To improve the churches' awareness of fire safety and flood control, a church leader and staff members of Shaanxi churches conducted safety inspections of three churches in counties and districts.
From the end of May to the beginning of June 2022, Rev. Qi Hongjun, chairman of Hangzhong TSPM in Shaanxi, led his fellow workers to conduct detailed safety inspections of churches, according to CCC&TSPM.
On May 23, the inspection team inspected the Xiakou Church in Xixiang County. In 2021, with the approval of the competent department, this church started the repair and renovation work because the building was dilapidated and had potential safety hazards. The repair work of the main structure was almost done, but the finishing work was slow in progress due to financial difficulties. After the inspection, Rev. Qi emphasized that the church should hold church activities to solve the believers’ need for gathering during the renovation period.
On June 6, the inspection team drove to Xiakouyi Church in Lveyang County to do the safety inspection. The person in charge, Tai Xiaofang, explained the basic situation at the church, leading them to visit the venue. The inspection team checked and asked about the implementation of epidemic prevention measures, flood control and fire safety hazards at the site, the configuration of fire protection facilities, and other existing difficulties. After listening to the report, Qi affirmed their work and outlined requirements for future work, including continuing to do well in epidemic prevention, fire safety, and flood control. Because of the heavy rain in summer, flood control is of great importance to the site’s safety.
In the afternoon of the 6th, the inspection team went to the Lesuhe Church in Lveyang County. He Wansheng, the head of the church, explained that the church building was deemed dangerous by the town government, as for a long time no repair work was done and hidden safety hazards existed within its structure. After making a note of these, they demolished the old building and laid a new foundation, awaiting further construction. He led Rev. Qi and his team to see the demolition site, saying that the construction work was delayed because of the poor roads and financial difficulties. Qi immediately gave a donation of 10,000 yuan to the church, saying that it could be used for the construction of the church with prayers for the building process. Qi also gave guidance on the construction work, including communicating with the county and town leaders to solve the road problem and paying attention to dangers such as landslides to ensure the safety of the construction work.
- Translated by Katherine Guo
