In the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan in southern China, the villages where Dai people dwell and have churches have been recognized as "gospel villages."
A whole village may embrace the Christian faith due to the presence of people who are unable to be delivered from the "pibo" (a legendary evil spirit among the Dai people) and those who suffer from specific illnesses (like leprosy). Through the Lord, they get salvation, freedom, and peace.
Another notable story is the church in Nanga Village, Mengla County, founded through marriage.
Born in 1958 in Jiangcheng County, Yunnan, Elder Bai Rongchun has been a Christian since childhood, following the faith of his parents. He relocated to Mohan Township in 1990 and settled down there. Two years later, he felt compelled by God to "marry" a widow in the village and reside with her family. Besides raising her children with care, he continued to preach the gospel, deeply impacting many elderly Dai villagers and leading to the establishment of a church.
The church in Nanga Village is called Mohan Church, belonging to Mohan Township, which borders Laos four kilometers to the south. Mohan Township is a state-level economic development zone oriented toward Southeast Asia.
Mohan Church now comprises 158 members from seven ethnic groups, including Dai, Kemu, Miao, Yao, Yi, Hani, and Han, with ethnic minority believers making up 67% of its congregation. The Kemu are a relatively small cross-border ethnic group, with a population of about 3,000 in China. During daily gatherings, the congregations divide into four places of assembly. The believers at the farthest gathering site are approximately 60 kilometers from the church, while the nearest one is eight kilometers away. Mohan Church now has a church building that spans over 400 square meters.
Elder Bai also serves as the Mengla County Christian Council (CC) president. There are five elders, 17 preachers, and 46 deacons (including 8 theological students) in the county, supporting 12 churches and 24 meeting points. Notably, ten churches and nine meeting points have been newly established, serving about 2,300 believers out of Mengla County's total population of about 306,500.
(The article was originally published by the Gospel Times and the author is a pastor in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, as well as the author of the book How to Identify Heretics.)
- Translated by Poppy Chan
在祖国的南方云南西双版纳傣族自治州，凡是傣族聚居的村寨，建有教堂的，都成了“福音村”。
全村信主的原因，有因为被染了“披拨”(傣族中传说的污鬼附体)，无法解脱者聚居一起；也有因着特殊的疾病(例如：麻风病)而聚居一起；为寻找出路，全村信主了，就都得到释放平安。
而勐腊县南嘎村的教堂又是一个特别的见证，是藉着婚姻而成。
白荣春长老，原籍云南江城县。1958年出生，从小随父母信主。1990年迁至磨憨镇安家。1992年，他被上帝带领，“嫁”给村中的一位寡妇，“倒插门”成家。诚心养育寡妇的儿女们，同时传扬福音。他的善行感动了许多村中傣族老人，同时也建立起了教会。
南嘎村的教堂，属磨憨镇，称作磨憨教堂。再南出4公里，便是老挝了。磨憨镇属国家面向东南亚的经济开放特区。
磨憨教会，现在有信徒158人，有七个民族组成；分别是傣、克木、苗、瑶、彝、哈尼、汉, 少数民族信徒占比67%。其中克木族属于特小跨界民族，在中国的人口约有三千人。教会平时聚会分成四个点，最远聚会点的信徒离教堂约60多公里，最近的一个点也有8公里。现在，磨憨教会有占地400多平米综合楼教堂一幢。
白长老又是勐腊县基督教协会的会长。现在，全县有长老5位，传道17位，执事46位(其中神学生8位)。共有教堂12所，聚会点24个。其中新修的教堂10所，建盖了的聚会点9个。共有信徒约2300人(勐腊县总人口约30.65万人)。
（本文作者为浙江宁波一教会牧师，著有《如何识别异端》一书）
记奉献爱情为福传的白荣春长老
In the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan in southern China, the villages where Dai people dwell and have churches have been recognized as "gospel villages."
A whole village may embrace the Christian faith due to the presence of people who are unable to be delivered from the "pibo" (a legendary evil spirit among the Dai people) and those who suffer from specific illnesses (like leprosy). Through the Lord, they get salvation, freedom, and peace.
Another notable story is the church in Nanga Village, Mengla County, founded through marriage.
Born in 1958 in Jiangcheng County, Yunnan, Elder Bai Rongchun has been a Christian since childhood, following the faith of his parents. He relocated to Mohan Township in 1990 and settled down there. Two years later, he felt compelled by God to "marry" a widow in the village and reside with her family. Besides raising her children with care, he continued to preach the gospel, deeply impacting many elderly Dai villagers and leading to the establishment of a church.
The church in Nanga Village is called Mohan Church, belonging to Mohan Township, which borders Laos four kilometers to the south. Mohan Township is a state-level economic development zone oriented toward Southeast Asia.
Mohan Church now comprises 158 members from seven ethnic groups, including Dai, Kemu, Miao, Yao, Yi, Hani, and Han, with ethnic minority believers making up 67% of its congregation. The Kemu are a relatively small cross-border ethnic group, with a population of about 3,000 in China. During daily gatherings, the congregations divide into four places of assembly. The believers at the farthest gathering site are approximately 60 kilometers from the church, while the nearest one is eight kilometers away. Mohan Church now has a church building that spans over 400 square meters.
Elder Bai also serves as the Mengla County Christian Council (CC) president. There are five elders, 17 preachers, and 46 deacons (including 8 theological students) in the county, supporting 12 churches and 24 meeting points. Notably, ten churches and nine meeting points have been newly established, serving about 2,300 believers out of Mengla County's total population of about 306,500.
(The article was originally published by the Gospel Times and the author is a pastor in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, as well as the author of the book How to Identify Heretics.)
- Translated by Poppy Chan
Multi-Ethnic Town Church Founded by Marriage's Calling
