On June 7, 2020, the Hangzhou Chengbei Church was finally reopened after being closed for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In more than four months of online pastoral care, the elderly brothers and sisters had the most difficulty in adjusting. They do not have or can’t use smartphones, and can’t receive Sunday information online like young people. So they were very eager to come to the church to worship with brothers and sisters and listen to the Word of God. They would come to the church from time to time to ask, when will the church reopen?" a pastor shared in the sermon.
At 6 o'clock in the morning, the older brothers and sisters who had made reservations in advance entered the church one after another. The hospitality staff helped them find their respective seats according to the reservation number in their hands.
They all sat in their assigned seats. Some concentrated on reading the Bible, and some bowed their heads to pray silently. Some sat for a while, stood up, solemnly walked to the offering box, and put the offering that they had prepared in advance into the box.
An elder sister in her 80s was slightly hunched-back and couldn’t walk well. She got up from her seat. Without taking two steps, she began to sway and fell back two steps. Another sister and I hurried forward to support her. She smiled, took out three thick rolls of hundred-yuan banknotes bound with rubber bands from her pocket. She walked to the offering box, and dropped them in.
In a flash, I was moved. I was ashamed of myself. I hadn’t been to the church in more than four months, but the elderly sister must have prepared her offerings and brought them all.
I saw this old sister at every first Sunday service since I began serving in the Chengbei Church. Every time, her 40-year-old daughter accompanied her. The daughter appeared to have a disability and couldn’t speak clearly, but she often brought her mother to the gatherings. Therefore, the mother and daughter left a deep impression on me.
Whenever the elder sister came to the church, she never whispered and talked to the people in front and back but always sat in the seat and silently bowed her head to pray and concentrated on worship. There was half an hour of worship and praise time before each gathering. In the half-hour of worship and praise, the old sister stood and praised God. She hunched her back slightly, put her hands on the backrest of the chair in front of her, and stood for half an hour without sitting. I was deeply moved by the elderly sister's attitude to worship.
-Translated by Abigail Wu
疫情后第一个主日，一位老姊妹的举动令我感动！
2020年6月7日，杭州城北堂教会，因疫情关闭了四个月之后，终于复堂聚会了。
“在四个多月的网络牧养里，最难熬的可能就是那些年长的弟兄姊妹了。他们没有或者不会使用智能手机，不能像年轻人一样通过网络接收主日信息，因此他们非常渴慕到教堂来聚会，和弟兄姐妹一起敬拜赞美，聆听神的话语，他们不时到教堂来询问，教堂什么时候可以开门？”一位牧者在讲道中分享到 。
在早上的第一堂敬拜中，就见证了这一点。
早上6点多一点的时候，提前预约好的老弟兄老姊妹，陆陆续续走进教堂，我们做招待的按照他们手里的预约号，帮他们找到各自的位置。
他们坐在各自的位置上，有的专心在读经，有的低头在默祷。有的坐了一会儿，站起来，走到奉献箱前，把他们提前准备好的奉献款，认真地投进了奉献箱。
其中一位八十多岁的老姊妹，略驼着背，她从座位上起来，没走两步，人一晃，又往后倒了两步，我和另外一个姊妹赶紧上前扶住老人家，老人家笑了，从兜里掏出厚厚三卷用橡皮筋捆好的百元纸币，挪着步子，走到奉献箱前，投了进去。
一瞬间，我被感动了。想到自己，感到很惭愧。四个多月没有来教堂聚会了，老姊妹一定是把这四个月来要奉献的数目，早早都预备好了，一块带了来。
这位老姊妹，自我来城北堂招待服侍以来，每次主日第一堂聚会都能看到她。每次都是40多岁的女儿陪着她，女儿在我们正常人看来不太正常，说话不清楚，却是常常带母亲一起来聚会。因此，这母女二人给我留下深刻印象。
老姊妹每次来到教堂，从不和前后左右 的人交头接耳说闲话，总是坐在座位上默默低头祷告，专心敬拜。每次聚会前有半小时的敬拜赞美时间，在半个小时的敬拜赞美中，这位老姊妹都是站着赞美的，她微驼着背，双手按着前面椅子的靠背，一站就是半个小时，老姊妹的敬拜态度深深影响着我。
On June 7, 2020, the Hangzhou Chengbei Church was finally reopened after being closed for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In more than four months of online pastoral care, the elderly brothers and sisters had the most difficulty in adjusting. They do not have or can’t use smartphones, and can’t receive Sunday information online like young people. So they were very eager to come to the church to worship with brothers and sisters and listen to the Word of God. They would come to the church from time to time to ask, when will the church reopen?" a pastor shared in the sermon.
At 6 o'clock in the morning, the older brothers and sisters who had made reservations in advance entered the church one after another. The hospitality staff helped them find their respective seats according to the reservation number in their hands.
They all sat in their assigned seats. Some concentrated on reading the Bible, and some bowed their heads to pray silently. Some sat for a while, stood up, solemnly walked to the offering box, and put the offering that they had prepared in advance into the box.
An elder sister in her 80s was slightly hunched-back and couldn’t walk well. She got up from her seat. Without taking two steps, she began to sway and fell back two steps. Another sister and I hurried forward to support her. She smiled, took out three thick rolls of hundred-yuan banknotes bound with rubber bands from her pocket. She walked to the offering box, and dropped them in.
In a flash, I was moved. I was ashamed of myself. I hadn’t been to the church in more than four months, but the elderly sister must have prepared her offerings and brought them all.
I saw this old sister at every first Sunday service since I began serving in the Chengbei Church. Every time, her 40-year-old daughter accompanied her. The daughter appeared to have a disability and couldn’t speak clearly, but she often brought her mother to the gatherings. Therefore, the mother and daughter left a deep impression on me.
Whenever the elder sister came to the church, she never whispered and talked to the people in front and back but always sat in the seat and silently bowed her head to pray and concentrated on worship. There was half an hour of worship and praise time before each gathering. In the half-hour of worship and praise, the old sister stood and praised God. She hunched her back slightly, put her hands on the backrest of the chair in front of her, and stood for half an hour without sitting. I was deeply moved by the elderly sister's attitude to worship.
-Translated by Abigail Wu
Moving Story of an Elderly Sister on the First Sunday Service after Pandemic
