Although the ancient blue building has been rusted, it still stands resolutely there, like a silent guardian, telling old but touching stories.
Shouyang County Christian Church in Jinzhong City of Shanxi Province is a church with a history of more than 120 years. The well-preserved parsonage is the office and dormitory of the missionaries at that time. The brick bungalow next to the parsonage is a chapel.
The second floor of the parsonage was the place where missionaries were received and rested at that time, and the old scripts and paintings there had turned yellow and the screen paintings had been damaged. The word "love" and the image of Jesus hanging on the wall still speak of the endless great love and saving grace.
In 1892, Irish pastor Thomas Wellesley Pigott and his wife established a mission station in Shouyang County, that is, the Shouyang Church. They ran a boys' school, an opiate rehab center, and a clinic, distributed gospel leaflets, sold books, and held worship services in nearby towns and villages. After that, the Shouyang missionary station expanded rapidly, and many Chinese missionaries and Bible sellers worked there. By 1899, the clinic had treated 600 patients and led many to be called to the Lord. When the Boxer Rebellion broke out in 1900, Pastor Pigott, his wife, and their 12-year-old son were martyred by the Qing army, and the church suffered a severe blow.
As the church father Tertullian said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Because of the blood and sacrifice of many missionaries and pastors at home and abroad, the seeds of the gospel have taken deep root there. After the 1980s, Christian gatherings in Shouyang County were resumed and the church was able to resume development again. But with the social development and changes, Shouyang Church is also constantly facing new challenges in the new era.
During the visit, the co-workers of Shouyang Church said that the church still has some historical problems to be solved. "The church has been without a full-time preacher for all these years. No one in the church can preach well, and many old believers are gradually losing faith. Moreover, the elderly have passed away or moved to the provincial capital with their children, and the church has fewer and fewer believers, and the dedication has been less and less." Wen, who has served in the church for more than seven years, introduced. "There are still two factions fighting within the church, which is also a problem."
Despite all the difficulties the church is facing, there are still people here who are faithful servants of the Lord and persevering for the Church.
Pastor Zheng is one of the representative pastors. In the 1990s, he was invited to Shanxi to participate in church ministry and offering theological programs. He is highly recognized by the Taiyuan Church and even the Shanxi Province. Last year, he accidentally heard about the lack of pastors in Shouyang Church, and when he was nearly seventy years old, he resolutely obeyed the Lord's call. In April 2023, he left his usual residence and came here to serve with his wife. For more than a year, he travels back and forth between Taiyuan and Shouyang every month to help the church carry out pastoral and governance work for two weeks. He led several church workers to recover the church's real estate and repair the old church buildings. The church's rules and regulations have been gradually improved, and the remaining historical problems have been solved one by one.
"When I first came to the Shouyang Church, there were only six or seven people attending the meeting, and the church was in tatters and overgrown with weeds. I have been providing basic training since I came here, and now the number of believers has reached 30." Looking back on the development of Shouyang Church in the past year or so, Pastor Zheng said.
In fact, Pastor Zheng does not receive a salary subsidy when he serves here but often has to spend his own money. But instead of complaining, he is grateful. He wittily said that God has prepared "a good place for him to live and retire with a low consumption level and a pleasant climate." Moreover, his own physical condition improves much, and even his white hair begins to turn black.
Pastor Zheng is pleased that there are many volunteer brothers and sisters in Shouyang Church who are willing to help him, and Brother Wu Bo is one of them.
Brother Wu works in the Shouyang County Rescue Team, and when there is no emergency, his work time is flexible. He serves as a driver and worker when the church needs him. In the renovation of the church, Brother Wu led the workers to finish the work. The church rebuilt the roof on the basis of retaining the original building, spending a total of more than 650,000 yuan, of which the Church paid 200,000 yuan and Brother Wu himself paid 450,000 yuan, while his monthly salary is only two or three thousand yuan.
In addition, Wen and several other sisters, as native local workers, have also devoted themselves to the church. There is no salary or fame for doing this, but they are willing to do this. Before Pastor Zheng's arrival, although the number of believers in the church was small and internal problems continued, they still continued to worship, preached to believers, and led them to study the Bible. In fact, each of them is busy with their own family affairs and work, and they live a certain distance from the church, but they are still willing to work for the Lord.
For these lovely co-workers in Shouyang Church, Pastor Zheng has heartfelt gratitude and happiness. "Now the Shouyang County Christian Church is standing still, and the gospel will certainly be spread." Now the church is also in the teeth of the storm and needs more intercession.
"Shouyang has a pleasant climate and a superior geographical location. It is the halfway point between Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. I especially hope that after the development of our church, the pastors from Shanxi and Hebei can come to Shouyang for retreat, so that we can become a place where more pastors can cultivate themselves and gain benefits for their spirits," Pastor Zheng said.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
