Elder Fu Xianwei dies at age 74

Publish Date: 31-Aug-2018

Elder Fu Xianwei, chairman of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Church in China, died on 20 August, at the age of seventy-four.

Elder Fu was born in 1944 and was ordained an elder of Shanghai Moore Memorial Church in 1996. He had been the general secretary of the Shanghai Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and subsequently its chairman. In 2008, he was elected the chairman of the National Committee of Three-Self Patriotic Movement. He was also a member of the Standing Committee of the thirteenth Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

The Archbishop of Hong Kong, Dr Paul Kwong, mourned Elder Fu’s passing, calling him a faithful servant of the Lord and praising his contributions to the Christian community in China. Elder Fu had led the churches in China in implementing the country’s religious policy and facilitated the Sinicization of Christianity in China. He had devoted himself to developing the nation’s Christian ministries in accordance with China’s growth, and at the same time, he formed strong ties with churches overseas, demonstrating how China maintained religious freedom to the international community.

Archbishop Kwong stressed that Elder Fu was a church leader who loved God, his country, the Church, and humankind. He had been a close friend and firm supporter of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. He had strived to encourage exchanges between the clergy and parishioners of China and Hong Kong and had forged close relationships between the two churches. His passing is a loss to both churches of China and Hong Kong. Archbishop Kwong prays that Elder Fu may rest in peace in the arms of our Lord and that the bereaved family may be comforted by the Lord.