At the end of August, I visited a church in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province. The ancient city is the political, economic, and cultural center of Northeast China.
On August 27, Sunday, at Grace Church Liaoyang County, Elder Zhang Jinfang preached a sermon titled “Noah Was Separated From the World,” citing Genesis 6:9 and Luke 17: 26–27. She explained the differences in faith, behavior, and endings between believers and nonbelievers.
The church was built in 2005, covering a construction area of more than 2000 square meters (0.494 acres) and a floor area of 774 square meters (0.184 acres). Built in the Gothic style, it was originally a stinking puddle and a dump. Now behind the church is the East Wangzhuang lotus pond, a popular scenic spot with a length of 1000 meters and an area of several acres.
When the church was planned to be built, some people did not believe it and said, "How is it possible for a few women to build a church from scratch?" When funds were scarce, they relied on believers’ offerings, as well as lent money. Elder Zhang offered all the money originally intended to buy a house, and some believers donated 100,000 yuan or even 200,000 yuan. The foundation stone was laid on June 6, 2005, and the main body of the church was completed three months later.
The number of believers has grown from less than 100 to over 300 now. A few years after its construction, the church had neither internal nor external debts. They have a pastoral team and other functional teams. There is a main hall, an auxiliary hall, sound equipment, and musical instruments in the church which has sound rules and regulations.
This church participates in social charity and has been awarded the titles of “Liaoyang Charity Star” and“Place of Civilized Religious Activities.”
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times and the author reported in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province.)
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
8月底我参观了东北地区政治、经济、文化中心的古城：辽宁省辽阳市辽阳县的一个教堂。
8月27日主日的上午，在辽阳县新恩堂，张金芳长老她以“与世人分别的挪亚”为题证道，引用创世记6章9节和路加福音17章26至27节的经文。 她传讲了信仰与世人分别；行为与世人分别；结局与世人分别。
新恩堂始建于2005年，占地面积2000余平方米、主堂建筑面积774平方米。带有哥特式建筑风格，这里起初是臭水坑、也是垃圾场。教堂的后面是几十亩、长约1000米的打卡风景区——东王庄荷花塘。
起初建堂的时候，有的人不相信，说：就凭你们几个女人就能白手起家、建起教堂？资金缺乏，她们就动员信徒奉献和借款。张金芳长老把自己家买房子的钱都拿出来了，有的信徒奉献10万元，甚至是20万元。新恩堂2005年6月6月日开始奠基，9月18日教堂主体完工。
信徒由几十个人发展到现在的三百余人。建堂几年后，教堂既无内债、又无外债。他们有一支教牧同工队伍、各个班组。有主堂、副堂，音响、乐器设备，并且有健全的规章制度，
教堂参与社会公益慈善事业，被授予“辽阳慈善之星”、“文明宗教活动场所”等称号，
（福音时报特约撰稿人于辽宁辽阳报道）
辽宁省辽阳县新恩基督教堂
At the end of August, I visited a church in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province. The ancient city is the political, economic, and cultural center of Northeast China.
On August 27, Sunday, at Grace Church Liaoyang County, Elder Zhang Jinfang preached a sermon titled “Noah Was Separated From the World,” citing Genesis 6:9 and Luke 17: 26–27. She explained the differences in faith, behavior, and endings between believers and nonbelievers.
The church was built in 2005, covering a construction area of more than 2000 square meters (0.494 acres) and a floor area of 774 square meters (0.184 acres). Built in the Gothic style, it was originally a stinking puddle and a dump. Now behind the church is the East Wangzhuang lotus pond, a popular scenic spot with a length of 1000 meters and an area of several acres.
When the church was planned to be built, some people did not believe it and said, "How is it possible for a few women to build a church from scratch?" When funds were scarce, they relied on believers’ offerings, as well as lent money. Elder Zhang offered all the money originally intended to buy a house, and some believers donated 100,000 yuan or even 200,000 yuan. The foundation stone was laid on June 6, 2005, and the main body of the church was completed three months later.
The number of believers has grown from less than 100 to over 300 now. A few years after its construction, the church had neither internal nor external debts. They have a pastoral team and other functional teams. There is a main hall, an auxiliary hall, sound equipment, and musical instruments in the church which has sound rules and regulations.
This church participates in social charity and has been awarded the titles of “Liaoyang Charity Star” and“Place of Civilized Religious Activities.”
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times and the author reported in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province.)
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
History of Liaoning Church Built Nearly 20 Years Ago
