China's Only Bilingual Christian Church Holds Opening Ceremony in SIP
Dushu Lake Christian Church located in Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) held a ceremony to announce its official opening on May 28.
The 51-meter-tall lakeside church is a 39-million-yuan project with a floorage of 5,600 square meters and a capacity for 2,100 church goers. A square divides the Gothic complex into two parts. The first floor of the north building houses small chapels of different sizes, while the second floor is the 1,000-people main chapel. The lift for those with restricted mobility is available on the first floor. The supporting facilities to the south of the public square include Sunday school, sermon room, archives, reception, and offices.
Along with the steady growth of SIP, more and more people from all over the world came to work and settle down here. According to incomplete statistics, there are nearly 10,000 believers in SIP and half of them are foreigners. To improve the investment environment and to satisfy the need of religious belief, SIP authorities decided in June 2008 to build a Christian church by Dushu Lake.
To serve the believers of various nationalities, there are small chapels for individual groups of followers such as Koreans. At present, Dushu Lake Christian Church is the only bilingual (Chinese & English) church in China.
May 28, 2010
