| St. John's Church, Suzhou | |||||||||||
| Native Name: | 苏州圣约翰堂 | ||||||||||
| Native Name Lang: | zh | ||||||||||
| Pushpin Map: | China Jiangsu | ||||||||||
| Map Caption: | Location in Jiangsu | ||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 31.3053°N 120.6344°W | ||||||||||
| Location: | Gusu District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China | ||||||||||
| Denomination: | Protestantism | ||||||||||
| Founder: | Alvin Pierson Parker | ||||||||||
| Status: | Parish church | ||||||||||
| Functional Status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Architect: | John M. Moore | ||||||||||
| Architectural Type: | Church building | ||||||||||
| Completed Date: | 1915 (reconstruction) | ||||||||||
| Floor Area: | 1855m2 | ||||||||||
| Materials: | Granite | ||||||||||
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St. John's Church, Suzhou is a Protestant church located in Gusu District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.[1]
St. John's Church traces its origins to the former East Soochow Methodist Church, founded in 1881 by American missionary Alvin Pierson Parker, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.[1]
At the beginning of the 20th century, the number of Christians in Suzhou increased.[1] In 1915, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South demolished the church and built a new western style church with a construction area of 1855m2 and 800 seats, designing by John M. Moore.[1] And it was renamed the St. John's Church in memory of the St. John's Church in St. Louis, Missouri, United States for its financial support.[1] Chong-tan Lee, grandfather of Tsung-Dao Lee, served as its first chief pastor.[1]
In 1959, the church was rented by the Suzhou First People's Hospital and returned to the Church in 1995.[1] It was refurbished and redecorated from October 1996 to March 1998.[1] The church was officially reopened to the public in November 2005 with the approval of the Chinese government.[1]