On November 19, 2017, 85-year-old Rev. David F. Bridgman from the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUS) attended the opening ceremony of the newly built Yancheng Church in the southern Jiangsu Province. He expressed gratitude for returning to Yancheng, where he was born in 1932.
His father, Rev. Harold Bridgman, together with Mrs. Eleanor Galbraith, R.N. was sent here by the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America shortly after his marriage in the fall of 1921. The missionary joined Rev. H.W. White to serve local people and his ministry in China. The missionaries couple served as evangelistic & nursing missionaries in Yancheng and Taichow 1920 until evacuated in 1948.
In 2014, David visited the construction site of the new church. The main building, built in a traditional Gothic-style, was completed in Nov 2016 prior to the internal decoration. He took the opportunity to praise God, see that the four-story church he often prayed for was put into use, and blessed the church. The church has a total area of 18,000 square meters (4.45 acres), including the bell tower, main hall, and rooms for supporting service use.
The next day he paid a visit to the Yancheng CCC&TSPM and Zhendao Church and met officials of the local bureau of religious affairs.
- Translated by Karen Luo
