Easter was celebrated across churches in Liaoning, Shanxi, Zhejiang, Sichuan, and Shanghai.
Holy Trinity Cathedral in Shanghai where CCC&TSPM is stationed conducted an Easter Sunday service with hymns presented by East China Theological Seminary last Sunday. Worshippers were engaged in proclaiming, singing, reading the Bible, and making donations.
Rev. Wu Wei, president of the China Christian Council (CCC), delivered a sermon titled "The Lord Is Risen", based on Luke 24:1-12 and John 1:14. The pastor emphasized the practical implications of the life of faith and said that believers should not just learn theology but also build a faith-based lifestyle.
Reopening on December 12, 2022, after 56 years of closure, the church just holds one service on Sunday.
On the same day, the 116-year-old Liaoyang Church in Liaoning hosted an Easter Sunday service and praise meeting with baptism and communion service.
Rev. Wang Runtao, president of the Liaoyang Municipal Christian Council and the person in charge of the church, stated the significance of the Lord's resurrection and baptism.
In the baptism service which was the second one of the church in recent years, 31 members were baptized after the baptism course study.
Yaodu District Church in Linfen City, Shanxi Province, also held an Easter service, in which Rev. Huang Hailin of the church gave a sermon titled "The Lord Is Risen", citing Matthew 28:1-10.
After that, Huang introduced the origin of Easter. In 325, the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. He urged churchgoers to believe in the historical evidence of Jesus' resurrection, experience the power of His resurrection, and spread the gospel.
Distributing Easter eggs after the service, the church also held a prayer and praise meeting themed "Evening of Resurrection" in the evening.
On April 9, an Easter service and baptism service were held at Chongyi Church in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.
Before the service, some staff workers practiced sign language to serve the deaf. While the youth worship team was singing the hymn titled "My Redeemer Lives", deaf believers on the left side of the church, although unable to speak, praised God in sign language.
Then, Senior Pastor Zhang Zhongcheng led the believers in announcing the Easter phrase, "He is risen. He is indeed risen."
Afterward, Rev. Zhang Guoyong preached a sermon with the title "Experience the Grace of Resurrection" based on Luke 24:1-10. "To experience the truth of Jesus' resurrection, we have to go into this empty tomb and see with our own eyes that Jesus has risen," Zhang reminded them.
"The Lord has given a mission of sharing the good news to those who have experienced the transformation through the resurrection of the Lord." He added, "Spreading the word only works when your life has changed."
After the sermon, 48 catechumens were baptized and received their first communion.
During the Easter Sunday service at Banshan Church in Hangzhou, Rev. Su Yirui shared a sermon with the title "The Resurrection of Christ." Seeing the truth and wonder of Christ's resurrection, believers knew that they should rejoice in and bear witness to the resurrection.
On April 8, Meilizhou Church in Hangzhou hosted a musical evangelistic rally themed "Because He Lives," in which young staff workers praised God with piano and viola, with hymns from the classical choir and the band. Three seekers stepped onto the stage to accept the call of the gospel.
On April 9, thirteen followers of Jesus were baptized by sprinkling at Guangyin Church in Chengdu, Sichuan.
Rev. Zhao Gang exhorted them by sharing two messages "Enter Into Covenant With God" and "Assume the Duty and Obligation of Covenant".
Pastor Zhao encouraged attendees to believe that Jesus was crucified for them, saying, "After believing, Christians built a relationship with God." He went on to explain that confessing with our mouths is to make a declaration of faith in front of everyone, willing to accept Jesus as our savior and obey His teachings.
Later, the church held a worship and praise meeting with the theme "New Life."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
