Beijing's oldest Protestant Church, Gangwashi Christian Church, recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of it's founding by missionaries from the London Missionary Society. This article, on the mainland site Gospel Times, reports on a special celebration service.
To mark the 150th anniversary of the gospels entrance into Gangwashis sanctuary, Beijings Gangwashi Christian Church held a performance of Messiah from 7:00-9:00 on the evening of October 27. Over 60 choir members shared the life of Jesus through songs.
The music service officially began at 7:00pm, but by 6:15 the sanctuary was already full of people. Bao Shihua, grandson of the Gangwashis first Chinese Head pastor Bao Leshan, attended the celebration.
When the music service began, Gangwashi Churchs Head Pastor Du Fengying shared briefly on the theme Gods Word. Pastor Du said after Jesus was nailed to the cross, the disciples shared the gospel throughout the world. In 1863, British missionaries brought the gospel to Beijing and founded Gangwashi Church. Pastor Du pointed out the Word of God is the Word of salvation, forgiveness of sins, and life. When the Word of God enters the hearts of people, the people receive true rest and blessings from Heaven.
This performance of Messiah was separated into three parts: prophesy and its fulfillment; suffering and triumph; and the resurrection and glorification. The main part of the service was the choirs performance, with solos and duets interspersed and a total of 27 songs performed. The entire congregation stood and performed the Hallelujah chorus with the choir, bringing the service to a climax, and the curtain closed as the choir performed Blessings. When the service ended, the pastors, special guests, and the whole choir took a group photo to mark the occasion.
Original article: 北京缸瓦市堂150周年纪念之弥赛亚圣乐崇拜
Additional pictures from the celebration service: Beijing Gangwashi Church website (Chinese)
Image credit: Joann Pittman
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