A church in Shenzhen celebrated the fifth anniversary of its small group ministry, with two other churches celebrating together.
More than 200 pastors and believers from Xiangmihu Church and Bantian Church celebrated the fifth anniversary of Shatoujiao Church’s group ministry on August 17, according to the church in Shenzhen.
The parish groups of Shatoujiao Church and four tutor groups of Xiangmihu Church expressed their gratitude and praise to God with performances featuring waist-drum dance, poetry, variety shows, sacred dramas, poetry recitations, dances, and praise dances.
Rev. Qiu Quan introduced the fundamental definition of a small group church in his encouragement, which functions as a miniature church, where all believers are invited to experience concern and pastoral care in Christ and receive visions. Afterwards, they can engage in the Great Commission, achieving the multiplication and expansion of the small groups. He particularly emphasized that the pastoral orientation of the cell group ministry is “Each believer is both pastored and pastors others; each one is cared for and also cares for others.”
According to the history of the Shenzhen Zhongying Street Historical Museum, Rev. Rudolf Lechler and Rev. Philip Winnes from the Basel Mission in Switzerland first came to Shatoujiao to preach as early as the mid-19th century. Subsequently, some missionaries from the Hong Kong churches came to preach, introduce people to Christ in factories and homes, and set up gathering points. After 2000, local believers in Shatoujiao organized family gatherings spontaneously and gradually formed three different family gathering sites, worshipping in Mandarin, Teochew, and Hakka. In 2004, the municipal CC&TSPM began to care about the registration of churches in Shatoujiao. In 2006, a place in Yantian District was rented as the activity venue. In 2007, the government’s religious department agreed to set up a worshipping place on June 8, and Shatoujiao Church was founded on September 29.
- Translated by Cassie Li
