Rural churches surrounding Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang province, started Christmas celebrations with a three-day thanksgiving retreat.
Churches in the city held worship services and programs including dances, recitation, allegros, and biblical plays on Christmas Eve and Christmas.
Mingde Church hosted five services to welcome the birth of Jesus Christ. Rev. Zhang Ling preached a sermon titled "The Lord with You" in two Sunday services conducted on Dec. 24, sharing the significance of Jesus' birth to the world.
Rev. Li Qinfeng, stated that Christians should be favored by God, honest, and generous according to God's will in the evening service. He also gave a sermon named "Message of the Good News" on Dec. 25, saying that the birth of Jesus was the salvation given to men from God and the good news of God's love to the world. During the evening service on Christmas, Rev. Zou Jianhua talked about the Magi in a sermon "Following the Star".
- Translated by Karen Luo
