Due to the de-escalation of COVID-19, a Shaanxi church reopened and a Liaoning church hosted a Sunday service on the same day.
On February 20, Shilipu Church in Baoji, Shaanxi, hosted the first Sunday service since the 2022 Spring Festival, which is also when the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic took place in Beijing. The capital city of Xi’an gradually lifted restrictions before the Chinese New Year, so the non-local employees and students in colleges and universities could be reunited back home with their families.
During the service, Elder Pang Xianhua preached a sermon titled "Be a Person of Spiritual Goodness", citing Romans 12:1-2 and Philippians 4:8-9. He said when Christians face certain problems, they need to return to God's word in the Bible, which gives the answers they need. He exhorted them to seek the will of God for their lives and develop good character, as God had sent His son to save them, and they should present their bodies to Him as a living sacrifice.
Churchgoers also worshipped God last Sunday in Ertaizi Church, Anshan, Liaoning. The church chartered a bus for believers to gather in the relatively remote area.
Appointed by Anshan CC&TSPM, Rev. Gao Zheng, the leader of Guoziyuan Church in Anshan City, shared a sermon with the title of "Warning Yourself Through the Wicked", after reading Jude 1:11. The pastor encouraged the attendees to watch their ways and not commit sins according to their sinful nature, analyzing three bad people of Cain, Balaam, and Korah in the Old Testament period
Compared with September 2021, the number of worshippers has increased by about 30%, and more choir members participated in the service.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
