Editor's note: This is part three of the Christian testimony series: the stories of a bicycle preacher who was committed to evangelism and a pastor couple who returns to a small village church after quitting their jobs. (To see part one & part two)
1. Bicycle preacher
The elder brother is a preacher in north-eastern China. When the church resumed just after the reform and opening up in China in the 1980s, evangelization was very difficult, especially in the remote mountainous areas where there was a lack of Christian books, even the Bible.
He was not afraid of such difficulties. Riding a bicycle, with books such as Bible and Shorter Catechism behind him, the preacher visited village by village and group by group. In order not to trouble the local believers, he brought his own lunch and water. In this way, he and his co-workers set up a church in his hometown. Although he was only a preacher with no certificate, with his efforts, the church sent the co-workers to the seminary and then had its own pastors and teachers.
His bicycle was his means of transportation and also carried him to preach the gospel. With a bicycle, he ran around within his reach. Some didn't understand him, and even misunderstood him, saying that he was "insane". He didn't argue with them and was still "obsessed" with preaching riding a bicycle without having any regrets.
In this way, the "bicycle preacher" opened up gathering sites and activity points in nearby villages, and the number of believers gradually increased. When there were major festivals, such as Christmas, they would go to the "big church" to gather. He also paid more attention to young preachers, trained them to go to seminary, and laid the foundation for the church to further develop.
At the age of 69, the elder brother got lung cancer. When he was dying, he was still thinking of evangelism and told his three Christian sons not to forget their mission and continue to preach the gospel. Later, his sons walked out of the mountains and came to the city, and little by little became individual shop owners. However, they kept in mind their father's entrustment and volunteered in the church. No matter how busy their personal business was, they would put down what they were doing to serve the church when they were needed. Sometimes their car became a free "official car" of the church.
2. A couple who serves in the countryside rather than stay in Beijing for a higher pay
This couple is the pastor and head of a church in western Liaoning. Before being full-time pastoring the church, they had a good job: the husband was a teacher in a school in his native place, and his wife worked in Beijing with the qualification as a confinement nurse with a monthly income as high as ten thousand yuan.
But when they heard the dying old pastor calling them to “come back as the church needs you”, the couple quit their job and returned to the countryside church.
As the old pastor had been ill for a long time, the church basically had nobody in charge due to neglect of management, and there were internal disputes. Pastors couldn’t even get a meager salary. On his deathbed, the old pastor gave this tattered and unpopular church to the couple. They didn’t have any assistance or money and were also judged, attacked, abused, and even petitioned by some individuals in the church. They really felt trapped and badly bruised.
As the church was in tatters, the couple repaired it by themselves. The church was short of funds for expansion, so they would go out for help in addition to the believers' offerings and borrow money in their own name. The couple dedicated themselves full time, and even their sons, daughters, and relatives were invited to work for the church. In order to further their studies, they went to study theology. Now the church has grown to more than 300 from just 30 plus believers.
(The writer is a staff writer for the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
一、自行车传道人
老弟兄是东北北部的一位传道人。改革开放后教堂复会的初期，传道也是很艰辛的，特别是在偏远的山区，缺经少道，连圣经都缺少。
老弟兄不畏困难，他骑着自行车，后面放着圣经、要道问答等书籍，一个村屯、一个小组的跑。为了不给弟兄姊妹添麻烦，自带午饭、自带水。就这样，他和同工一起在家乡建立了教堂，虽然他仅仅是一位没有圣职的传道人，但是在他的努力下，教会送同工去神学院，有了自己的牧师、教师
他的自行车是他的代步工具，也承载着他去传福音。他就是靠一辆自行车，在力所能及的区域往来奔忙。有的人不理解他，甚至误解他，说他“精神不正常”。他不与其争辩，无怨无悔，依旧痴心不改骑着或推着自行车去传道。
就是这样，“自行车传道人”开拓了附近村庄的聚会点、活动点，信徒也逐渐增加，有重大节期，如圣诞节，他们都会到“大教堂”去聚会。他还对年轻传道人倍加关怀，培养他们到神学院，为教会的后续发展奠定了基础。
69岁那年，老弟兄得了肺癌。弥留之际，还念念不忘传福音的事工，叮嘱自己信主的三个儿子不要忘记使命，继续传福音。后来，他们的儿子们走出大山，来到城市，一点点的都成为个体小老板，但他们牢记父亲的嘱托，在教会做义工，个人的生意再忙，教会需要，也要放下手中的事情去教会服侍，他们的车有的时候也是教堂的免费“公务用车”。
