Gospel Church, Mianyang

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Gospel Church, Mianyang
Fucheng Christian Church
福音堂
Gospel Church of Mianyang.jpg
Gospel Church after being rebuilt
Location46 Jiefang Street, Fucheng District, Mianyang, Sichuan
CountryChina
DenominationChinese Protestant
Previous denominationChurch of England (1895–1912)
Anglican Church in China (1912–1950s)
ChurchmanshipLow church evangelical
History
StatusChurch
Founded1895
Founder(s)Church Missionary Society
Past bishop(s)William Cassels
Architecture
Functional statusActive
StyleGothic Revival
prev. siheyuan
Administration
DioceseSzechwan (formerly)
ProvinceChina (formerly)

The Gospel Church (Chinese: 福音堂; pinyin: Fúyīn táng; Wade–Giles: Fu2-yin1 tʽang2), commonly referred to as the Fucheng Christian Church (traditional Chinese: 涪城區基督教堂; simplified Chinese: 涪城区基督教堂; pinyin: Fúchéngqū Jīdū jiàotáng; Wade–Giles: Fu2-chʽêng2-chʽü1 Chi1-tu1 chiao4-tʽang2; lit. 'Fucheng District Christian Church'), is a Protestant church situated on Jiefang Street in Fucheng District, Mianyang. It was first built in 1895 and was originally an Anglican church belonging to the Church of England (after 1912 forming part of the Anglican-Episcopal Province of China). After the communist takeover of China in 1949, Christian Churches in China were forced to sever their ties with respective overseas Churches, which has thus led to the merging of Gospel Church into the communist-established Three-Self Patriotic Church.[1]

History[]

Protestantism was first introduced to Mianyang (then known as Mienchow [Mianzhou]) around 1894, by Church Missionary Society missionaries, an evangelical organisation belonging to the Church of England.[2] In 1895, a church was built on Tongsheng Street (now Jiefang Street), whilst establishing the Hua Hsi Diocese.[1][3] During the Republican Era (1912–1949), Tongsheng Street (通聖街, literally 'Street of All Saints'), as its name suggests, that brought together three religious buildings: the Confucian Temple dedicated to Confucius, the Wenchang Palace for the Taoist deity Wenchang Wang, and the Anglican Church of Jesus Christ.[4]

The original church is built in the historical Chinese courtyard house style, covering an area of 2800 square metres. The missionaries also established the Yoh Teh School in nearby Huangjiaxiang (Huangjia Alley), Hua Ying Middle School in Nanshan subdistrict, as well as Yung Shêng Sweet Factory, a dairy factory, a nursery, et cetera. In 1954, the communist government established the 'self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation' Three-Self Patriotic Church, various Christian denominations in China would eventually sever their ties with overseas Churches. Under this policy, the then pastor Tiexia Zheng led his congregation to establish the 'Mianyang Christian Three-Self Reform Movement Committee', and since then the church embarked on the 'three-self road'.[1]

After the 1990s, as the number of believers has increased, the church was rebuilt on original site, on the occasion of its centenary. The new church is a two-storey building covering an area of 1200 square metres, which is built in the fusion of neo-Gothic and Minimalist architectural styles, with a slightly Baroque flavour. As of 2016, the congregation consists of three pastors, twenty-six volunteer preachers, and about eight thousand baptised Christians, as well as thirty meeting points.[1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Ma, Jin (28 October 2016). "做光做盐 服务社会——记绵阳涪城区基督教堂" [Be Light and Salt to Serve in the Society: An Introduction to the Fucheng District Christian Church in Mianyang]. gospeltimes.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  2. ^ Keen, Rosemary. "Church Missionary Society—General Introduction and Guide to the Archive: Western China". ampltd.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2021. The Western China mission began in 1891 when J H Horsburgh led a pioneer party to Chungking in the province of Szechwan. By 1894 work had started in Mienchow, Chungpa, Anhsien, Mienchu and Sintu.
  3. ^ "2009陝西四川訪宣(9)綿陽市" [2009 Evangelistic Visitation to Shaanxi and Sichuan 9: Mianyang City]. methodistchineseministry.blogspot.com (in Chinese). Sabah Methodist Church. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  4. ^ An, Dafu (30 August 2016). "小小街道名 沉淀绵阳历史印迹" [The Names of the Small Streets: A Historical Imprint of Mianyang]. xw.qq.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 24 April 2021.

External links[]

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