Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, is an ancient legendary city, an important port, and a tourist town in the Yangtze River Delta. It is also one of the earliest regions where Protestantism was introduced.
One of the representatives is the Gospel Church in Daxi Road. The church was formerly founded by a missionary from the US Methodist Episcopal Church named Carl Frederick Kupfer (1852-1925) in 1889. With a floor construction of 1,216 square meters (0.3 acres) and a seating capacity of 1,000 people, the church consists of a main sanctuary, an office building, and a pastor's house.
Combined with Chinese and foreign styles, the four-story church has a memorial stone which reads "Jesus' birth 1898". A church school named Chongde was established in 1918. The church has been listed as the city's cultural relics protection unit and an advanced place of worship. According to the official website of Jiangsu Zhenjiang Christian Church, the great American writer and novelist Pearl S. Bucks often attended church service there. She maintained a good relationship with Chinese believers and gave in charity to poor people.
The church's history book says that the local Christian council was founded in 1987 along with the reelection of the standing committee of the city's Three-Self Patriotic Movement. The Zhenjiang CC&TSPM is located inside the church, headed by Rev. Yin Suhua, the church's senior pastor.
The departments include the administrative board, the elderly group, the middle-aged group, the choir, the service team, the Q&A team, the publication team, and the sound crew.
- Translated by Karen Luo
