chapel (the third chapel) was built.
Following the start of the Pacific War in December 1941, the Japanese Kwantung Army interned the British missionaries in Shenyang before promptly expelling them from northeast China.
During the War of Resistance against Japan, Xu Tangqing, the 15th Chinese preacher of the Church of Christ, cooperated with the underground Communist Party of China to fight against the Japanese aggressors.
In 1980, following the implementation of the religious policy after the Cultural Revolution, the Changchun Municipal Government funded the renovation of the original Xiwuma Road Church and built a new chapel in 1990.
In 1997, the original old church was identified as a dangerous building by the Changchun Housing Appraisal Center, and believers contributed to the construction of the existing cathedral. The church was completed in June 1998 and underwent a major renovation in 2010.
Today, this church covers an area of 5,000 square meters (7.5 mu). The main building has a floor area of 2,900 square meters (total area: 5,800 square meters with annex) and can accommodate at least 4,000 worshipers on all three floors.
At present, there are more than 200 fellow workers and volunteers in the church, and there would be more than 1,000 people at the Sunday meeting.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
The Oldest Christian Church in Changchun: Century-old history of Church in Xiwuma Road
