In Shaanxi Province, a 90-year-old minister continues her devoted service to the Lord.
Born in 1935 as the eldest daughter in her family, she (unamed for security reasons) covered every housework she noticed since childhood, as her father served as a village official and her mother was ill and bedridden. Though diligent and responsible, her mother would scold her whenever she mentioned the desire to attend school. The little girl wanted to learn literacy. She had one opportunity to sneak away to school, but upon reaching the classroom door, she only heard the teacher announcing, “Class is over.”
This minister followed the Lord after experiencing healing from a serious illness. In 1977, in her early 40s, she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and an ovarian cyst, leaving her unable to walk and nearly terminally ill. Her daughter, already a believer, invited fellow believers to their home to pray for her mother. They lifted her onto the bed and invited her to confess her sins and pray. Though she did not speak, she wept for about 30 minutes and continued sobbing for another 10 minutes. Then she stood up and was able to see the guests downstairs. She decided to believe in the Lord from then on.
After that, she and two fellow workers, along with their children—six congregants—began holding gatherings with only a scattered Bible borrowed from an elderly Christian. After 1980, they frequently attended services at Nanxin Street Church near Hepingmen (Peace Arch). Each Sunday, they set out on foot at 4 a.m. to attend worship service.
When the minister came to faith, she was eager to visit the church frequently during the week to pray and study the Bible, except for joining Sunday worship services. Her dedication bore fruit; her supervisors allowed her daily attendance to church twice due to her careful maintenance of essential machinery at the sewing machine factory where she worked.
In September 1985, with support from pastors at Nanxin Street Church, the local government approved the establishment of a meeting point for Christian activities in the western suburbs. This initial site, the predecessor of today’s church, was located in a rented farmyard of about 100 square meters, with a monthly rent of 50 yuan (7 US dollars). Later that year, the church rented a large garbage pit, and under the leadership of the senior elder, the congregation filled in the pit and constructed a house with an asphalt-felt roof on the leveled ground as their meeting point.
Recalling the challenging times of filling the pit, she shared that everyone worked tirelessly, often without food or water. While overseeing the construction site, she spent nights in the tent and met all kinds of rats. In the felt-roofed kitchen, swarming with flies, she had to cover her head with a plastic bag as she used a fly swatter, soon filling the ground with black flies.
The minister had long envisioned purchasing land, and eventually, the opportunity came. In the late 1980s, the church raised 2,200 yuan (approximately 300 US dollars), enabling to buy 1.28 acres of land. Despite challenging conditions, the church community steadily grew as the Sunday worship attendance exceeded 500 a few years later. By the late 1990s, the congregation had grown to over 800 members. Along with this increase in church members, another blessing came—a new church building costing 3 million yuan (around 415 thousand US dollars) was completed.
Now, this church has thousands of registered believers and ten ministry groups, with four full-time ministers and over 200 volunteers.
Despite her advanced age, the minister remains strong physically, supporting one another with her husband. She often expresses her unwillingness to be a burden to her family or church staff and desires to be a humble vessel, continually repenting and used by the Lord for as long as possible. She hopes the younger generation of church co-workers will unite to fulfill the holy mission the Lord has been doing in their church.
在三秦大地，有一位90岁的老牧者还坚守在服侍主的岗位上。
她生于1935年，是家中长女。儿时，父亲是村干部，母亲有病卧床，所以她从小在家见活就干，很能担当。只是她一提起上学念书，母亲便多有责骂。小的时候她也想给自己扫盲，可唯一一次壮胆偷着去学校上课，刚到教室门口就听到老师说“下课”。
这位老牧者信主是因着病得医治。1977年，她四十出头，患类风湿，腿不能下地走路，又患有卵巢囊肿，整个人几乎病入膏肓。她的女儿已经信主，邀请弟兄姊妹到家里为母亲祷告。大家把她抬到床上，带着她趴下认罪祷告，她不说话就是哭，大哭了三十分钟左右，又啜泣了十分钟，之后竟然就站起来了，还能送人到楼下。她决志信主。
此后，她和另外两位同工带着各自的孩子，一共六人开始聚会，仅有一本从一位老弟兄那里借来的零散圣经。1980年后，大家常去和平门附近的南新街礼拜堂聚会，每逢主日，他们4点钟就出发步行去参加礼拜。
老牧者初信时不但主日去教堂参加礼拜，她也渴望能在周间常常去教堂祈祷、查经。功夫不负有心人，在那个年代因为她把工作单位（缝纫机厂）的关键机床照顾得特别好，所以单位领导特批她可以一天去教堂两次。
