Churches in Shanxi and Anhui recently organized praise meeting and singing exchange event respectively to further the sinicization of Sacred Music.
On June 22, the 11th Gospel Cup Praise Meeting took place at Qiaotou Street Church in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, coinciding with the Dragon Boat Festival. Reported by CCC&TSPM, the event drew over 800 participants from various churches.
Rev. Zhang Enlai, director and president of Taiyuan Municipal CC&TSPM, emphasized in his speech the church's commitment to promoting the sinicization of Christianity, with a particular focus on localizing Sacred Music.
The praise meeting, organized by Taiyuan CC&TSPM, aimed to encourage the indigenization of sacred music. One of its objectives was to sing hymns of Chinese churches more effectively and inspire talented individuals with musical expertise to compose hymns that authentically reflect the Chinese Christian experience.
Twenty-three choirs from churches in Taiyuan took turns performing during the event. This activity facilitated mutual learning and improvement of choral singing skills among the participating choirs. It also showcased the gracefulness of the churches in Taiyuan and exemplified the practice of Christian sinicization in the city.
Similarly, Weifang Municipal CC&TSPM in Shandong Province organized a singing exchange meeting from June 23rd to 24th at Qingzhi Church, affiliated with Weifang CC&TSPM. As reported by CCC&TSPM, the event gathered over 1,100 participants, including members of CC&TSPMs and choir members from Weifang city, as well as various counties and districts within the region.
During the exchange meeting, Dr. He Aixia from Shandong Theological Seminary delivered a special lecture titled "Localization of Sacred Music." Sixteen choirs then engaged in exchanges through singing, dancing, drama, and folk music performances.
Rev. Chen Guangxu, director of Weifang TSPM, emphasized in his speech the efforts of Weifang CC&TSPM in exploring the sinicization of Christianity. These efforts have included hosting preaching exchange meetings to promote the localization of Christianity, organizing symposiums on Confucianism and the sinicization of Christianity, as well as conducting seminars on the interpretation of Christian and Buddhist classics in a Chinese context. Going forward, they plan to further promote sinicization practices in various aspects, including evangelism, worship rituals, architectural forms, management systems, and behavioral norms within the city's churches.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
