On March 19, 2005, Rev. Leung Sin Sang of the Lutheran Philip House Church passed away at the age of 82. He had served as a pastor for the Leprosy Mission HK Auxiliary, making invaluable contributions to both believers and leprosy patients over several decades.
Born in Nankang Town, Hepu County, Beihai, Guangxi, in 1923, Leung was baptized shortly after birth, as his parents were Christians. After completing his primary and secondary education in his hometown, he studied at Hankou Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hubei in 1947. He later graduated from the Tao Fong Shan Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong and pursued further studies at a seminary in Germany. He taught in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he married a young German woman before moving to Hong Kong to work.
Fluent in English, German, Mandarin, and Hakka, he had a considerable understanding of Hebrew and Greek and continued studying French in his later years. He established the Lutheran Tin Hong Church, the Good Neighbor Lutheran Church, and the Lutheran Philip House. Deeply caring for children, he even sold his own property to fund four kindergartens.
Leung had a particular compassion for leprosy patients. As the secretary-general of the Leprosy Mission HK Auxiliary, he traveled extensively to serve in remote areas of Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, and Guangxi, China. In 1985, he was awarded the OBE by the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Edward Youde.
Since the discovery of leprosy in Hong Kong in 1951, the disease has caused widespread fear, leading to family tragedies such as husbands abandoning their sick wives and parents abandoning their sick children. Witnessing this, Leung devoted himself to promoting leprosy prevention and treatment. In 1971, after his wife returned to Germany, he moved to a leprosy hospital on an isolated island to live with the patients. This commitment led to his appointment as the Secretary-General of the Leprosy Mission HK Auxiliary.
As his work attracted media attention, he used platforms like Tin Tin Publication Development Limited and "Oriental Daily News" to educate the public, explaining that medical advancements had made leprosy curable and that the disease only affected peripheral nerves, causing numbness but not madness. The bacteria only invaded the subcutaneous nerves in the limbs, ears, nose, etc., causing these areas to feel numb, but they did not affect the central nervous system.
Since 1983, he visited his hometown in Beihai annually, dedicating his time to visiting churches and comforting leprosy patients. In October 1986, during the 100th anniversary of Purun Leprosy Hospital, he organized international leprosy prevention experts from Germany, the UK, and the USA to participate in the service. His efforts brought international donations to support leprosy work in Beihai, Hepu, and Nanning.
In addition to his work in leprosy prevention, this pastor provided material support to leprosy patients in Beihai. During the centenary celebration, he donated medical supplies, prosthetics, and a minivan to the city's Dermatology Hospital. Later, he donated another minivan, five motorcycles, and over ten wheelchairs.
Leung returned to his birthplace, Shanzi Village in Nankang Town, every year and was very concerned about the construction of roads and schools in his hometown. About one kilometer east of the village is Saoguanlong Township. Between the village and the township, there was a large water ditch about eight meters wide. When the water levels rose, the villagers could not cross the ditch, and the children were unable to return to school. Therefore, he donated 175,000 RMB in 1995 to build a reinforced concrete bridge 12 meters long and five meters wide over the ditch. Additionally, a dam was constructed under the bridge to store water for the villagers to irrigate their farmland.
Saoguanlong Primary School had about 270 students, and one of the main school roads was a dirt road. Leung, through his church, secured a donation of 25,000 RMB. In the second half of 2004, the funds were used to pave the school road and build a toilet, which turned out to be the last charitable act of Leung's life.
(The article was originally published by the Gospel Times, with information provided by Elder Chen Kaosi, chairman of Beihai Municipal TSPM.)
- Edited and translated by Abigail Wu
2005年3月19日，香港粤南信义会腓力堂的梁善生牧师去世，享年82岁。这位生前曾任国际麻风救济会香港分会的牧师，数十年来为教友、为麻风病患者作出了功不可没的贡献。
梁牧师是广西北海人，1923年出生于合浦山梓山村(今南康老山)的一个家庭。父母是基督教徒，他出生不久便接受洗礼入教。梁牧师在家乡完成中小学的学业后，于1947年到汉口信义神学院学习。后毕业于香港道风山信义圣经学院，第二年到德国一圣经神学院深造。后到马来西亚吉隆坡任教，并在那里与一位德籍女青年结婚，后与妻子到香港工作。
梁牧师能流利地说英语、德语、普通话、客家话。对希伯来文，希腊文也颇有认识，年老时仍继续学习法语。梁牧师建立了天康堂、爱邻堂、腓力堂。梁牧师关爱小孩，甚至变卖自己的房产筹款开办四家幼儿园。梁牧师对麻风病人有特别的关爱，任香港(国际)麻风救济协会秘书长以来，他的足迹服务遍及香港、马来西亚、印度和中国的广西等边远山区。1985年，梁牧师荣获香港港督尤德爵士特颁的OBE荣誉勋章。
香港自1951年发现麻风病人以后，真是人人闻“风”色变。甚至出现丈夫抛弃患病的妻子，父母遗弃染病的子女等家庭悲剧。见此情景，梁牧师投身到宣传防治麻风病的工作中去。1971年，在妻子返德国后，他便干脆搬到孤岛上的麻风院与病人同住。后来于是他被任命为“国际麻风救济会香港分会秘书长”(以下简称秘书长)。
身为秘书长的梁牧师，他的工作受到香港一些媒体的关注。梁牧师则在《天天日报》和《东方日报》等报刊大力宣传麻风病并不可怕。他说，自“二战”后的二三十年间，医学界已发明了能治愈这种病的特效药；还说，“麻疯”这种病是“麻”而不“疯”。因为病菌只侵入四肢、耳、鼻等皮下神经，使这些部位感觉麻木，但不会侵蚀人的中枢神经。
