Miss Shi was my first teacher during my Christian faith journey. She is not very tall and wears simple clothes, probably to save time when dressing. She always has short hair so that it might be easier to take care of. My surmise was well-founded because she, as a woman with a family, has to take care of her family and all the church affairs, which is not an easy task. Since I became involved in church ministry, I have learned the hardships of being a pastor.
It was this thin woman who turned what started as a small gathering place of a few people into a large church. In a time when there were no helpers and no pastors, this strong woman worked as both a housekeeper and a pastor, developing the church which had only a few people at first.
Speaking of Shi today, I am still very grateful to her. When my wife and I had conflicts, she led the church staff to visit my wife in our home and resolved the conflicts for us. She told me to go to the church if I had any difficulties. Those words touched me deeply, for, at that time, my family became poor due to an accident. At a time when even my relatives looked down upon me, this pastor gave me great comfort.
As the saying goes, where there are people, there will be trouble. Because of her old age, Miss Shi gave up the position of pastor to her son, which caused dissent in the church. Some people said she was selfish, others said she feared that the church’s property would fall into the hands of others. This kind of talk behind her back hit her hard. I've seen her cry about it. In fact, what I admire about her most is that she made her children pass on the responsibility of love.
Her child, Brother Zhang, used to work in the railway bureau. He graduated from university with academic qualifications. He is a young and well-educated man who dares to think and do. He would have been better paid to work in the railway bureau than the church, but he chose to serve. Zhang was quite young in those days but now is a mature and prudent pastor.
Now let's talk about Sister Zhou who has also influenced me. She is also a church pastor. Although she did not give me much knowledge of the Bible, I admire her very much for what she did.
In north China, it is very cold in winter, and the church needs to be kept warm, which requires someone to manage the boiler during the gatherings. Because the boiler is only used when the church has gatherings, it is impossible to assign full-time staff to do this job. However, Zhou volunteered to undertake the dirty and tiring work. She would get up early to light the boiler before the gathering, which was very tiring. Maybe she herself is the only one who knows how hard it is.
Apart from that, she still thought of me after I was unable to attend gatherings due to ministry and other reasons. Every Christmas, she gave me a few gifts from the church. She did this not just for one or two years, but for many years, and she showed me that the church had not forgotten me.
Jin and Xianhua are pastors of another church, and they taught me what love is. In their church, they were the first to be there when a brother or sister had a family problem. Caring for the sick and helping those in need might be their way of pastoring.
For some reason, a couple's family was in a desperate situation. They asked to borrow money from the pastor couple. At that time, Jin and Xianhua had no cash, so they took out the real estate license as a mortgage loan to help that couple out of trouble. Although something happened and in the end, the money has not been returned fully, this couple's actions awakened the most precious thing in Christians’ hearts - love.
When this happened, many Christians, moved by their deeds, came together to help them and paid off all the losses caused by their love in an instant.
Thank God! I thank God for bringing me into contact with these loving pastors who have influenced my life.
Today I would like to pay high tribute to the pastors who take God as the center, give up their own ideas and respect the Lord as great! May the Lord bless them throughout their lovely life.
(This article was written by a staff writer/freelance writer of Gospel Times, who is a Christian from Liaoning Province.)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
9月10日是教师节，是表达感恩的节日。借着这节日的话题，我要感谢我接触过的每一位牧者。
史老师是我信仰上的启蒙老师，她个子不高，穿着朴素，可能是为了梳妆时节省时间，她总留一头短发，这样或许好打理。我的这种猜测是有根据的，因为一个有家室的女人，一边要照顾家庭，另外还要打理教会的所有事宜，这担子并不轻省。自从参与服侍后，我才知道，作为牧者的艰辛。
就是这样一位单薄的女人，把一开始只有几个人的小聚会点变成了一间大教会。那时没有帮手，没有讲道的人，这位坚强女人既做管家又是牧者，把开始只有几个人的教会发展起来。
今天提起史老师，仍然叫我很感激她，在我们夫妻发生矛盾的时候，她带领教会的同工来到我们的家里探望我的妻子，为我们夫妻化解矛盾。还告诉我有什么困难就找教会。一句话让我很感动，因为那时候，我因意外遭遇，家境变得贫寒，在连我的亲人都瞧不起我的时候，这位牧者给了我极大的安慰。
常言道，有人的地方就会有是非。史老师因年岁的关系，她把教会牧者的位子让给了她的儿子，这在教会中引起了异议。有人说她自私，有人说她担心教会的财产落入他人之手。这种暗地里的声音，对她打击很大。我见过她为此流了泪。其实让我最敬佩她的就是：让自己的孩子传承这爱的责任。
她的孩子张弟兄原在铁路局上班，他大学毕业有学历有文化，是一个敢想敢做的青年。在铁路上班，工资待遇要比教会强很多，但他居然选择了侍奉的道路。当年青涩年华的张弟兄，如今已经是一位成熟稳重的张牧师了。
下面再说一说给我带来影响的周姊妹，她也是教会的牧者，她虽然没有在圣经知识上给我太多开启，但她的所作所为却让我十分敬佩。
