Editor's note: This is part six of the Christian testimony series: the stories of a dedicated church elder who is wholehearted to his ministry.
Today we will talk about a dedicated church elder.
The elder was a teacher in an educational institution before his full-time ministry. That was not a low-paying position where there was not much risk, but as he had walked with God for a long time, he became more and more pious to the Lord. When the leaders of the local CC&TSPM asked him to be in charge of a church, he resigned from his secure job at the school, dedicating himself to serving the church full-time despite the strong opposition of his family.
That was a church that had been in dispute for a long time. When he came to that church, he was faced with chaotic situations such as a lack of funds, divisions within the church, and complaints. Some people would disrupt and obstruct the preaching part. To deal with these situations, he prayed incessantly and obtained the support of local authorities on one hand. On the other hand, he reorganized the church's internal organization, weeded out troublemakers, united the majority of the congregation, and made the church start to be more right on the track little by little.
Due to lack of funds, the church was old and in poor condition, even the pews in the main hall were barely usable. He asked for help from other sister churches, either by loan or by sponsorship, and paid back some of the overdue expenses of his church that had accumulated over the years. In addition, he redecorated the church's interior and exterior by means of "installment payments”, and upgraded the sound and projection equipment of the church.
In the early days of his ministry in the church, he as the head of the church did voluntary work without being paid. When the church lacked teachers for pastoral care, he invited students from seminaries and pastors from other churches to preach sermons there. When he went to visit sick believers and some families with financial difficulties, he would give money out of his own pocket. In the first years, the church often purchased some office supplies, such as printing ink, printing paper, Christmas decorations, etc., and he would pay for them by himself.
Sometimes in the evening, he came back home, exhausted, but still had to answer the phone and WeChat messages. Although he had some chronic diseases, he chose to get through those difficulties on his own and didn't have time to go to the hospital. He usually didn't go to bed until after 11 p.m. He also needed to get up early in the morning and lead his congregation to read scriptures and pray online. When believers passed away, he would get up at five or six o 'clock in the morning, lead the funeral service team to attend the funerals of the deceased and comfort their family members.
But even so, he still had to guard against attacks, judgments, and disturbances from individuals left by the people who were originally in charge.
He also went to the seminary for systematic study. After more than three years of hard work and even "fighting", his church now has a new look inside and out, and the whole church is united. It has developed from dozens of people in the early stage to hundreds of people now. Even under the restrictions of pandemic prevention, there are still more than 200 people at each service.
(The author of this article is a special contributor to the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
编者按：这是《我们是神的见证》系列第六集：一位一心奉献的长老.
这位长老在全职奉献之前，是一个教育机构的教师。这个职位待遇不低，也没有什么风险。但是随着他信主的时间越久，他对主越来越虔敬。由于工作的需要，当市两会的领导找他谈话，要他去一个教会做负责人的时候，他不顾家人的强烈反对，辞去了学校的“铁饭碗”工作，全职到教会奉献。
这是一间闹纷争已久的教会。他来到这间教会的时候，面对着资金匮乏、教会内部分派、还有人上访告状、讲道有人捣乱、阻拦等混乱局面，一方面恒切的祷告、取得当地有关部门的支持；另一方面进行整顿、改组教会内部的组织，清除捣乱分子，团结大多数的会众，使教会开始一点点的走向正规。
由于资金匮乏，教堂破旧、设施不完善，连主堂的椅子都不行了。他就向其他兄弟教会求援，有的是借、有的是赞助，取得大家的帮助，把本教会历年所拖欠的一些费用都偿还，而且用“分期付款”的方式把教会的内外部都进行了重新装修、完善，更新教堂的音响、投影等设备。
在到这个教会的初期，作为负责人，他不要工价，做义工；教会牧养师资匮乏，就请神学院的同学、其他教会的传道人来讲道。去探视那些有病肢体的，家庭困难的，需要自己掏腰包；初期的时候教会平时购买一些零星的办公用品比如打印墨水儿、打印纸、圣诞节的布置等等，自己都无偿的垫付。
有的时候晚上拖着疲惫的身体回到家以后，还要接电话、接微信的留言和通话等等；虽然他患有一些慢性疾病，但他能挺就挺过去，没有时间去医院。他一般都是在午夜11点多才能睡觉。早晨还要早早起床，带领会众在网络读经、祷告。如果有肢体归天家了，他还要在早晨五六点钟就起来，带着追思班，去处理后事，安抚家属。
即使这样，还要提防来自于原有负责人在教会“残留”的个别人的攻击、论断和捣乱。
他还到神学院去系统的学习进修，经过三年多的辛苦的努力，甚至是争战，他所在的教会是教堂内外旧貌换新颜，教会全体上下同心合意，由初期的几十个人发展到现在的几百人，即使在防疫对人数控制的要求下，每次聚会也有二百多人。
（本文作者为福音时报特约撰稿人）
我们是神的见证（6）：一位一心奉献的长老
Editor's note: This is part six of the Christian testimony series: the stories of a dedicated church elder who is wholehearted to his ministry.
Today we will talk about a dedicated church elder.
The elder was a teacher in an educational institution before his full-time ministry. That was not a low-paying position where there was not much risk, but as he had walked with God for a long time, he became more and more pious to the Lord. When the leaders of the local CC&TSPM asked him to be in charge of a church, he resigned from his secure job at the school, dedicating himself to serving the church full-time despite the strong opposition of his family.
That was a church that had been in dispute for a long time. When he came to that church, he was faced with chaotic situations such as a lack of funds, divisions within the church, and complaints. Some people would disrupt and obstruct the preaching part. To deal with these situations, he prayed incessantly and obtained the support of local authorities on one hand. On the other hand, he reorganized the church's internal organization, weeded out troublemakers, united the majority of the congregation, and made the church start to be more right on the track little by little.
Due to lack of funds, the church was old and in poor condition, even the pews in the main hall were barely usable. He asked for help from other sister churches, either by loan or by sponsorship, and paid back some of the overdue expenses of his church that had accumulated over the years. In addition, he redecorated the church's interior and exterior by means of "installment payments”, and upgraded the sound and projection equipment of the church.
In the early days of his ministry in the church, he as the head of the church did voluntary work without being paid. When the church lacked teachers for pastoral care, he invited students from seminaries and pastors from other churches to preach sermons there. When he went to visit sick believers and some families with financial difficulties, he would give money out of his own pocket. In the first years, the church often purchased some office supplies, such as printing ink, printing paper, Christmas decorations, etc., and he would pay for them by himself.
Sometimes in the evening, he came back home, exhausted, but still had to answer the phone and WeChat messages. Although he had some chronic diseases, he chose to get through those difficulties on his own and didn't have time to go to the hospital. He usually didn't go to bed until after 11 p.m. He also needed to get up early in the morning and lead his congregation to read scriptures and pray online. When believers passed away, he would get up at five or six o 'clock in the morning, lead the funeral service team to attend the funerals of the deceased and comfort their family members.
But even so, he still had to guard against attacks, judgments, and disturbances from individuals left by the people who were originally in charge.
He also went to the seminary for systematic study. After more than three years of hard work and even "fighting", his church now has a new look inside and out, and the whole church is united. It has developed from dozens of people in the early stage to hundreds of people now. Even under the restrictions of pandemic prevention, there are still more than 200 people at each service.
(The author of this article is a special contributor to the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
Christian Testimony Series: A Dedicated Elder