自1983年以来，梁牧师每年至少一次回到北海探亲。每天都忙于探访教会，慰问麻风病人。1986年10月在普仁麻风院建院100周年时，他组织了德、英、美等国的麻风防治专家前来参与服务。此后通过梁牧师的牵线搭桥，北海、合浦、南宁等地的麻风事业得到了国际社会的捐助。
此外，梁牧师在物质上也给予北海皮防院弄口麻风病人许多帮助。如在参加百年庆典时，他以秘书长的名义，给市皮防院赠送了一批医药、器材、义肢(给截肢的麻风病人接驳的假肢)和面包车一辆(此车是他自己的）。数年后，又赠送一辆12 座面包车，5辆摩托车和轮椅10多张。
梁牧师每年回到出生地南康镇山梓山村，很关心家乡的道路和学校建设。村东面约一公里处为扫管龙乡所在地。村子与乡之间有一条宽约8米的大水沟。若山水大发，村民便过不了沟，孩子们则不能返校上课。梁牧师于是捐赠人民币17.5万元，于1995年在这条大水沟上建了一条长12米，宽5米的钢筋水泥桥。此外，还在大桥下筑坝蓄水，供乡民灌溉农田使用。
扫管龙小学有学生约270人，学校的一条主校道是黄泥路。梁牧师在教会中牵线，要到一笔2.5万元捐赠款。于2004年下半年，用来修建校道和厕所，这竟成为梁牧师一生最后的善举。
（本文作者为福音时报特约撰稿人；感谢广西北海市基督教三自爱国运动委员会主席陈考思长老提供的有关资料。）
梁善生：致力于麻风病人关爱的善牧
On March 19, 2005, Rev. Leung Sin Sang of the Lutheran Philip House Church passed away at the age of 82. He had served as a pastor for the Leprosy Mission HK Auxiliary, making invaluable contributions to both believers and leprosy patients over several decades.
Born in Nankang Town, Hepu County, Beihai, Guangxi, in 1923, Leung was baptized shortly after birth, as his parents were Christians. After completing his primary and secondary education in his hometown, he studied at Hankou Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hubei in 1947. He later graduated from the Tao Fong Shan Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong and pursued further studies at a seminary in Germany. He taught in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he married a young German woman before moving to Hong Kong to work.
Fluent in English, German, Mandarin, and Hakka, he had a considerable understanding of Hebrew and Greek and continued studying French in his later years. He established the Lutheran Tin Hong Church, the Good Neighbor Lutheran Church, and the Lutheran Philip House. Deeply caring for children, he even sold his own property to fund four kindergartens.
Leung had a particular compassion for leprosy patients. As the secretary-general of the Leprosy Mission HK Auxiliary, he traveled extensively to serve in remote areas of Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, and Guangxi, China. In 1985, he was awarded the OBE by the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Edward Youde.
Since the discovery of leprosy in Hong Kong in 1951, the disease has caused widespread fear, leading to family tragedies such as husbands abandoning their sick wives and parents abandoning their sick children. Witnessing this, Leung devoted himself to promoting leprosy prevention and treatment. In 1971, after his wife returned to Germany, he moved to a leprosy hospital on an isolated island to live with the patients. This commitment led to his appointment as the Secretary-General of the Leprosy Mission HK Auxiliary.
As his work attracted media attention, he used platforms like Tin Tin Publication Development Limited and "Oriental Daily News" to educate the public, explaining that medical advancements had made leprosy curable and that the disease only affected peripheral nerves, causing numbness but not madness. The bacteria only invaded the subcutaneous nerves in the limbs, ears, nose, etc., causing these areas to feel numb, but they did not affect the central nervous system.
Since 1983, he visited his hometown in Beihai annually, dedicating his time to visiting churches and comforting leprosy patients. In October 1986, during the 100th anniversary of Purun Leprosy Hospital, he organized international leprosy prevention experts from Germany, the UK, and the USA to participate in the service. His efforts brought international donations to support leprosy work in Beihai, Hepu, and Nanning.
In addition to his work in leprosy prevention, this pastor provided material support to leprosy patients in Beihai. During the centenary celebration, he donated medical supplies, prosthetics, and a minivan to the city's Dermatology Hospital. Later, he donated another minivan, five motorcycles, and over ten wheelchairs.
Leung returned to his birthplace, Shanzi Village in Nankang Town, every year and was very concerned about the construction of roads and schools in his hometown. About one kilometer east of the village is Saoguanlong Township. Between the village and the township, there was a large water ditch about eight meters wide. When the water levels rose, the villagers could not cross the ditch, and the children were unable to return to school. Therefore, he donated 175,000 RMB in 1995 to build a reinforced concrete bridge 12 meters long and five meters wide over the ditch. Additionally, a dam was constructed under the bridge to store water for the villagers to irrigate their farmland.
Saoguanlong Primary School had about 270 students, and one of the main school roads was a dirt road. Leung, through his church, secured a donation of 25,000 RMB. In the second half of 2004, the funds were used to pave the school road and build a toilet, which turned out to be the last charitable act of Leung's life.
(The article was originally published by the Gospel Times, with information provided by Elder Chen Kaosi, chairman of Beihai Municipal TSPM.)
- Edited and translated by Abigail Wu
Story of Leung Sin Sang Dedicated to Caring for Leprosy Patients
