On November 30, 2024, the cornerstone laying ceremony for the relocation project of Jiangnan Church was held in Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province. More than 800 attendees participated in the event, including representatives of church members from local districts and counties across the city, the pastoral staff from various districts and counties in Liangshan Perfecture, and personnel involved in construction, supervision and design.

During the thanksgiving worship service, Rev. Zhao Gang, Vice Chairperson and President of Sichuan CC&TSPM, citing Daniel 9:25, shared a sermon titled “Building in Grace”. The message encouraged believers to work together with unity, to pray with dependence on God, to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly, and to contribute to the construction of the holy temple of God with one mind, ensuring that the name of Jesus Christ is honored. Rev. Zhang Jian, Vice Chairperson, Vice President and General Secretary of Sichuan CC&TSPM, and Rev. Qiu Lin, Senior Pastor of Jiangnan Church, respectively gave benediction for the cornerstone ceremony.  

Representing Sichuan CC&TSPM, Rev. Zhang Jian congratulated the cornerstone laying of the new church. Rev. Zhang set forth three expectations for the new church construction: to simultaneously build physical church and spiritual lives of church members, to value the quality and safety of construction project while safeguarding faith and spiritual life, to incorporate Chinese cultural elements and ethnic features into the interior and exterior designs of the church.

It is reported that the new Jiangnan Church will cover an area of 5.7 mu (approximately 0.38 hectares), with a building area of 1,800 square meters. The design will integrate ethnic cultural elements, the architecture style of western Sichuan, and the characteristics of the Chinanization of Christian churches.

Translator & editor: Bei Feng