Jiubao Christian Meeting Point (I refer to it as "church" thereinafter)in Qianshan District, Anshan City, Liaoning Province, is located near the famous Donganshan Iron Mine of Anshan Iron and Steel Group Corporation. It was on Sunday, October 3 that I came to this small but holy church.
I met Pastor Ma Jingcheng, the head of the church, many years ago. The Jiubao Church consists of the most common tile-roofed houses in the rural areas in southern Liaoning, with two houses in the front and back. In the words of Pastor Ma, this is the "smallest" church that covers an area of 174 square meters (0.042 acres) in Anshan.
The reason why I use "fervent" to describe the church is that although there are only less than 100 believers in this church, their fervor has been moving in Anshan since its establishment more than 20 years ago.
One day in the city, thunder was rolling, and heavy rain was pouring, but even under such circumstances, the congregation of the Jiubao Church came to the church early, praised, read scriptures, prayed, and began to listen to the sermon at 7:30 a.m.
One sister told me that even when it snows in winter, people come to church services on time.
The church sits in a remote location and the path leading to the church is an ordinary, bumpy, and rugged dirt road. When it rains, there are many puddles on the road. When it snows, no one cleans the road, so the road is very slippery. Even so, the believers still go to church twice a week. Some believers have to travel about six kilometers from another district to attend the church.
Regardless of the dirt road in front of the church, the church building is a bungalow, but the road from the main hall to the other hall is clean and tidy. The church keeps clean even though the believers come to the church with mud and snow on their feet.
There are not many people in the choir, but when I heard their voices of praise so high and loud, I felt the power of their fervor. After the service, I chatted with the sisters of the choir. I said, “Your clothes look very good. How many sets do you have?” They said with a smile, "There are several sets. We bought them all at our own expense without using the church's money.”
The church holds a Thanksgiving Day for Autumn Harvest and Honor the Elderly Activity on the Double Ninth Festival every year, which has lasted for more than 20 years. As long as there is no epidemic this year, they will still celebrate their Thanksgiving Day with singing and dancing. The two celebrations will be held together, and the church will give out a gift to every believer. In the meanwhile, each senior member over the age of 70 will still receive a gift.
During the suspension of face-to-face gatherings during several coronavirus outbreaks, the church donated much money. Some people prepared the money they wanted to donate and sent it to the church by taxi. Some donated all the tithes of the year on a one-time basis after the church began in-person gatherings. So far, the tithes and offerings have increased rather than decreased. Due to COVID-19, the church attendance in some areas decreased, but under such circumstances, Jiubao Church saw an increased attendance.
The congregation hopes that they will soon have a decent church building, and a well-built, smooth road. They also believe that God will give them a proper church building in due time.
(The writer is a staff writer for the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
