Hongkew Methodist Church in Shanghai ,also known as Jingling Church, held a group memorial service on April 5, 2018, the Chinese Qingming Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day.
The names of deceased pastoral staff and people known by the congregation were listed on cards put on two white boards. The believers brought bouquets to pay tribute to them.
Rev. Yu Jiang, the senior pastor, said in the sermon that although we had sorrow for their deaths, we should believe in the Lord's promise just as Jesus exhorted his disciples in John 14.
Pastors read the names of the pastoral workers who passed away in a special silent prayer and memorial to show respect to them. After the service, some Christians searched the name cards of their relatives and friends and some took pictures of portraits of the deceased before the altar to remember them.
Hongkew Methodist Church, also known as Jingling Church, is an American Missionary institution in Shanghai. It is housed in a red-brick building that was constructed in 1923. The structure features familiar Western-style architecture and receives more than 2000 prayers each week.
- Translated by Karen Luo
