A church in Southeast China’s Fujian Province celebrated the centennial anniversary of its dedication.
On October 5, Shanyang Church in Gutian County, Ningde City, hosted a service to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tianyi Church, as reported by Ningde Municipal CC&TSPM.
During the ceremony, Rev. Hao Zhiqiang, editor-in-chief of Tianfeng, or Heavenly Wind, the flagship magazine of CCC&TSPM, preached a sermon titled “We Need Churches.”
A British Anglican missionary with the Chinese name Ke Libi founded the church in 1867, according to He Hongping, director of the Shanyang Church Council. In 1880, a foreign-style church was built at Xiachi Lane in Shanyang Town, named “Tianyi Church,” also known as Nanxiahu Church.
Since 1889, Rev. Zhang Youxin from Luoyuan County, Yangtou Town, along with three British and Australian female missionaries, have served at Tianyi Church. During their time there, several buildings were constructed, including pastors' residences, homes for the female missionaries, kindergartens, hospitals, Peiying Boys' School, and Yuxiu Girls' School. The Rt. Rev. Kwang-Hsu Michael Chang (a bishop of the Anglican Church of Fukien and son of Pastor Zhang Youxin) studied at the boys’ school. In 1913, due to the increasing number of church members, a new church building was planned and built at Xijiewei in Shanyang Town. It took ten years to complete the building, Tianyi Church, which is now an ancient building under local cultural relic protection.
In 2022, under the leadership of Rev. Li Li and the director of the church administrative board, Mr. He, renovations were carried out on the Tianyi Church.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
