Churches in the Dalian, Liaoning Province, were recognized recently by the local government for their contributions and volunteer services in the fight against COVID-19.
The Pulandian District Command Center for COVID-19 Control and Prevention last Wednesday issued a notice entitled "Orderly Lifting of Closed and Controlled Management", as the whole region had won a victory in the battle against the virus since the outbreak on March 14.
According to the official WeChat account of "United Front in Pulandian District", churches and meeting points in Pulandian District have been commended in writing by the local district committee and relevant government departments for their outstanding contributions in this round of anti-epidemic efforts.
Wenhua Road Church, Chongwangmiao gathering site, and other meeting points provided tables, chairs, water, electricity, Internet, and other resources to COVID-19 workers. Church leaders, pastors, and believers formed volunteer teams to work on the front line. Wenhua Road Church opened the main building many times as a nucleic acid testing site for more than 30,000 people.
Seven believers from Pantun Christian Activity Center in Fengrong Sub-District took the initiative to participate in volunteer services, such as assisting medical staff in imputing testing information, guiding residents in COVID-19 testing, and maintaining onsite order, helping to distribute supplies and posting notices about epidemic prevention.
Wenhua Road Church donated 100,000 yuan to the special account of the district charity foundation and the united front work department, which was dedicated to epidemic prevention and control. It also presented 152,000 yuan worth of masks, protective clothing, food, and beverages to the police station and the community, ranking the first among religious circles in Dalian.
According to the statistics of the United Front Work Department of the Pulandian District Party Committee, Christian venues in the district, such as the Yilin Christian Activity Center, donated relief materials totaling more than 80,000 yuan to three main urban streets and Pikou Street which were hit by the outbreak. They also sent more than 50,000 yuan worth of epidemic prevention materials to checkpoints in the Tuoshan Community, the Lidian Community, and other places. Several activity points each donated more than 10,000 yuan.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
