The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped cross removals in China. This article from China Christian Daily reports on one cross removal from a historic church in the city of Heifei. The image above is of Hefei Gulou Church before the cross was removed.
Cross of Anhui Century-Old Megachurch Removed
The cross of a century-old church in Anhui’s capital city of Hefei was forcibly removed on the evening of April 27, 2020.
A local source said that Gulou Church had to pay 100,000 yuan for the removal.
Originally founded by the Church of Christ in China in 1896, it was the only Protestant church building in downtown Hefei. At the cost of 30 million yuan, the church began a renovation project in 2006 which it completed three years later. With an area of 2,211 square meters, the Gothic-style building has seven stories, including meeting rooms, a training center, an underground basement, and a bell tower. It is also where the office of Anhui Christian Council resides.
The cross removal campaign in the province started in early January, was suddenly interrupted due to the COVID-19 crisis, and then resumed in early March.
In mid-April, two crosses atop churches in China’s central Anhui Province were removed by local authorities.
Original Article: Cross of Anhui Century-old Megachurch Removed by China Christian Daily
Edited and reposted with permission.
Image Credit: China Christian Daily.
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