A church located in East China's Jiangsu Province recently held a dedication ceremony and service after a period of reconstruction.
During the worship service held at Qishuyan Church in Changzhou on June 22nd, Rev. He Jiemiao, president of the Jiangsu Christian Council, delivered a sermon on the topic of "Know Nothing Except Jesus Christ and Him Crucified," with choirs from Changzhou Church and Qishuyan Church providing hymns for the occasion, said Changzhou CC&TSPM.
The church's origins date back to 1908, when it began as a preaching place. In 1947, its members started holding gatherings in a primary school for the children of workers at Qishuyan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works. Unfortunately, these meetings were suspended at the end of 1950 but resumed in 1951, overcoming various challenges and uncertainties until 1979. Due to an increase in the number of believers, they moved to the Catholic church on Qishuyan Middle Street on Christmas Day in 1988. This building, however, deteriorated over time as the beams came under attack from termites, forcing the congregation to once again find a new meeting place. It wasn't until October 1991 that the church applied for land acquisition through the Qishuyan District Government, and over a year later, believers raised funds to design and build a new church. They were finally able to complete construction in November 1993 with a total investment of over 550,000 yuan and held a completion ceremony and service on May 17, 1995.
However, the old church was replaced and rebuilt in situ in 2016, and in September 2022, worshippers moved into the new church to continue their religious services.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
