On the first day of November, the Dagushan Church in Anshan City, Liaoning Province, located in a more remote area of the Liaodong Peninsula, held its autumn thanksgiving and praise service.
Since the service was held on Sunday, in the small sanctuary and side chapel, there were no empty seats.
During the service, pastor Ma Liansheng, the head of the church, gave a sermon and wished the congregation a happy thanksgiving day.
After the sermon, various ministries of the church presented fifteen programs including poems, dancing, solos, and musical numbers. They thanked the Lord for his care and protection, the good harvest, spiritual supplies, and peace over the past year. It was reported that the performers had rehearsed for more than a month, and some teams even practiced four times a week.
The small stage of the church was filled with various fruits, vegetables, grains, and oils, symbolizing the abundance of grains and the grace of the Lord.
The church was founded in 1982. In the beginning, there were just three rooms, a few believers, and no pastors. In a gathering, with simple sharing from pastoral co-workers, they sang hymns, read the Bible, and prayed. Now the Church has expanded to about 400 square meters. About 200 people attended the gatherings. During some festivals, such as Christmas and autumn thanksgiving day, there were about 300 believers. In addition to four volunteers and several pastors, the church has different ministry groups, including a choir, and committees for serving others, visitation, selling books, and removing idols.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
