Since the first case in the new round of COVID-19 was confirmed in Dalian, Liaoning on July 22, the pandemic has now spread to Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Fujian, and Beijing, the Qianshan Evening News reported.
The office of the Dalian headquarters for the prevention and control of the pandemic announced that gatherings in local religious places should be suspended again.
Believers in Dalian, Shenyang, Anshan, Changchun, Harbin, Xi’an, Nanning, and other local churches prayed for the fight against the pandemic and encouraged each other.
The Beijing Street Church (Chengen Church) in Dalian, with a history of more than 100 years had been open for just two weeks before it was again closed. Gatherings on Sunday and other days of the week are suspended. The believers can attend the live gatherings on WeChat three times a week. The church called everyone to pray for those affected by the pandemic in the Dalian area. The pastors enthusiastically urged the pastoral staff and servants in this church to participant in the nucleic acid test.
The same goes for the century-old Yuguang Street Church. The church organized the purchase of a large number of masks so that believers in need can pick them up in the church. They also made additional PPE available.
When the Quanshui Church received the closure notice, it was posted and believers were told that they could attend the online gatherings.
In addition to suspending services, the Xishan Church also cooperated with the religious management apartment of the government and arranged for persons to fill in and submit the information of the believers. They also paid attention to some of the negative emotions of believers because of the anxiety related to having services again suspended. Pastors also wrote articles and shared the gospel by using Christian media and on their personal WeChat accounts.
Other churches, such as Muchengyi Church and Ganjingzi Church, are mainly responsible for keeping their church buildings secure. Pastors insist on the online ministry and believers continue taking part in online devotionals. They remind everyone to wear a mask and not to go out if there is no need.
In addition to attending the online gatherings, some believers also buy various spiritual books, read and copy the scriptures to strengthen their personal devotions. They also encourage each other online not to believe in rumors, stand firm and obey God’s will, and for these, they offer prayers and praise.
-Translated by Abigail Wu
