Gospel Church[a] is a Protestant church situated on Tiantai Road in Wanzhou District, Chongqing. Built in 1901, it was formerly an Anglican church in the Diocese of East Szechwan. It has been subjected to the control of the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Church since 1954.
| Gospel Church, Wanzhou | |
|---|---|
福音堂 | |
| Location | 372 Tiantai Road, Wanzhou District, Chongqing |
| Country | China |
| Denomination | Three-Self Church (Protestant) |
| Previous denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Low church evangelical |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Past bishop(s) | William Cassels |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Romanesque Revival |
| Years built | 1901 |
| Administration | |
| Province | China (formerly) |
| Diocese | Szechwan (formerly) East Szechwan (formerly; since 1936) |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | Huang Rundong[1] |
History
edit
Protestantism was first introduced to Wanzhou (then known as Wanhsien [Wan County], was part of Sichuan Province) by a British Anglican missionary in 1882.[2] The first baptism took place in 1896, conducted by two British missionaries, with 16 locals being baptised into Anglican Church.[3]
In 1901, a residential property on Sanma Road was purchased for 2400 taels of sycee by the local Anglican missionary Chao Shang-lien, and was converted into a place of worship named Gospel Church. In 1919, the East Szechwan School of Theology was established by a British missionary in Wanhsien. The church became one of the county's main venues for Protestant worship along with the Lutheran Holy Cross Church.[1]
The Wanhsien incident in 1926 forced all foreign missionaries out of Sichuan, the congregation had sunk into slumber since then. It was not until 1934, when Pastor Andrew Gih led a group of missionaries from Shanghai Bethel Mission, entered Wanhsien to set up a special sermon which lasted for a week, that revived the church.[1]
After the communist takeover of China in 1949, Christian Churches in China were forced to sever their ties with respective overseas Churches, which has thus led to the merging of Gospel Church into the communist-established Three-Self Patriotic Church.
During the 2000s, in order to support Three Gorges Project, the church was moved to its present location and rebuilt in neo-Romanesque style.[1]
See also
edit- Anglicanism in Sichuan
- Category:Former Anglican churches in Sichuan
- St John's Cathedral, Langzhong – former cathedral of East Szechwan
Notes
edit- ^ Chinese: 福音堂; pinyin: Fúyīn táng; Wade–Giles: Fu2-yin1 tʽang2; Sichuanese romanization: Fu5 In1 Tʽang2.
References
edit- ^ a b c d "圣爱堂摄影团契第八期教堂专题摄影——万州区基督教福音堂" [Churches—Thematic Photography by Photography Fellowship of Holy Love Church at Chongqing: Gospel Church at Wanzhou District]. cqagape.com (in Simplified Chinese). 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Dai, Yuetan (28 September 2016). "重庆市万州区基督教圣十字堂的百年历史" [A Centenary History of the Holy Cross Church in Wanzhou District, Chongqing]. gospeltimes.cn (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Yu, Kaihong (2010). "近代川东地区的基督教传播" [The Spread of Christianity in East Sichuan]. 重庆三峡学院学报 [Journal of Chongqing Three Gorges University] (in Simplified Chinese). ISSN 1009-8135. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
External links
edit- Front and side views of Gospel Church Archived 2021-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
- Interior of Gospel Church Archived 2021-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
