Kinmen Christian Church Introduction
In 1922, Pastor Ouyang Hou initiated the construction of a new church due to the inadequacy of the old church. The church was established in 1924 on part of the land purchased from the original site of the Qing Dynasty's former county magistrate's office, which included the construction of a meeting hall, as well as Peide Elementary School and Kindergarten, completing in December 1924. In June 1934, Pastor Huang Weimin went to Southeast Asia to raise funds and gather materials to build the pastor's residence. Following the opening of five ports to foreign trade in the late Qing Dynasty, Western missionaries arrived in Xiamen and Kinmen, but there were initially few believers due to conflicts with old customs. In the 22nd year of the Guangxu reign (1896), the London Missionary Society established meeting places in two locations, Shamei and the Xiyuan Salt Field, east of Kinmen Island. The following year, they set up another meeting place at the South Gate of Houpu, with about a hundred followers; in the same year, Presbyterian pastor Shao Dezheng came to Kinmen to preach, establishing a meeting place at the North Gate of Houpu on Lieyu. In 1900, the Chinese Christian Church was established, incorporating the London Missionary Society and the Presbyterian Church. The first president, Huang Hecheng, purchased land to build a church at the current site of Zhongxing Road in Beimen Village. In 1922, due to the increase in followers, the old church was deemed inadequate, and the church decided to raise funds for reconstruction. In April 1923, under the leadership of President Ouyang Hou, part of the land from the original site of the Qing Dynasty's former county magistrate's office was purchased to construct a meeting hall, along with Peide Elementary School and Kindergarten, costing over 4,000 silver coins, and completed in December 1924. The Houpu Christian Church is located on elevated terrain, giving it an impressive stature. The church is a one-story structure built in the style of a western house; the pastor's residence, located at Hulong, is a Western-style building on stilts. Source: Ministry of Culture
