Submitted by Boston Chinese Evangelical Church

Boston Chinese Evangelical Church (BCEC) has finalized the purchase of the South Cove Manor Nursing Home building located at 120 Shawmut Ave. The church has grown from its original 18 Chinese immigrants to more than 1,200 members and has become one of the largest Asian churches in New England. Members meet in two campuses; one in Chinatown at 249 Harrison Avenue and one in Newtonville at 218 Walnut Street. Seven worship services are conducted weekly in three different languages: Cantonese, English, and Mandarin. In addition to the many ministries for its members, BCEC also serves the Chinatown community with community programs such as the well-known youth summer programs Project Destiny and English as a Second Language classes. The leadership of the church has been seeking additional space to expand and accommodate its ministries while trying to keep pace with its many social programs to meet the needs of the residents in the Chinatown area. In 2012, the South Cove Manor Nursing Home decided to relocate to Quincy for a larger and more up-to-date facility vacating 120 Shawmut Ave. Through a period of evaluation, BCEC church members voted to purchase the building in order to better support its current initiatives and its expansion in the area. As of April 2014, the process of purchasing the building has completed.

"Our church continues to grow and expand in Chinatown and neighboring areas." said Senior Pastor Steven Chin "Thank God for leading us in the purchase of 120 Shawmut Ave. allowing us to adequately run our ministries and at the same time develop more programs to serve the neighboring communities."

The church will continue to operate out of 237 and 249 Harrison Ave. while seeking a larger worship space near 120 Shawmut Ave.

The Holy Trinity Church building is directly adjacent to 120 Shawmut, and has recently been placed on the market for sale. The worship spaces within the Holy Trinity Church are well suited for BCEC's multiple worship services. BCEC is in the process of investigating this opportunity, with the certainty that this historical church will remain a place of Christian worship if the church is the buyer selected by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.