The memorial service of Niu Shujun, the wife of the late influential house church pastor Li Tianen, was virtually held last Thursday.
After her husband Li who served the Chinese church for more than half a century died on May 3, 2016, Niu passed away on June 7, aged 92.
At the memorial service, Li Xinming, son of Pastor Li, shared the story of her mother, who followed the Lord all her life.
He said that when she was young, she went to Shanghai with Li who was imprisoned four times for the gospel during his lifetime, preaching the gospel in Pudong District. Coming from the countryside, her life was very difficult that she was never sure of her next meal but managed to survive by relying on God. She once shared that she missed those days very much because God supported her the way He fed Elijah.
"Father was arrested in the 1960s", Mr. Li Xinming shared. During the Cultural Revolution, his father Pastor Li was in prison for 18 years for his beliefs. His mother had to raise two young children by herself alone.
"As my mother could not turn to anyone else, she only came to the Lord to cry. God answered her, 'I am with you', and in despair He showed her a way to live."
"My mother delved into tailoring, making clothes in order to survive in the city of Shanghai." He continued, "At that time, many families were destroyed, many people committed suicide in desperation, but the illiterate woman from the countryside survived, for God was with her."
"She loved the Lord who was fond of her. Her words could always pierce people's hearts, not for how wise she was, but for the wisdom from God that was in her."
And when she was seriously ill, she mentioned that even if mountains fell on us and strong waves came our way, we should always rely on God, as He would never change.
Her son added, "Two weeks ago, my mother talked to me for the last time. She gasped, saying, 'This road of serving God is hard and full of thorns, but you must go on, as it is worth it.' Today, my mother has forever rested in the house of the Lord, and we will follow her on the path that leads to the house of the Lord."
Finally, the service ended with the hymn God Be With You Till We Meet Again.
Called by the Lord while still in college, Li Tianen quit his studies and turned to a seminary in Kaifeng, Henan. He later continued theological education in Nanjing and Hangzhou. He served the local churches in Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shangzhou, and the northeastern area of China after graduating from Hangzhou Theological Seminary in July 1950.
Having been imprisoned four times for the gospel during his lifetime, he spent more than a decade in Chinese prisons. He was arrested the second time in 1973 and sentenced to death due to his evangelism during the Cultural Revolution. Moreover, he faced execution by shooting squad on three occasions; however, the Almighty God amazingly saved him from "the lion's mouth". After the end of the Cultural Revolution, he resumed his preaching and service in churches across the country until his death.
As one of those who witnessed the history of Chinese churches, he served people of that era with Wang Mingdao, Ni Tuosheng (Watchman Nee), Yuan Xiangchen, Samuel Lamb, Xie Moshan, and Yang Xinfei.
Recalling his service, a pastor of a Chinese house church comments on him as "the root of the church in Henan and the light of the church in Shanghai."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
2021年6月7日，李天恩牧师的妻子李牛淑君逝世，她的追思礼拜于10日在网上举行。
追思礼拜上，李牛淑君的儿子李心明先生分享了李牛淑君一生追随主耶稣基督的故事。李牛淑君年轻的时候就随着李天恩牧师来到上海这座城市，一起在浦东传道、生活。那时，一个来自乡下的女子在上海浦东生活的日子是非常艰难的，常常是吃了上顿没有下顿，可是她却依靠神坚持下来了。她曾分享说很怀念那段日子，因为神用供养以利亚的方式供养自己。
“60年代，父亲被捕”，李心明先生分享说，1960年文革时代，父亲李天恩因为信仰坐监18年，他母亲一个人带着两个年幼的孩子，那样的日子到底该怎么过？“母亲只有来到主的面前呼求，她没有任何办法求其他人。而神亲自回答她，我与你同在，并在绝望中神打开生存之路。”
“母亲开始去做裁缝、做衣服，也在上海这个城市生存起来。”李心明先生继续分享说：“思想那个年代，多少人家破人亡，有多少人绝望自杀，无知无才的下乡女子却生存下来了，因为神与她同在。”
“她爱主，主也爱她。不是她多有智慧，是神的智慧在她里面。她的话语总能扎住人心。”
