On October 18, Longgang Church in Longgang District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, held a thanksgiving worship service and celebration to mark the 30th anniversary of the resumption of worship services and the 113th anniversary of its founding. The event brought together representatives from nearby churches and members of the congregation.
During the service, Pastor Liu and his wife, the longtime shepherds of Longgang Church, shared their decades-long journey of witnessing and participating in the church's growth from humble beginnings to spiritual and organizational strength. Reflecting on the past, Pastor Liu recalled the first resumed gathering on October 18, 1995, which was attended by only eight people and raised an offering of 26 yuan. From that modest start, the church has grown into a vibrant community with 17 pastors, more than 100 volunteer staff members, and over 3,000 believers.
Rev. Zhang Hengyou, secretary general of Longgang District TSPM in Shenzhen, delivered a sermon titled "The Graced Church," based on 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7. He reflected on how the Thessalonian church upheld faith, love, and hope amid hardship, encouraging Longgang Church to follow the example of the early congregations and remain a community blessed by God, actively sharing His grace in the present age.
During the celebration, Rev. Ma Xionghua of the Dongguan CC&TSPM and Chairperson Chen Youjia of the Longgang District TSPM offered congratulatory remarks on behalf of neighboring churches. Many longtime believers were moved to tears as they watched a video recounting the church's growth and blessings over the years.
Despite being located in the cosmopolitan city of Shenzhen, Longgang Church continues to embody the warmth and closeness typical of a "rural church." At the same time, its pastoral system has become modernized and extensive. The church now oversees four affiliated congregations and conducts 12 Sunday services, providing diverse formats of worship and attentive pastoral care to meet the spiritual needs of its growing urban community.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission, and the author is a pastor at a church in Guangdong.)
- Edited and translated by Poppy Chan