二、不恋京城，安心乡村。
这对夫妻是辽宁西部的一个教会的传道人，也是教会的负责人。在做专职传道人之前，他们本有一个很好的工作和职业：丈夫在原籍是一个学校的老师，妻子在北京打工，经过学习培训和考试，有月嫂的资质。月收入能到万元啊。
但是当他们听到病危的老牧师“回来吧，教会需要你们！”的呼召之后，姊妹从北京、弟兄辞退了教师的工作，回到了农村、回到了教会。
当时的教会是什么情况？老牧师由于长时间有病，教会基本出于疏于管理的“无政府”状态，内部出现了纷争。传道人连微薄的工资都开不出来。老传道人就是在弥留之际，把这一间破烂不堪、人心涣散的教会交给了他们夫妻，那可是要人没有、要钱没有，还遭到教会内部个别人的论断、攻击、谩骂，甚至是上访告状，他们夫妻真的感觉内外交困、焦头烂额。
他们团结教会忠于信仰的骨干，教堂破烂不堪，就自己动手维修；教堂扩建缺少资金，除了信徒奉献外，就出去求援，并且以个人的名义去借款、贷款；夫妻俩全职奉献，连儿子、女儿和亲属都找来为教会做工；为了进修，他们就去读神学……，现在的教会，由起初的三十多位信徒发展到三百多人。
我们是神的见证（三）：忠贞于神的呼召
Editor's note: This is part three of the Christian testimony series: the stories of a bicycle preacher who was committed to evangelism and a pastor couple who returns to a small village church after quitting their jobs. (To see part one & part two)
1. Bicycle preacher
The elder brother is a preacher in north-eastern China. When the church resumed just after the reform and opening up in China in the 1980s, evangelization was very difficult, especially in the remote mountainous areas where there was a lack of Christian books, even the Bible.
He was not afraid of such difficulties. Riding a bicycle, with books such as Bible and Shorter Catechism behind him, the preacher visited village by village and group by group. In order not to trouble the local believers, he brought his own lunch and water. In this way, he and his co-workers set up a church in his hometown. Although he was only a preacher with no certificate, with his efforts, the church sent the co-workers to the seminary and then had its own pastors and teachers.
His bicycle was his means of transportation and also carried him to preach the gospel. With a bicycle, he ran around within his reach. Some didn't understand him, and even misunderstood him, saying that he was "insane". He didn't argue with them and was still "obsessed" with preaching riding a bicycle without having any regrets.
In this way, the "bicycle preacher" opened up gathering sites and activity points in nearby villages, and the number of believers gradually increased. When there were major festivals, such as Christmas, they would go to the "big church" to gather. He also paid more attention to young preachers, trained them to go to seminary, and laid the foundation for the church to further develop.
At the age of 69, the elder brother got lung cancer. When he was dying, he was still thinking of evangelism and told his three Christian sons not to forget their mission and continue to preach the gospel. Later, his sons walked out of the mountains and came to the city, and little by little became individual shop owners. However, they kept in mind their father's entrustment and volunteered in the church. No matter how busy their personal business was, they would put down what they were doing to serve the church when they were needed. Sometimes their car became a free "official car" of the church.
2. A couple who serves in the countryside rather than stay in Beijing for a higher pay
This couple is the pastor and head of a church in western Liaoning. Before being full-time pastoring the church, they had a good job: the husband was a teacher in a school in his native place, and his wife worked in Beijing with the qualification as a confinement nurse with a monthly income as high as ten thousand yuan.
But when they heard the dying old pastor calling them to “come back as the church needs you”, the couple quit their job and returned to the countryside church.
As the old pastor had been ill for a long time, the church basically had nobody in charge due to neglect of management, and there were internal disputes. Pastors couldn’t even get a meager salary. On his deathbed, the old pastor gave this tattered and unpopular church to the couple. They didn’t have any assistance or money and were also judged, attacked, abused, and even petitioned by some individuals in the church. They really felt trapped and badly bruised.
As the church was in tatters, the couple repaired it by themselves. The church was short of funds for expansion, so they would go out for help in addition to the believers' offerings and borrow money in their own name. The couple dedicated themselves full time, and even their sons, daughters, and relatives were invited to work for the church. In order to further their studies, they went to study theology. Now the church has grown to more than 300 from just 30 plus believers.
(The writer is a staff writer for the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
Christian Testimony Series: Faithful to God's Calling
