A notice has been issued for the collection of artifacts and historical materials to trace the history of a centennial church in Jiangsu Province.
The notice, released by Yancheng CC&TSPM on April 20, said that historical materials and related artifacts concerning Christianity in Yancheng are being collected from church workers, believers, and people from all walks of life, both domestically and internationally. Yancheng CC&TSPM reported that the event is to commemorate the labor and contributions of past pastors and predecessors and the introduction of Christianity to Yancheng in 1907.
The notice specified that the provided materials and artifacts should reflect church growth and the spread of the gospel in different historical periods.
It said collections can be stories of spiritual ancestors and testimonies of Christian families; memoirs of significant church events and the faith journey of Christians; photographs of key church leaders across different eras; different versions of the Bible; spiritual books, newspapers, and magazines from over the past 100 years.
It added that others can also be solicited, such as appointment letters and invitations for Christians participating in major social events (including political involvement, public welfare, academic exchanges, and competitions) domestically and internationally; memorabilia and certificates issued by the church to pastors, staff workers, and congregants across different historical periods.
The municipal CC&TSPM also gathers calligraphy works, picture albums, and literature works (novels, poems, and essays) to reflect the Christian faith and commemorate the introduction of Christianity.
The collected items should ideally be originals, but photocopies can also be provided, or the church will take photos for backup.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
