On September 22, the Gospel Church in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, held a themed service titled "Twenty Years of Vision to Fruition, Endless Praise to the Lord's Grace" to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its new construction.
Rev. Xu Yulan, the chairperson of the Shanghai TSPM, who had served in the church for one year and two months since May 2005, delivered a sermon on “The Model of the Early Church.” Rev. Xu emphasized that the early church was founded with the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and its growth continued as the Spirit's work never stopped. She urged the churches today to be filled with the Spirit, expressing her desire for the Gospel Church to become a golden lampstand, shining brightly for the Lord.
An eight-minute video was presented, outlining the centennial history and the latest developments of the Gospel Church. The church traces its origins back to the Jesus Church, founded in 1922 by an American pastor. After being destroyed in 1938 during the War of Resistance against Japan, a new church was built in 1948 and named the "Independent Gospel Church in Lannidu, Pudong." Services resumed in Gospel Church in 1981, after the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the Cultural Revolution. Between 1990 and 1997, the church went through several relocations due to the development of the Pudong New Area.
In October 2004, the existing Gospel Church was inaugurated, featuring a main chapel that accommodates 700 people and an underground chapel with a capacity of 400 congregants. The land area is 3.3 times larger than the previous, and the building area is six times that of the past.
In 2007, the church began to serve as a venue for foreign religious activities, providing a safe worship space for Korean believers in Shanghai and hosting various international exchanges.
The challenges faced by the congregation in the workplace are particularly intense. To address this, the Gospel church has established a series of workplace lectures aimed at helping believers integrate their faith into their daily lives, drawing on biblical teachings.
In recent years, the church has actively engaged in social charity events and has received recognition as one of the civilized venues for religious activities in Shanghai for ten consecutive years. It was awarded the national title Advanced Collective of Harmonious Temples, Taoist Temples, and Churches in 2013.
The church announced that all donations collected during the service would support the newly constructed Yong'en Church.
- Edited and Translated by Poppy Chan
