Last Sunday, October 20, a church in Liaoning Province celebrated its 15th Autumn Harvest Festival with gratitude at a baptism service.
At Cifu (Blessing) Church in Huanggu District, which is also a popular tourist destination in Shenyang, the altar was filled with offerings from the congregants, including a whole sheep brought from Inner Mongolia, as well as vegetables, fruits, grains, and cooking oil. A pastor from Guangdong, upon seeing this scene on WeChat Moments, commented, "The believers here truly love God!"
As the choir sang hymns, Rev. Zhang Xuejun, secretary-general of Liaoning TSPM, ascended the altar in his holy robe to preach, focusing on the significance of being thankful to God and the importance of baptism.
After he concluded his sermon, the pastor baptized 16 individuals in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, "All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." Among the newly baptized were elderly believers and young adults in their twenties.
The baptism service was followed by a praise meeting featuring 15 performances. The church's Life River Choir performed grand choral pieces like "Hallelujah" and "The Only Beloved One Is You," while the cleaning team presented a large dance number titled "Praise God in the Mountains and Valleys." Pastor Zhu Lixia led a group of Christian women in a dance while wearing cheongsam (or qipao). Four young believers performed worship songs such as "Walking with You," accompanied by guitar and accordion, and sung in both Chinese and English. Li Shufan, an elderly female believer in her seventies who traveled a long distance by taxi, presented her original "Shandong Kuaishu" lyrics in honor of the cleaning team. The youth fellowship contributed a dance, the seniors' fellowship performed a choral number, and the women's ministry presented a Shandong fast tale.
According to a pastor of this church, the church was originally located on Yalujiang Street in Yuhong District, Shenyang and moved to its current location in December 2012. The church occupies a construction area of 4,598 square meters (1.136 acres), with a floor area of 862 square meters (0.213 acres), and its affiliated senior apartment covers 1,008 square meters (0.249 acres). In October 2014, it was officially approved as a first-class place of worship.
The church features the shapes of an ark and a cross found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. There are a total of ten crosses on the church building. Over the years, the number of participants in Sunday services has increased from around 400 in 2005 to nearly 1,000 now. There are over 1,500 registered visitors, and the volunteer team has grown from around 10 members to 150.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a believer at a church in Fuzhou, Fujian.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
