A Cruciform Church (1934-1938)

Our readers will remember our post on the original construction of the church at Siuyen in 1922. We mentioned that there was a fire in the church in 1935 and that the church had to be reconstructed. Here is the story in detail:

After finishing the women's missionary residence in 1932, architect Elise Bahnson went on a furlough that lasted from December 1932 to January 1934. On her return, one of her first tasks was to remodel the interior of the church at Siuyen, including the altar, the pulpit, and the pews.

About the remodeling in 1934, Rev. and Mrs. Bjergaarde wrote in the missionary newspaper:

“The church in Siuyen has undergone a thorough interior renovation and is difficult to recognize. Miss Bahnson and the handy Chinese craftsman worked hard to make it as beautiful as possible and they succeeded beyond expectations."

And Dr. Peter Bertelsen (assigned to Siuyen Hospital) and his wife had this to say:

“This spring and summer the church here in Siuyen has been remodeled, and now we think it is one of the most beautiful churches here [in Manchuria]. It has been a real pleasure to see how interested the congregation has been. The chairman of the parish council, Mr. Sung, did a great job last year of embellishing the square in front. The work inside the church had to wait for the return of Miss Bahnson, and she has had a deft hand in creating a beautiful church interior, which earlier was rather desolate.

“An earlier less successful altarpiece has been replaced by a Cross overlaid with green marbled Siuyen stone* that is very simple and beautiful. The interior paint of the church is pale yellow oil as far as the windows, and above that a frieze of a somewhat darker golden color. Many gifts were received, among others a lovely carpet to lay in front of the altar that was donated by a member of the board and his adult son.”

On the night between December 16, and December 17, 1935, however, a tragedy occurred: the recently remodeled church was destroyed by fire, although the pews were saved and the granite walls remained standing.

Here is Anna Bøg's description of this event and its aftermath, written on February 25, 1936:

"All our plans for Christmas festivities collapsed after the fire in the church just before Christmas. It was for us an unspeakable sadness to see the church burning. Many of the [Chinese] Christians wept with sorrow over our beautiful house of God. The next morning, the pagans mocked us saying, 'Could God not protect his house? Now I will not go to church anymore, for Jesus is burned," etc. We thought, 'I wonder if all the women who have requested baptism this Christmas can stand firm in the face of this mockery?' During a meeting, Miss Bahnson asked them, 'How will you respond to the pagans' ridicule?' Old Mrs. Chao responded quickly and boldly, 'We still have Jesus.' Immediately the next morning some of the Christians said, 'Did the church burn because it was too small? Perhaps God meant that we should build it bigger.' One of the Christian women, who lives near the church, was so upset and worried by seeing the church burn that she went in and out watching the fire until she found rest in Hebrews 9:24: 'For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself for now to appear in the presence of God for us.'"

In spite of these difficulties, there were many baptisms that Christmas. In the annual report for the fiscal year 1935-1936, Anna Bøg wrote:

"The fire in the church was one of the saddest events I encountered in Siuyen but then my happiness returned when 37 persons were baptized at Christmas. The walls of the poorest schoolroom were witness to this great glory."

In the same annual report, Elise Bahnson related:

“In the spring [of 1936], my time has by request been occupied in planning buildings, especially churches, in Pikou, Dairen, Feng-huang, and now also restoration of the church in Antung as well as our own."

In order to rebuild the church, however, it was necessary to obtain building permits from the Japanese/Manchukuo authorities and there were many delays such that the restoration of the church was not completed until 1938.

In 1936, Anna Bøg wrote in the missionary newspaper:

"It has been a great pleasure to see the women's zeal in collecting for the restoration of the church. Three of the Christian women have visited all the homes. 'We are so warmly received,' they say. In three days they collected more than a tenth of the cost to rebuild and the second tenth is just about complete. The three of them received a great blessing."

In the annual report for the fiscal year 1936-1937, Elise Bahnson wrote:

"Up until now the authorities have not authorized the reconstruction. . . . Permission was requested to reconstruct the church in an enlarged cruciform shape. Materials were bought, and we awaited the answer, as nothing in the new 'empire' [Manchukuo] may be constructed before permission is received. This is a new rule... Now, one year later, we are still waiting for the response.

"The damaged church has impaired our work . . ."

