The Shangdu Christian Church of Fuzhou is located on the south bank of the Minjiang River in Youxi Islanbyan, Fuzhou. Historically, the woods felled in northern Fujian were transported through the water along the Minjiang River by wood deliverers who tied the woods into wooden "boats." In the Minjiang River, they fight the wind and waves and "go with the tide" by following the flow of the river. These woods would be gathered on the docks of the Minjiang River in Shangdu, Fuzhou, and then roughly processed and sold to the people of the province and abroad. After the woods were delivered to the Shangdu timber storage yard, the deliverers went ashore to live in shacks made of wood, and Shangdu was one of the poorest areas in Fuzhou...
More than a hundred years ago, Christianity was introduced to Fuzhou, and in 1921, the Methodist Episcopal Church built a church named Fumin Church in Shangdu, Fuzhou. Most of its believers were wood deliverers who lived in Shangdu. Fumin Church was a two-story building with a brick-and-wood structure. This church was near the river with a low elevation, and the church was often flooded. It was reopened in 1984 as the Shangdu Christian Church. In 1994, the number of believers grew to 800.
In 2000, the century-old Fumin Church was on the verge of collapse and needed reconstruction. After the reconstruction in 2000, the construction area of Fumin Church reached 1500 square meters, and the Minjiang River never flooded into the church.
According to Ouyang Shuping, the pastor of Shangdu Christian Church, the interior decoration of the church after its completion was all designed, decorated, and dedicated by the brothers and sisters of the church.
At present, there are more than 1,000 people at each Sunday meeting in the Shangdu Church, and the church has to add more chairs when the church holds gatherings every weekend. Besides overseeing the pastoral care of nine subordinate meeting points, the three preachers and one pastor of Shangdu Church are involved in visiting the disabled, alleviating poverty, providing disaster relief, and serving the community.
-Translated by Nicolas Cao
福州基督教上渡堂位于福州仓山尤溪洲内的闽江南岸。历史上，闽北地区砍伐的木柴，都是放排工将木柴集成木排“船”沿闽江水运出的。放排工是充满危险的苦力活，在闽江上，他们搏风击浪，以“随波逐流”而下的方式流送木排，集中到福州上渡一带的闽江水坞中，然后经粗加工再销往省内外及国外。木排送到上渡木材贮木场交货后，他们上岸就住全木头建的棚屋安居，而上渡是福州最穷的贫民窟之一……
一百多年前，基督教传入福州，美以美会于1921年在福州上渡创建一座名曰“福民堂”的教堂，信徒多为福州上渡运排工。“福民堂”系砖木结构二层楼房，这个地方临江低水位，教堂经常泛水。1984年更名为“上渡基督教堂”重新开放。1994年信徒发展到800人。
2000年，百年的“福民堂”年代久远濒临坍塌，面临重建。随之福州上渡棚户区改造启动，2000年教堂重建后，建筑面积达1500平方米，闽江几次洪水都没有泛入教堂。
据上渡基督教堂欧阳淑屏传道介绍，建成后教堂圣殿的内装修全部是教堂的兄弟姐妹设计、装修和奉献的。
现在，上渡堂的每次主日聚会有1000多人，礼拜堂长凳坐不下，还得增加椅子，每逢周末晚上，教堂也会举行敬拜赞美会。
目前上渡堂三名传道人和一名牧师，除了要分担下属九个聚会点的牧养外，还经常一起开展探访伤残、扶贫救灾、服务社区等事工，从末间断。
走近福州基督教上渡堂
The Shangdu Christian Church of Fuzhou is located on the south bank of the Minjiang River in Youxi Islanbyan, Fuzhou. Historically, the woods felled in northern Fujian were transported through the water along the Minjiang River by wood deliverers who tied the woods into wooden "boats." In the Minjiang River, they fight the wind and waves and "go with the tide" by following the flow of the river. These woods would be gathered on the docks of the Minjiang River in Shangdu, Fuzhou, and then roughly processed and sold to the people of the province and abroad. After the woods were delivered to the Shangdu timber storage yard, the deliverers went ashore to live in shacks made of wood, and Shangdu was one of the poorest areas in Fuzhou...
More than a hundred years ago, Christianity was introduced to Fuzhou, and in 1921, the Methodist Episcopal Church built a church named Fumin Church in Shangdu, Fuzhou. Most of its believers were wood deliverers who lived in Shangdu. Fumin Church was a two-story building with a brick-and-wood structure. This church was near the river with a low elevation, and the church was often flooded. It was reopened in 1984 as the Shangdu Christian Church. In 1994, the number of believers grew to 800.
In 2000, the century-old Fumin Church was on the verge of collapse and needed reconstruction. After the reconstruction in 2000, the construction area of Fumin Church reached 1500 square meters, and the Minjiang River never flooded into the church.
According to Ouyang Shuping, the pastor of Shangdu Christian Church, the interior decoration of the church after its completion was all designed, decorated, and dedicated by the brothers and sisters of the church.
At present, there are more than 1,000 people at each Sunday meeting in the Shangdu Church, and the church has to add more chairs when the church holds gatherings every weekend. Besides overseeing the pastoral care of nine subordinate meeting points, the three preachers and one pastor of Shangdu Church are involved in visiting the disabled, alleviating poverty, providing disaster relief, and serving the community.
-Translated by Nicolas Cao
Introduction of Shangdu Church in Fuzhou
