Church leaders and believers in Shandong, Guangxi, and Fujian provinces held memorial activities during the season of Qingming Festival and Easter.
On April 4, the day before the Qingming Festival, staff of Shandong CC&TSPM, teachers and students of Shandong Theological Seminary, more than 130 people in total, came to Heroes’ Mountain (Yingxiong Shan) Cemetery in Ji’nan, Shandong, to commemorate the revolutionary martyrs, said Shandong CC&TSPM.
In Guangxi, some churches held celebration activities as well as memorial events on April 9, the day of Easter. Beihai Church and Hepu Church in Guangxi visited graves with flowers in their church cemetery respectively. It is a tradition the Beihai church has followed for more than 130 years.
The gospel was spread to Beihai in 1886, and the Anglican Church established Puren Hospital and Puren Leprosy Hospital. Leprosy patients without families and relatives were buried in the Shiziling Graveyard (north of the current Changqing Park) after they died. It was built by foreigners and was also the first churchyard in Beihai. Later, the Lutheran Church built two Lutheran cemeteries (one of which has been moved to the Guangzhuling Graveyard) at Wenchang Tower in Hepu County and Guangdong Middle Road in Beihai City.
On April 11th, Fujian CC&TSPM held a memorial service to commemorate the resurrection of Christ and remember the deceased believers who were resting in the Lord’s arms.
The choir of the seminary sang two hymns, and Rev. Zhang Jiyou, vice president of the Fujian Christian Council and Fujian Theological Seminary, preached a sermon titled “A Fragrant Sacrifice” based on 2 Corinthians 2:14–16.
After the sermon, four pastors prayed for the peace of the country, the revival of the church, believers who passed away, and the renewal of believers' lives.
- Translated by Kristina Ran
