The thanksgiving service for the new church dedication was officiated by Rev. Yang Junhui, vice chairperson and vice president of Changsha CC&TSPM, and vice president of the church meeting for the Southern City Church. Rev. Huang Kegang, chairperson of Changsha TSPM, delivered a sermon titled “The Temple of Glory”. Rev. Ren Xia, president of Changsha CC, led the prayer for “dedicating the altar”; Rev. Huang Kegang led the prayer for “dedicating the pulpit”; and Rev. Xu Yongbin, senior pastor of the Southern City Church, led the prayer for “dedicating the temple”.  

Rev. Yang Junhui hosted the dedication ceremony for the new church. Under the theme of “Retrospect and prospect”, Rev. Xu Yongbin presented the construction journey of the new Southern City Church. Guests gave speeches to congratulate the church. Afterwards, original hymns were performed by church members.

The new Southern City Church is an imposing and solemn structure, currently the largest single church building made of exposed concrete. It features a main hall (named the Source of Light Chapel), a side chapel (the Center of Truth Chapel), the Good Shepherd Building, a gallery to demonstrate the efforts in the Chinanization of Christianity, and a multifunctional space. The new church can accommodate approximately 1,200 people congregants simultaneously, representing a significant achievement in church construction for the City of Changsha in recent years.

The original Southern City was relocated due to city planning adjustments. The project for the new church began in 2009 and took 15 years to complete.

Translator & editor: Bei Feng