Finally, in 1938, the church was rebuilt. In Guds Kirke Bygges, D.M.S. described the restored church:

"It was reconstructed as a cruciform church. The tower was renovated with corbie-step gables as it was impossible to restore the biblical pictures. The roof is, as before, covered with gray tiles, and the outside is still white, black and gray. One hundred seats were added. The ceiling is flat, the walls light yellow, the pews green, and the rest of the furniture has been coated with a reddish-brown Chinese lacquer. The old baptismal font burst in the fire. The new one is granite. The baptismal bowl and pitcher are of brass made in Mukden. . . . on September 25, 1938, Rev. Ch’en reconsecrated the church. Miss E. Bahnson helped with the plans for restoration and expansion, and Rev. Shun directed the restoration. The vessels and candleholders are gifts from missionaries, and the altar cloth was a gift from Danish friends, who also made large contributions to the restoration.”

From this account in Guds Kirke Bygges, one can see that -- contrary to what Tobias Faber reported in his biography of Johannes Prip-Møller -- it was not until the reconstruction in 1938 that the church acquired its corbie-step gables and that was only because the original tower could not be restored.

Sources:
Bahnson, Elise; "Frk. Bahnsons Beretning", D.M.S. Aarsberetning for 1935-1936, pp. 137-138. Translated by Preben Jørgensen.
Bahnson, Elise; "Beretning fra Frkn. Bahnson og Bøg Madsen," D.M.S. Aarsberetning for 1936-1937, pp. 131-132. Translated by Preben Jørgensen.
Bjergaarde, Rev. and Mrs. Jens; "Siuyen", Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 101, Nr. 35, 1934 (exact date of publication unknown), p. 513. Translated by Preben Jørgensen.
Bertelsen, Dr. and Mrs. Peter; "Hospitalet i Siuyen," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 101, Nr. 43, 1934 (exact date of publication unknown), p. 637-638. Translated by Preben Jørgensen.
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Frk. Bøg Madsen Skriver", D.M.S. Aarsberetning for 1935-1936, pp. 136-137. Translated by Preben Jørgensen.
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Fra Missonsmarket i Manchuriet", Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 103, Nr. 14, 1936 (exact date of publication unknown), p. 201. Translated by Preben Jørgensen.
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Siuyen", Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 103, Nr. 16, April 15, 1936; pp. 230-231. Translated by Marie-Jacqueline.
D.M.S., Guds Kirke Bygges (Copenhagen, 1941), pp. 52-53. Translated by Preben Jørgensen.

Images:
Altar and interior of Siuyen Church after the reconstruction, from D.M.S., Guds Kirke Bygges (Copenhagen, 1941), p. 53.
All D.M.S. material used with permission.
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*Siuyen is renowned for its jade. One wonders if the "green marbled stone" of the Cross was jade. Dr. Bertelsen does not say so, however. Rather, he says "der er beklædt med grønt flammet Siuyensten".

Difficulties to Overcome (1931-1932)

On July 15, 1931, just a little more than two months before the Mukden incident, which over the next few years would transform Manchurian life and constrict the work of Anna Bøg and the other missionaries of the Danish Missionary Society, the missionary newspaper published the following announcement:

"The Board approves the resolution of the Mission Council on the construction of the station in Siuyen:

"There shall be built a women's station in Siuyen, which has hitherto been sorely needed, using the money raised by Miss Bøg Madsen for that purpose during her stay in America. Because the old buildings at the mission station are very worn, they will be replaced. Miss Bahnson has worked out drawings that were presented at the board meeting."

The matter proved not to be so simple, however. On August 11, 1931, architect Elise Bahnson wrote the following report on the current status of the building plans and the state of the work in Siuyen. It was published in the missionary newspaper a few weeks later:

"It is written, 'Pray and you shall receive.' Time and again we have experienced that blessing this year. There was a religious awakening last year and we are still blessed with the five small in-home prayer circles we started then. What we are now experiencing is surely a large harvest of fruit from our prayers. . . .The number of those who read regularly [at the clinic] at least once a week continues to grow and has now reached seventy.

"The work with the women is a cause of great delight. The work with the men, however, is nearly quiescent. The men have suffered greatly from the lack of a minister because after a religious awakening each individual soul is in need of special care.

"We cannot complain that we have not had help from the outside. But those who come from outside lack insight into the [local] situation and therefore cannot assist the individual or the evangelists. The evangelists cannot do this work by themselves and neither can the [Bible] women . . .

"As you know, we were hoping to get a Chinese minister in Siuyen, but it was an impossible undertaking, so now we are working hard to get a house ready for a missionary minister.

"The first of June we moved the school that had been located at the south end of the mission property. We now have a lovely new school, with light rooms and a big play yard. Where we were, the playground was not big enough for all the children.

"At the beginning of Chinese New Year, the school got a Chinese principal, Miss Kuo. She is a former pupil from Siuyen School, and she has great affection for the school. Even though she is only 26 years old, she takes up her work as one entrusted to her by the Lord. There are 100 girls and 20 boys enrolled in the school now, and since there are as yet no restrictions on religious instruction, the school has Morning Prayer and bible study at regular times. On Sunday morning, they gather at the school and walk together as a group to the church for Sunday School.

