On the evening of Dec 18, the 2016 Christmas Thanksgiving Celebration of Sichuan Theological College was hosted in Chengdu. The teachers and students of the college and more than 100 guests gathered together to celebrate.
The evening celebration opened with a prayer lead by Pastor Rao Jianhua, the president of the college. Pastor Zhang Jian, Vice president and secretary general of the provincial CCC&TSPM reviewed the seminary's development and the support from the CCC&TSPM. This included organizing seminars and visitation activities on Teachers' Day, caring for students on Christmas Day, arranging the internships for theological students and holding graduate seminars, organizing teachers and students to write theoretical articles on localizing Christianity, encouraging the seminary to cultivate and practice the socialist core values as a research topic for in-depth discussion, and encouraging students to think more deeply about localization of Christianity.
The newly founded ethnic minority choir of Sichuan Theological College sang "A little Hallelujah." Students from Dai, Miao, Yi, and other ethnic groups performed with their ethnic characteristics.
Pastor Yu Aiqiong from Pengshan Church in Meishan City, Vice chairman of the provincial CCC&TSPM, said at the celebration that it had been 30 years since the first graduate left the seminary and it is widely witnessed regarding the development of the seminary.
The celebration ended with the Lord's Prayer.
Translated by: Grace Hubl