北方的冬天很冷，教堂在冬天是需要取暖的，这就需要有人在聚会的时候烧锅炉，因为只有聚会时才用，所以无法安排人员专职做这项工作。周姊妹便义务承担起这项又脏又累的工作。她在聚会前要早早起来点燃锅炉，这辛苦可能只有她自己知道。
不仅如此，在我因事工和其他原因，不能参加聚会后，周姊妹仍然惦记着我。每年圣诞节，她都会把教会分发的一点礼物送给我，不是一年两年，而是这么多年一直这样，她让我知道了教会没有忘记我。
金弟兄和鲜花姊妹是另外一间教会的牧者，在她们的身上让我知道了何为爱。在他们教会里，只要有弟兄姊妹家里出现问题，他们夫妻第一时间会出现在那里。照顾有病的人，帮助有需要的人，这或许就是他们牧养的方式。
有一对夫妻因某种原因，家境陷入绝境，在走投无路时找到金夫妇，想跟他们借钱。当时夫妇手里没有钱，居然拿出房产证做抵押贷款为求助者解困。虽然最终出现了一些事情，让这笔钱没有全部收回，但他们夫妻的举动唤醒了基督徒内心深处最宝贵的东西——爱。
事情出现以后，许多基督徒被他们夫妻的事迹所感动，一起来帮助他们夫妻，顷刻间还清了因爱受到的所有损失。
感恩主！让我接触到这些有爱的牧者，让我在他们的身上得到更多益处，影响了我的生命。
今天在感恩教师伟大付出的节日里，我要向全天下以神为中心，放弃自己的想法，尊主为大的牧者们，致以崇高的敬意！愿耶和华祝福满满伴随着你们可爱的一生。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系辽宁一名基督徒。
教师节，感恩曾经帮助过我的牧者们
Miss Shi was my first teacher during my Christian faith journey. She is not very tall and wears simple clothes, probably to save time when dressing. She always has short hair so that it might be easier to take care of. My surmise was well-founded because she, as a woman with a family, has to take care of her family and all the church affairs, which is not an easy task. Since I became involved in church ministry, I have learned the hardships of being a pastor.
It was this thin woman who turned what started as a small gathering place of a few people into a large church. In a time when there were no helpers and no pastors, this strong woman worked as both a housekeeper and a pastor, developing the church which had only a few people at first.
Speaking of Shi today, I am still very grateful to her. When my wife and I had conflicts, she led the church staff to visit my wife in our home and resolved the conflicts for us. She told me to go to the church if I had any difficulties. Those words touched me deeply, for, at that time, my family became poor due to an accident. At a time when even my relatives looked down upon me, this pastor gave me great comfort.
As the saying goes, where there are people, there will be trouble. Because of her old age, Miss Shi gave up the position of pastor to her son, which caused dissent in the church. Some people said she was selfish, others said she feared that the church’s property would fall into the hands of others. This kind of talk behind her back hit her hard. I've seen her cry about it. In fact, what I admire about her most is that she made her children pass on the responsibility of love.
Her child, Brother Zhang, used to work in the railway bureau. He graduated from university with academic qualifications. He is a young and well-educated man who dares to think and do. He would have been better paid to work in the railway bureau than the church, but he chose to serve. Zhang was quite young in those days but now is a mature and prudent pastor.
Now let's talk about Sister Zhou who has also influenced me. She is also a church pastor. Although she did not give me much knowledge of the Bible, I admire her very much for what she did.
In north China, it is very cold in winter, and the church needs to be kept warm, which requires someone to manage the boiler during the gatherings. Because the boiler is only used when the church has gatherings, it is impossible to assign full-time staff to do this job. However, Zhou volunteered to undertake the dirty and tiring work. She would get up early to light the boiler before the gathering, which was very tiring. Maybe she herself is the only one who knows how hard it is.
Apart from that, she still thought of me after I was unable to attend gatherings due to ministry and other reasons. Every Christmas, she gave me a few gifts from the church. She did this not just for one or two years, but for many years, and she showed me that the church had not forgotten me.
Jin and Xianhua are pastors of another church, and they taught me what love is. In their church, they were the first to be there when a brother or sister had a family problem. Caring for the sick and helping those in need might be their way of pastoring.
For some reason, a couple's family was in a desperate situation. They asked to borrow money from the pastor couple. At that time, Jin and Xianhua had no cash, so they took out the real estate license as a mortgage loan to help that couple out of trouble. Although something happened and in the end, the money has not been returned fully, this couple's actions awakened the most precious thing in Christians’ hearts - love.
When this happened, many Christians, moved by their deeds, came together to help them and paid off all the losses caused by their love in an instant.
Thank God! I thank God for bringing me into contact with these loving pastors who have influenced my life.
Today I would like to pay high tribute to the pastors who take God as the center, give up their own ideas and respect the Lord as great! May the Lord bless them throughout their lovely life.
(This article was written by a staff writer/freelance writer of Gospel Times, who is a Christian from Liaoning Province.)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
Give Thanks to All the Pastors Who Helped Me