"We are very pleased that they, as well as we, feel that this new place was prepared by the Lord. And then we have the additional benefit that it is very near the parish hall and across from the home of the president of the parish council. He is very interested in the school and saw to it that the school was maintained at its current size.

"As I have said, we are working hard to get a place ready for a missionary minister. The old houses were mainly built of granite and clay, and have been demolished to make way for a structurally sound building.

"When I came here, I did not know that such a large construction project awaited me, but now I find myself immersed in my old occupation. Our bricklayer and carpenter are both members of the parish council. The bricklayer is also the brother of a Bible Woman and of our cook. They are both nice to deal with and our cook helps me shop for materials. Dr. Nielsen, who built Siuyen Hospital, knows all about construction, and is my good counselor.

"The old mission station is now divided into a men’s station and a women’s station. The entrance to the men’s station is from the old southern gate near the church hall that for many years was a school for boys, but perhaps now can be a meeting room once again. . . .

"After almost two years now without a missionary minister, there is much for the congregation to be taught. They have had to take care of the congregation’s business, most of which was left to the minister until his departure. Now they must take the responsibility themselves. They like making the decisions and . . . are sensitive to outside interference. It is certainly proper for them to learn to take on the responsibility. They must of course also learn from their mistakes.

"We look forward to the possibility of getting a minister here again soon. This is a large rural district that, through the hospital work, has been prepared over many years. The doors are open, and the work has barely begun, while the doors are open to both the men and the women.

"Mr. Hsü, who is married to one of our Bible Women, started in the spring to work as a bookseller for the British Bible Society. The Bibles he sells are mostly for the youth in the rural schools, where in recent years quite a few schools have been started. Every sizeable village now has its own school. Out in the country, it is the season for sowing and probably for many years yet will need a Philip.

". . . [W]e are enjoying a visit from Pastor Yen. It is so great to have a minister here, to give Bible lessons and Communion, but it is also hard to see them go."

The significance of the foregoing article by Elise Bahnson becomes clearer when viewed in the light of an April, 1932, announcement in the missionary newspaper, this time in its "From the Editor" section:

"For several years, the intention has been to construct a new building for the women missionaries. The Board allotted 3,000 yen therefor and Miss Bøg Madsen collected about U.S. $1,400 in America for the project. Some special gifts have also been received in Denmark.

"It was decided to rebuild the men's station first, however, and part of the funds were used. That has been completed and Rev. and Mrs. Bjergaarde are living there. Now, the funds are insufficient to rebuild the women's station, and because of the prevailing economic depression, the Board cannot grant the balance thereof.

"Materials, however, have been purchased, and the ground has been excavated, so everything will be wasted if the work cannot be accomplished before the rainy season.* The mission council has therefore provisionally granted 1,000 gold yen from the fund for the street chapel in Takushan and Miss Bøg Madsen and Miss Bahnson pledged some of their personal funds as a temporary loan. So, in this way, the work continues."

In March, 1932, Elise Bahnson wrote the following touching account, which was published in the same April, 1932 edition of the missionary newspaper:

"Perhaps there are friends who know that we started years ago to renovate the mission station in Siuyen, and that the old station with the school was separated into men's and women's areas. In the picture on page 242 you can see the new Bible Women's house and in the background the new entrance to the women's station.

"In the picture above you can see the end of the new gatehouse and the new entrance under construction. It was completed in autumn.

"On page 245 you can see a picture of the [Rev.] Bjergaarde family on the steps outside the dining room of the minister's home.

"Trusting in God's word in Matthew 6:33,** we have started work on the last of the buildings -- the women missionary's building. The site was excavated in the autumn, and all the materials are ready. God willing, in about 14 days we will start on the construction of the house. Difficulties are everywhere, but difficulties can be overcome."

Such was the zeal of Anna Bøg and Elise Bahnson to bring souls to Christ, that Anna Bøg not only raised the money during her furlough -- a time that is ordinarily devoted to leisure -- and Elise Bahnson not only labored tirelessly with her well-honed building skills, but the two women loaned what money they had saved from their small stipend to bring to completion the women's station that Anna Bøg had envisioned so many years earlier. And, almost certainly, Elise Bahnson laid many of the bricks herself.

Sources:
Bahnson, Elise; "Siuyen;" Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 98, Nr. 36; September 9, 1931; pp. 576-579. Translated by Betty Christensen.
Bahnson, Elise; "Fra Missionærne i China - Siuyen," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 99, Nr. 17; April 27, 1932; pp. 246-247. Translated by Betty Christensen.
Busch, Rev.; Board Resolutions; Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 98, Nr. 28; July 15, 1931; pp. 446-447.
"Fra Redaktionen," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 99, Nr. 17; April 27, 1932; p. 243.

