A meeting point in Nanjing, Jiangsu, situated along the eastern coast of China, hosted the first praise and worship meeting after its foundation.
On August 27, a 'Arise for You'-themed praise and worship meeting was held at the Xinhe Village gathering site in Xixia District, Nanjing City. Pastor Sun Honglei, organizer of this meeting, pointed out the negative effects linked to the three-year COVID-19, as the spirits of a number of believers suffered and their faith was weakened. Therefore, he organized this event with the hope of lighting up the passion for faith among the attendees.
There were about 100 participants in the gathering, mainly middle-aged and elderly female believers. After the warm-up, a female Christian surnamed Zhang, the worship leader, urged people to stand up and worship more freely. In response, the attending believers stood and raised their hands, praising God.
Subsequent to several songs, Zhang called for audible prayers and led the congregation in singing "My Tribute" with a prayerful attitude. Attendees occasionally wiped away tears, and one elderly female believer, moved by the music, found herself shedding tears without attempting to wipe them away.
Following the worship, Pastor Sun preached a sermon titled "Arise and Shine for You," citing Isaiah 60:1. In order for believers to serve as useful vessels for the Lord's work, he exhorted them to not only attend gatherings but also be willing to be raised up by the Lord and equip themselves more with their own gifts.
After the worship team performed the last two songs following the sermon, Sun also announced the scheduling of a praise and worship gathering every three months.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
