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 a portion of land purchased from the site of the former Qing Dynasty County Magistrate's Office, along with the construction of a fellowship hall and the affiliated Peide Elementary School and kindergarten, which were completed in December 1924. In June 1934, Pastor Huang Weimin went to Nanyang to raise funds and collect materials to build the pastor's residence. After the Treaty of Tianjin in the late Qing Dynasty, Western missionaries came to Xiamen and Kinmen; however, they initially faced resistance and had few followers. In 1896, the London Missionary Society established two meeting places in Shamei and the Xiyuan salt fields on the eastern part of Kinmen Island. The following year, another meeting place was set up at the south gate of Houpu, with about a hundred followers. That same year, Presbyterian pastor Shao Dezhen came to Kinmen to preach and established a meeting place at the north gate of Houpu on Lieyu. In 1900, the Chinese Christian Church was founded, incorporating the London Mission and the Presbyterian Church, with its first president, Huang Hecheng, acquiring land to build a church at the current address on Zhongxing Road in Beimen Village. In 1922, due to the increase in parishioners, the old church became insufficient, leading the church to decide to fundraise for its reconstruction. In April 1923, under the leadership of President Ouyang Hou, they purchased a portion of the land from the former Qing Dynasty County Magistrate's Office to build a fellowship hall and the affiliated Peide Elementary School and kindergarten, costing over four thousand yuan, and completed in December 1924. The Houpu Christian Church is situated on a elevated location, giving it a commanding presence. The church is a one-story building built in a traditional architectural style; the pastor's residence is located in the Hulong section and is a Western-style building with stilt foundations. Source: Ministry of Culture