Images:
1 - New Bible Women's House
2 - New gatehouse and gate under construction
3 - New minister's house
Photographs from Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 99, Nr. 17; April 27, 1932; pp. 244-246.

All D.M.S. materials used with permission.
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*The rainy season in Manchuria is July, August, and September.
**"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be yours as well." (Matt. 6:33, Revised Standard Version.)

Not a Pagan Temple (1922)

When Anna Bøg first arrived in Siuyen in 1920, the Danish Missionary Society had been active in Siuyen for over twenty years. There was a Chinese congregation but only a street chapel -- no church building.

During the first two decades of the twentieth century “the missions had got on with the building of small temporary chapels and rented premises. . . . However, around 1915 the conditions in Manchuria were so tolerable for missionary work that the mission had begun building proper churches, hospitals, and schools. Around 1920 this work was in full activity.” (1)

In 1921, a year after Anna Bøg arrived, the congregation in Siuyen began efforts to erect a church. In large part, the Chinese congregation, not the Danish Missionary Society, would pay for the construction: According to Jensen and Pedersen, “Friends in Denmark paid for the first church built in Dalian in 1914. But for the [subsequent] churches it was agreed that the congregation would raise nine tenths while D.M.S. only contributed one tenth of the costs. After completion the church belonged to the local congregation.” (2)

In his annual report for 1921, Rev. Olesen wrote in January, 1922 that the congregation hoped to begin the construction of a church in Siuyen in the spring. About $6,000 had been raised for the project and several of the Chinese Christians had made rather large contributions. Prices for building supplies had risen, however, and by the end of Chinese New Year they would have spent $4,000 on timber, boulders, bricks, tiles, and lime. They would still need glass, paint, fittings, and furniture, not to speak of the cost of labor. (3)

What Rev. Olesen did not mention was that a couple of months earlier there had been a bit of a crisis regarding the plans for the church. A Danish architect, Carl Schiøtz had been approached to design the church for Siuyen. Schiøtz, however, had written to Rev. Olesen suggesting that another Danish architect, Johannes Prip-Møller, take on the job. The Circle of Architects in Copenhagen had raised money to support Prip-Møller in China for three years until he could establish himself as an architect. Prip-Møller had recently arrived and was still in language school in Beijing. Nevertheless, he already had definite ideas about harmonizing Chinese and Western architecture.

According to Prip-Møller’s biographer, Tobias Faber, the following occurred regarding the church in Siuyen:

“In November 1921 [Prip-Møller] made a beautiful rough design for a quite simple church with a sturdy, slightly curved tile roof and a small belfry or bell frame next to the nave. In December, 1921, immediately after he had sent the rough design, he started completing the principal designs. Then he received a discouraging letter from Olesen, who regretted that the local church committee had turned down his proposal because they thought the building resembled a ‘pagan temple!’. They wanted ‘a Danish village church with a tower and corbiestep gables’ in the town. Many such churches were built in the area at that time. Subsequently, another master builder designed and built such a ‘Danish village church’ in Siuyen. The church . . . was finished in 1922.” (4)

A publication of D.M.S. described the 1922 church as follows:

“In the southwestern part of the city where the roads pass through the old Western Gate to the hospital, you find the church, standing alongside the parsonage. The church is built of big cut granite ashlars, and above that gray bricks with strongly accented frames for the windows. The tower had frames with biblical motifs. The church could seat 250 persons. Rev. Christiansen inaugurated the church on December 3, 1922, and Rev. Olesen headed the construction.” (5)

Referenced sources:
(1) Faber, Tobias; Johannes Prip-Møller: A Danish Architect in China (Hong Kong, 1994), p. 16.
(2) Jensen and Pedersen, “China -- A Fact-finding visit - April 2002, p. 3.
(3) Olesen, Rev. Ole; “Missionaer Olesens Beretning”, Det Danske Missionsselskabs Arsberetning for 1921, p. 144.
(4) Faber, op. cit., p. 17-18. (The actual drawings for the church are found on pp. 8- 9.)
(5) D.M.S., Guds Kirke Bygges (Copenhagen, 1941), pp. 52-53.

Image:
Photograph of the church in Siuyen from Guds Kirke Bygges, which identifies the picture as, "The church before the fire". The fire was in December, 1935. There do not appear to be any corbie-step gables, although Faber implies there were. We will be writing more about the fire and the subsequent reconstruction of the church in a future excerpt.