Five churches in three provinces held services and "Honor the Elderly" activities to mark the Double Ninth Festival which fell on October 14 this year.
On October 10, Nantong Jinsha Church and Suzhou Xiangcheng Church in Jiangsu Province held the annual "Honor the Elderly" Sunday services prior to the special day, presenting gifts to the aged.
On the same day, Linyi Municipal CC&TSPM in Shandong launched the same service in its subordinate Center Church, with 140 elderly people attending. Rev. Zhang Jianshun, deputy president of Shandong CC and director of Linyi TSPM, provided exhortation, sharing some models of respecting and helping the elderly in the Bible. For example, Jesus entrusted his earthly mother to John before his suffering; Paul taught people not only to honor their parents but also to care for them. He stated that holding the special services for the elderly was a specific practice of the Sinicization of Christianity in China. Finally, the acolytes put on red flowers and presented gifts to the elderly.
Xiaoguang Church in Panlong Town, Jintai District, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, put on activities on October 12 to celebrate the festival after the recent resumption of in-person gatherings. After the sermon given in the morning, four professional barbers gave haircuts to senior believers. In the afternoon, seven theatrical programs were performed by the church choir members, and nearly 100 old people (about 70% were unbelievers) participated in the activities.
On Oct 14, Changshu Church in Jiangsu Province issued an invitation letter on its official WeChat account, inviting elderly believers aged 70 and above to participate in the charity event later that afternoon.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
