Founded in September 2011, a church is located in the central district of a county in the southeast of Hubei Province. At that time, the number of believers was less than 50. After years of development, it now has more than 300 faithful believers. In December 2017, the top floor (eighth floor) of a residential building was purchased. It is now being renovated and will be put into use as a church in about a year.
The total area of the church is 1,076 square meters, with four walkways and an elevator. The main hall can accommodate more than 500 people. Ancillary areas include a small gathering hall, a training classroom, a prayer room, a choir room, an office, a library, a guest room, a kitchen, a dining room, and a bathroom.
There is a church deacon committee, a pastoral team, and a team for church staff. It also has several functioning departments, including a finance department, security department, ministry department, office management and other departments. The church has 32 volunteers in total. There are one ordained pastor, two elders and one non-ordained church worker. The church also has several co-workers who specialize in finances, fire prevention, epidemic prevention and health affairs. They help to ensure that the church runs smoothly.
At present, the number of believers has reached more than 300 people. Usually, there are more than 200 people worshiping on Sunday.
Apart from the normal daily Sunday Worship, weekly Bible study, prayer meeting, group Bible study and routine visits, the church also does the following work:
First, it warns against evil cults and publicizes national policies and regulations. The church often uses the Sunday Service to explain to believers the characteristics and dangers of heresy.
Second, co-workers care for and help disadvantaged believers. For a long time, the church has focused on taking care of believers who are elderly, frail, seriously ill, disabled, or widowed. They organize visits to help them with sanitation and other matters. At the same time, financial support is provided to the families of believers in, especially difficult circumstances. Over the years, the church has spent more than 100,000 yuan in helping poor believers.
Third, they take care of the special needs of believers. The church provides pre-marital counseling and free weddings for believers who are getting married. They provide counseling and care for believers who have marital problems so as to help them out of their marital difficulties. The church provides free funerals for believers who have died. Sympathy and care is offered to believers whose loved ones have died. It provides hospice care for dying believers and their loved ones. It also provides intercessory prayers for believers or their families with psychological problems. Counseling is available, especially for troubled youth.
Fourth, the church helps other churches in the county who are having difficulties. It has long arranged for pastors, co-workers and leaders of believers to preach on Sunday at five township churches where the ministry is weak.
The church has already donated more than 20,000 yuan to carry out poverty alleviation work in poor areas. It has subsidized more than a dozen poor students and donated more than 30,000 yuan.
When the county was hit by a catastrophic flood in 2016, the church organized a disaster relief team, which helped more than 20 families deeply affected by the disaster and sent more than 10,000 yuan of assistance funds.
In this year's anti-epidemic activities, the church donated more than 10,000 yuan to the people's county hospital and the county's Christian "Two Services" (supporting other churches in the county). In addition, believers personally donated nearly 10,000 yuan to the county's anti-epidemic headquarters.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
