On November 13, 2018, the largest pipe organ in the Chinese church was unveiled in a Fuzhou megachurch.
With 45 stops and 3,050 pipe organs, the musical instrument made in Austria weighs 18 tons. The famous French organist Olivier Latry was invited to the Fuzhou Huaxiang (Flower Lane) Church to play about ten classical pieces composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and Robert Schumann, including Amazing Grace.
Brother Wu Qiyao said that the Rieger Orgelbau, a renowned Austrian firm of organ builders founded in 1845, spent one and a half years making the organ with rich timber. It then took eight organ experts 16 weeks to install and tune it in the church. Last Christmas it was put into use at the time of the dedication of the new church.
Rev. Chen Lifu, the church's senior pastor, chairman of the Fuzhou Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and president of the Fujian China Christian Council (CCC), hoped that every Christian would often read the Bible with a similar heart of appreciation for the beautiful and moving organ melodies and also do good deeds to others that would "enchant" them like organ music "enchants" its listeners.
The pipe organ is used every Sunday and eight workers are able to play it because of the training they have received. Because of the pipe organ, the church has also become a new local tourism attraction.
- Translated by Karen Luo