1985年9月，在南新街教堂牧者的帮助下，当地政府同意在西郊设立基督教简易活动点。这个作为如今教会前身的活动点位于一座租赁的农家小院里，面积约100平方米，当时每月租金50元。同年底，教会开始租赁一个大垃圾坑，会众在老长老的带领下将坑填平，又在平地上搭建油毛毡房屋作为聚会处所。
回忆起苦苦填坑的岁月，老牧者说那时大家干活很卖力，不吃不喝也是常有的事儿。看工地的时候她在搭蓬中过夜，见识过了各种各样的老鼠。因为那时盖好的油毛毡厨房里苍蝇太多，她就拿个塑料袋蒙在头上，操着苍蝇拍子噼里啪啦一通打，不一会儿地上就是黑乌乌的一片。
这位老牧者很早就有感动要买地，后来终于有了机会。八十年代末，教会的牧者和信徒们努力筹集了2200元，买下了10亩地。虽然条件艰苦，但教会的人数却在不断增加，几年后，参加主日崇拜人数达到了五百多人。九十年代末，教会信徒人数达到八百多人。在教会人数增长的同时，教会也迎来了另外的喜讯——耗资300多万元建成了新堂。
虽然老长老年事已高，身体却还硬朗，她与老伴儿相互扶助。她常说不愿拖累家里亲人和教会的同工，甘做时常悔改的小器皿，为主长久所用。她盼望年轻一辈的教会同工彼此搭配，一起成全主要在这间教会所做的圣工。
九旬老牧者讲述早年事奉的二三事
In Shaanxi Province, a 90-year-old minister continues her devoted service to the Lord.
Born in 1935 as the eldest daughter in her family, she (unamed for security reasons) covered every housework she noticed since childhood, as her father served as a village official and her mother was ill and bedridden. Though diligent and responsible, her mother would scold her whenever she mentioned the desire to attend school. The little girl wanted to learn literacy. She had one opportunity to sneak away to school, but upon reaching the classroom door, she only heard the teacher announcing, “Class is over.”
This minister followed the Lord after experiencing healing from a serious illness. In 1977, in her early 40s, she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and an ovarian cyst, leaving her unable to walk and nearly terminally ill. Her daughter, already a believer, invited fellow believers to their home to pray for her mother. They lifted her onto the bed and invited her to confess her sins and pray. Though she did not speak, she wept for about 30 minutes and continued sobbing for another 10 minutes. Then she stood up and was able to see the guests downstairs. She decided to believe in the Lord from then on.
After that, she and two fellow workers, along with their children—six congregants—began holding gatherings with only a scattered Bible borrowed from an elderly Christian. After 1980, they frequently attended services at Nanxin Street Church near Hepingmen (Peace Arch). Each Sunday, they set out on foot at 4 a.m. to attend worship service.
When the minister came to faith, she was eager to visit the church frequently during the week to pray and study the Bible, except for joining Sunday worship services. Her dedication bore fruit; her supervisors allowed her daily attendance to church twice due to her careful maintenance of essential machinery at the sewing machine factory where she worked.
In September 1985, with support from pastors at Nanxin Street Church, the local government approved the establishment of a meeting point for Christian activities in the western suburbs. This initial site, the predecessor of today’s church, was located in a rented farmyard of about 100 square meters, with a monthly rent of 50 yuan (7 US dollars). Later that year, the church rented a large garbage pit, and under the leadership of the senior elder, the congregation filled in the pit and constructed a house with an asphalt-felt roof on the leveled ground as their meeting point.
Recalling the challenging times of filling the pit, she shared that everyone worked tirelessly, often without food or water. While overseeing the construction site, she spent nights in the tent and met all kinds of rats. In the felt-roofed kitchen, swarming with flies, she had to cover her head with a plastic bag as she used a fly swatter, soon filling the ground with black flies.
The minister had long envisioned purchasing land, and eventually, the opportunity came. In the late 1980s, the church raised 2,200 yuan (approximately 300 US dollars), enabling to buy 1.28 acres of land. Despite challenging conditions, the church community steadily grew as the Sunday worship attendance exceeded 500 a few years later. By the late 1990s, the congregation had grown to over 800 members. Along with this increase in church members, another blessing came—a new church building costing 3 million yuan (around 415 thousand US dollars) was completed.
Now, this church has thousands of registered believers and ten ministry groups, with four full-time ministers and over 200 volunteers.
Despite her advanced age, the minister remains strong physically, supporting one another with her husband. She often expresses her unwillingness to be a burden to her family or church staff and desires to be a humble vessel, continually repenting and used by the Lord for as long as possible. She hopes the younger generation of church co-workers will unite to fulfill the holy mission the Lord has been doing in their church.
Service of 90-Y-O Minister: Growing Church From 6 Members to Thousands