而在她病重的时候，她还分享靠山山倒，唯有主是永远不变的。李心明先生说：“母亲最后一次和我谈话，是两周前，喘着气对我说：‘这条路艰辛坎坷，满了荆棘，但是值得走下去，你也一定要走下去。’今天，母亲已经住在主的殿中直到永远，我们也要跟随她走下去，这条路通向耶和华的殿直到永远。”
最后，追思礼拜在一首赞美诗《再相会》的歌声中结束。
https://www.christiantimes.cn/news/35112/%E6%9D%8E%E5%A4%A9%E6%81%A9%E7%89%A7%E5%B8%88%E5%A6%BB%E5%AD%90%E7%89%9B%E6%B7%91%E5%90%9B%E5%B8%88%E6%AF%8D%E8%BF%BD%E6%80%9D%E7%A4%BC%E6%8B%9C%E4%B8%BE%E8%A1%8C%EF%BC%9A%E4%B8%80%E7%94%9F%E8%B7%9F%E9%9A%8F%E4%B8%BB%E8%B5%B0%E4%B8%8B%E5%8E%BB
李天恩牧师妻子牛淑君师母追思礼拜举行：一生跟随主走下去
The memorial service of Niu Shujun, the wife of the late influential house church pastor Li Tianen, was virtually held last Thursday.
After her husband Li who served the Chinese church for more than half a century died on May 3, 2016, Niu passed away on June 7, aged 92.
At the memorial service, Li Xinming, son of Pastor Li, shared the story of her mother, who followed the Lord all her life.
He said that when she was young, she went to Shanghai with Li who was imprisoned four times for the gospel during his lifetime, preaching the gospel in Pudong District. Coming from the countryside, her life was very difficult that she was never sure of her next meal but managed to survive by relying on God. She once shared that she missed those days very much because God supported her the way He fed Elijah.
"Father was arrested in the 1960s", Mr. Li Xinming shared. During the Cultural Revolution, his father Pastor Li was in prison for 18 years for his beliefs. His mother had to raise two young children by herself alone.
"As my mother could not turn to anyone else, she only came to the Lord to cry. God answered her, 'I am with you', and in despair He showed her a way to live."
"My mother delved into tailoring, making clothes in order to survive in the city of Shanghai." He continued, "At that time, many families were destroyed, many people committed suicide in desperation, but the illiterate woman from the countryside survived, for God was with her."
"She loved the Lord who was fond of her. Her words could always pierce people's hearts, not for how wise she was, but for the wisdom from God that was in her."
And when she was seriously ill, she mentioned that even if mountains fell on us and strong waves came our way, we should always rely on God, as He would never change.
Her son added, "Two weeks ago, my mother talked to me for the last time. She gasped, saying, 'This road of serving God is hard and full of thorns, but you must go on, as it is worth it.' Today, my mother has forever rested in the house of the Lord, and we will follow her on the path that leads to the house of the Lord."
Finally, the service ended with the hymn God Be With You Till We Meet Again.
Called by the Lord while still in college, Li Tianen quit his studies and turned to a seminary in Kaifeng, Henan. He later continued theological education in Nanjing and Hangzhou. He served the local churches in Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shangzhou, and the northeastern area of China after graduating from Hangzhou Theological Seminary in July 1950.
Having been imprisoned four times for the gospel during his lifetime, he spent more than a decade in Chinese prisons. He was arrested the second time in 1973 and sentenced to death due to his evangelism during the Cultural Revolution. Moreover, he faced execution by shooting squad on three occasions; however, the Almighty God amazingly saved him from "the lion's mouth". After the end of the Cultural Revolution, he resumed his preaching and service in churches across the country until his death.
As one of those who witnessed the history of Chinese churches, he served people of that era with Wang Mingdao, Ni Tuosheng (Watchman Nee), Yuan Xiangchen, Samuel Lamb, Xie Moshan, and Yang Xinfei.
Recalling his service, a pastor of a Chinese house church comments on him as "the root of the church in Henan and the light of the church in Shanghai."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Memorial Service for Niu Shujun, Wife of Late Chinese House Church Leader, Held Online
