Mr. Huang Detang (1886-1981) was born in Xiaowantang, Zhonglou Town, Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province. He was an extremely rare believer in the Lord and a true pastor without the name of a pastor in the church.
A believer once dreamed that the Lord Jesus had brought a little "Jesus", and that boy was Huang. He had many wonderful spiritual experiences as the Lord had shown many miracles and wonders through him, but he was not complacent about it. On the contrary, he was extremely modest to sigh with emotion for his own shortcomings and for his naivety in true knowledge.
In his spare time, he studied the Bible and asked others for advice. He often thought he was an evil and lazy servant, failing to give the Lord an answer. He traveled all over Xiangshan County where there were Christians, preaching, visiting believers, and helping others solve spiritual and family problems.
Many believers in neighboring counties knew him, because he often went to different places to attend meetings and witness the way of the Lord.
Some of his experiences were special and valuable.
I knew him since I was a child, and my home was only over ten kilometers away from his. When I graduated from the seminary and was assigned by the church organization to work as a resident pastor, he accompanied me. At that time, he was over 60!
He was older than my parents, so I dared not call him "brother" in both age and spiritual experience. I called him "sir" or "elder sir". He had many good deeds, and the excerpts here are only a prominent part of them, most of which were before 1949.
Mr. Huang died on May 18, 1981. His children and grandchildren did not want to announce his obituary to avoid influencing others. Unexpectedly, more than 400 people came from all over the world to attend his funeral.
Huang was a man with the same heart as San Francesco. He was willing to be poor and never felt bitter in his whole dedicated life. Although he was in poverty, he still smiled happily every day and never complained to others.
He went out to run for the gospel, walking barefoot irrespective of a hot summer or a cold winter. He had the habit of fasting every morning and going up to a mountain to pray before dawn. At the age of 90, he still did so despite the wind, frost, rain or snow, no shade on the mountain, with his clothes and trousers getting all wet. He had a heart of sincere love for the Lord and other people, despite his Bible knowledge or sermon content lacking any special merit. We commemorate him and learn from him, not for his external deeds, but rather his inner piety!
(The article was written in November 1981 and slightly revised in 1988, originally published by Gospel Times. The author was the deceased pastor Shao Shengtang who graduated from Nanjing Union Theological Seminary. Born in Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province, he was a leader of the Yinzhou District CC&TSPM and the pastor of Maoshan Church in Yinzhou District, Ningbo, until his death.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
【编者按】这是一篇由浙江奉化真神堂93岁的袁相中长老提供的老传道人的感人事迹。作者为已故的邵升堂老牧师。他毕业于金陵协和神学院。浙江象山县人，曾任鄞州区两会领导、宁波鄞州区茅山教会牧师至离世。
黄德堂先生（1886-1981）是浙江省象山县中娄乡小湾塘人。他是一个在主内极为罕见的信徒，是一个在教会中没有传道人名义的真实传道人。
曾有一个信徒梦见主耶稣领了一个小耶稣来，这小耶稣就是他。他有很多奇妙的属灵经历，主曾藉他多次显出神迹奇事，然而他并不自满。相反，却是极其谦虚地感慨自己不足，叹息自己在真道知识上的幼稚。
有暇就研读圣经，向人请教，还常认为自己是个又恶又懒的仆人，难以向主交帐。他的足迹遍及象山全县各个有基督徒的地方，传道、探望信徒、帮助他人解决灵性上和家庭中的一些问题。
邻县的信徒，也多有认识他的，因为他也常到别地去参加聚会并见证主道。
他的经历有些是很特别的，因而更为可贵。
我是自幼就认识他的，我的家与他的家只相隔十多里路。当我在神学院毕业被当时的教会组织分派来外地担任驻堂传道工作时，是他伴送我的。那时他的年龄已是六十多岁了！
论年龄，他超过我的父母，所以无论是年龄，或是灵性经历，我都不敢称他为“弟兄”，只得用“先生”或“老先生”这名称来称呼他。他的事迹很多，这里所摘录的，只是其中比较突出的一部分，多数的事迹是在解放前。
黄老于1981年5月18日逝世，他的儿孙们原来不想对外宣布他的讣闻，不给外界有什么影响，不料出柩那天，仍然从各地来了四百多人为他送葬。
黄老具有像圣法兰西斯那样心志的人。他忘掉他自己的肉体，在他奉献之后的一生，他甘愿贫穷，从不感苦，虽在贫困中，每日仍是很喜乐的微笑的，从不向人诉苦。
他出门为福音事业奔走，无论炎夏酷暑或数九寒冬，都是赤着双脚走路。他有每早晨禁食，黎明前上山祈祷的习惯，九十高龄时，仍然进行。不管风霜雨雪，上山无荫蔽所，衣裤尽湿，也不在乎。他有的是一颗赤诚的爱主爱人之心。而不是说他的圣经知识或是讲道内容有什么特别可取之处，我们纪念他，向他学习的，主要不是他外面那样的形式，而是他内在的虔诚！
邵升堂写于1981年11月 1988年略作修改
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/57111
极为难得的信徒黄德堂先生
Mr. Huang Detang (1886-1981) was born in Xiaowantang, Zhonglou Town, Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province. He was an extremely rare believer in the Lord and a true pastor without the name of a pastor in the church.
A believer once dreamed that the Lord Jesus had brought a little "Jesus", and that boy was Huang. He had many wonderful spiritual experiences as the Lord had shown many miracles and wonders through him, but he was not complacent about it. On the contrary, he was extremely modest to sigh with emotion for his own shortcomings and for his naivety in true knowledge.
In his spare time, he studied the Bible and asked others for advice. He often thought he was an evil and lazy servant, failing to give the Lord an answer. He traveled all over Xiangshan County where there were Christians, preaching, visiting believers, and helping others solve spiritual and family problems.
Many believers in neighboring counties knew him, because he often went to different places to attend meetings and witness the way of the Lord.
Some of his experiences were special and valuable.
I knew him since I was a child, and my home was only over ten kilometers away from his. When I graduated from the seminary and was assigned by the church organization to work as a resident pastor, he accompanied me. At that time, he was over 60!
He was older than my parents, so I dared not call him "brother" in both age and spiritual experience. I called him "sir" or "elder sir". He had many good deeds, and the excerpts here are only a prominent part of them, most of which were before 1949.
Mr. Huang died on May 18, 1981. His children and grandchildren did not want to announce his obituary to avoid influencing others. Unexpectedly, more than 400 people came from all over the world to attend his funeral.
Huang was a man with the same heart as San Francesco. He was willing to be poor and never felt bitter in his whole dedicated life. Although he was in poverty, he still smiled happily every day and never complained to others.
He went out to run for the gospel, walking barefoot irrespective of a hot summer or a cold winter. He had the habit of fasting every morning and going up to a mountain to pray before dawn. At the age of 90, he still did so despite the wind, frost, rain or snow, no shade on the mountain, with his clothes and trousers getting all wet. He had a heart of sincere love for the Lord and other people, despite his Bible knowledge or sermon content lacking any special merit. We commemorate him and learn from him, not for his external deeds, but rather his inner piety!
(The article was written in November 1981 and slightly revised in 1988, originally published by Gospel Times. The author was the deceased pastor Shao Shengtang who graduated from Nanjing Union Theological Seminary. Born in Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province, he was a leader of the Yinzhou District CC&TSPM and the pastor of Maoshan Church in Yinzhou District, Ningbo, until his death.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
Huang Detang, an 'Extremely' Rare Believer
