Christ's Church, Changzhou

Christ's Church, Changzhou (Chinese: 常州市基督教堂) is a Protestant church located in Zhonglou District, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.

Christ's Church, Changzhou
常州市基督教堂
Christ's Church, Changzhou in 2012
Christ's Church, Changzhou Location in Jiangsu
31°46′45.16″N 119°57′30.45″E
Location	Zhonglou District, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China
Denomination	Protestantism
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1916 (1916)
Founder(s)	John Hawk
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Church building
Style	Gothic architecture
Groundbreaking	July 2002
Completed	March 2004
Specifications
Floor area	2,880-square-metre (31,000 sq ft)
Materials	Granite, bricks
Chinese name
Chinese	常州市基督教堂
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chángzhōushì Jīdūjiàotáng
Kaile Church
Simplified Chinese	恺乐堂
Traditional Chinese	愷樂堂
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kǎilè Táng

History

In 1903, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South established the Christ's Church in Changzhou, Jiangsu. The church traces its origins to the former Kaile Church (恺乐堂), founded by the American missionary John Hawk (霍约翰) in 1916 in memory of his sister-in-law Carriger Hawk (霍恺乐; Huò Kǎilè).

The church was renamed Christ's Church in 1958. This name has been used to date. The church was closed during the ten-year Cultural Revolution. Renovations and a rebuilding of the main building began in July 2002 and were completed in March 2004 in a Gothic architectural style. A 48-metre (157 ft) high bell tower was added to the church. The new church is 2,880-square-metre (31,000 sq ft), which can accommodate up to 1,300 parishioners. The church was officially reopened to the public on 11 December 1983.

Gallery

Further reading

• Luo Weihong (1 May 2014). 中国基督教（新教）史 [History of Protestantism in China] (in Chinese). Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House. ISBN 9787208121324.