Pastor Bai Yingliang is in charge of Gospel Church of Huili County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. He tells CCD in a recent telephone interview about the church's development, and that the church is preparing to buy some land for new church construction and build a nursing home.
It's about one hundred years ago that foreign missionaries brought the Gospel to Huili County. There are currently over 20,000 Christians there. Apart from the Gospel Church, there are ten gatherings in the rural areas. Approximately 1,000 people attend the service at Gospel Church regularly every week.
As the number of believers increases, the church now needs a bigger venue, according to Pastor Bai. The church is preparing to buy land of 14-15 mu (933.8-10,000.5 square meters) and build a nursing home. The budget is more than one million CNY, and there is still a large fiscal gap.
Huili County is located in the southernmost part of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Prices are high due to inconvenient transportation and a concentrated population. According to statistics, the total population in 2012 was 439,100. There are 27 nationalities in the county, including Han, Yi, Dai, Lisu, Hui, Miao, Bai, and others. The Han people account for 80% of the population.
Pastor Bai graduated from Sichuan Theological Seminary in 1992 and has since been serving in Huili Church. He is Lisu people, and was ordained as a pastor on Nov 27th this year.
Translated by: Grace Hubl
