Last week, a rural church in Datong, Shanxi, held a memorial service for one of its members, Geng Fengshan. His family has produced five pastors, and one of his sons is an important Christian leader in Shanghai.
The memorial service was held on July 8 in Hunyuan County. On that day, more than 300 church members, as well as pastors and church workers from Datong City and Linfen City in Shanghai and Inner Mongolia, came to attend the service.
Geng Fengshan was born in 1935 and died at the age of 89. His second son, Rev. Geng Weizhong, studied abroad and is currently the president of Shanghai Christian Council; his daughter, Rev. Geng Fuqin, and son-in-law, Rev. Huang Hailin, are the key members of Linfen and Yaodu CC&TSPM, respectively; and his grandson, Han Yu, a Ph.D. student at Fudan University, is also the pastor of Gulou Church (Drum Tower Church) in Hangzhou.
The memorial service was conducted by Rev. Huang Hailin. In the service, Rev. Geng Weizhong preached a sermon entitled “The Legacy My Father Left” and spent a few moments reminiscing about his father's life.
Then his eldest son, Geng Baozhong, gave a speech to share his father's testimony of salvation. Their mother came from a Christian family, but their father did not believe in God. As the six children grew up, the family became financially strained. At the same time, several things happened: the family's only cattle died unexpectedly, and a fire destroyed all the farm tools and almost all their possessions. In the face of these blows, their strong and powerful father finally broke down. At that time, the family had nothing but a few basic utensils and a well-worn Bible, which was their mother's only dowry.
Gradually, their father began to read the Bible whenever he could not sleep. Through reading the Bible, their father, who had received no formal education from any school, began to change. One day, out of the blue, their introverted father asked their mother, “Will I be with you and the children after I die?” Very surprised, their mother explained to him that according to the Bible, those who believe in God will go to heaven after they die, while those who do not will go to hell. Upon hearing these words, their father replied, “I want to believe in Jesus, too!” And the next day, he went to the church to register. After becoming a Christian, by the grace of God, his health was also restored.
In the days that followed, their father and mother served the Lord in a united spirit and were happy to receive other brothers and sisters in Christ at home. They once invited Rev. Tian from Huairen to their home; he stayed for over a week, and many believers came to listen to his preaching. When their mother went to visit other members, their father supported her by taking care of the family without complaining.
After listening to the pastor's sharing, I am so touched and determined to do one thing: Now that I have received the most wonderful blessing in my life, I will definitely pass it on to my children so that they will also be blessed in their lives.
(This article was written by a guest writer for the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Joyce Leung
山西大同农村教堂为一信徒举办了一场追思礼拜，他的家走出了五位牧师，一个儿子是上海的基督教领袖。
7月8日，三百多名信徒前来参加浑源县耿风山的追思礼拜，也有来自上海、大同市、临汾市，以及内蒙古的牧长同工。
耿风山，生于一九三五年，享年八十九岁。次子耿卫忠曾留学海外，现任上海市基督教协会教务委员会主任；女儿耿福琴及女婿黄海林现任临汾市及尧都区基督教两会主要成员；外孙韩愈目前攻读复旦大学博士研究生，现任杭州鼓楼堂教会牧师。
追思会由黄海林牧师主持，耿卫忠牧师做了《父亲留下的遗产》的主题证道，并追忆了父亲的生活。
长子耿保忠致辞，回忆了父亲的蒙恩悔改得救的经历。老人原来不信主，母亲出生在信主家庭，六个孩子相继长大。家里的经济也愈加捉襟见肘，也出了许多事情：家里唯一的一头牲畜意外死亡，一场大火又将所有农具、家什烧坏，身强力壮的父亲终于倒下了。那时家里除了简单的生活用品，还有一本破旧的圣经，那是母亲唯一的嫁妆。
在睡不着的时候，父亲开始翻看圣经，没有文化的父亲从看圣经开始，慢慢在改变自己。突然有一天，一向不交流的父亲，问了母亲一个问题，“我死了能不能和妻子儿女在一起”。母亲很惊讶，用圣经的话告诉他，信的死后上天堂，不信的下地狱。父亲听后说，我也要信耶稣！父亲第二天就去教会，靠神恩典恢复健康。
以后的日子，他和母亲二人同心侍奉，乐意接待弟兄姐妹。曾有怀仁来的田牧师被请到家里住了十多天，很多弟兄姐妹都前来听道。母亲出去看望弟兄姐妹，父亲默默支持母亲服侍教会。
牧师的分享也触动了我，我有了美好的生命，也一定会传承给孩子，一定带给孩子美好的未来。
注：本文作者为福音时报特约撰稿人。
基督教领袖的父亲的追思会
Last week, a rural church in Datong, Shanxi, held a memorial service for one of its members, Geng Fengshan. His family has produced five pastors, and one of his sons is an important Christian leader in Shanghai.
The memorial service was held on July 8 in Hunyuan County. On that day, more than 300 church members, as well as pastors and church workers from Datong City and Linfen City in Shanghai and Inner Mongolia, came to attend the service.
Geng Fengshan was born in 1935 and died at the age of 89. His second son, Rev. Geng Weizhong, studied abroad and is currently the president of Shanghai Christian Council; his daughter, Rev. Geng Fuqin, and son-in-law, Rev. Huang Hailin, are the key members of Linfen and Yaodu CC&TSPM, respectively; and his grandson, Han Yu, a Ph.D. student at Fudan University, is also the pastor of Gulou Church (Drum Tower Church) in Hangzhou.
The memorial service was conducted by Rev. Huang Hailin. In the service, Rev. Geng Weizhong preached a sermon entitled “The Legacy My Father Left” and spent a few moments reminiscing about his father's life.
Then his eldest son, Geng Baozhong, gave a speech to share his father's testimony of salvation. Their mother came from a Christian family, but their father did not believe in God. As the six children grew up, the family became financially strained. At the same time, several things happened: the family's only cattle died unexpectedly, and a fire destroyed all the farm tools and almost all their possessions. In the face of these blows, their strong and powerful father finally broke down. At that time, the family had nothing but a few basic utensils and a well-worn Bible, which was their mother's only dowry.
Gradually, their father began to read the Bible whenever he could not sleep. Through reading the Bible, their father, who had received no formal education from any school, began to change. One day, out of the blue, their introverted father asked their mother, “Will I be with you and the children after I die?” Very surprised, their mother explained to him that according to the Bible, those who believe in God will go to heaven after they die, while those who do not will go to hell. Upon hearing these words, their father replied, “I want to believe in Jesus, too!” And the next day, he went to the church to register. After becoming a Christian, by the grace of God, his health was also restored.
In the days that followed, their father and mother served the Lord in a united spirit and were happy to receive other brothers and sisters in Christ at home. They once invited Rev. Tian from Huairen to their home; he stayed for over a week, and many believers came to listen to his preaching. When their mother went to visit other members, their father supported her by taking care of the family without complaining.
After listening to the pastor's sharing, I am so touched and determined to do one thing: Now that I have received the most wonderful blessing in my life, I will definitely pass it on to my children so that they will also be blessed in their lives.
(This article was written by a guest writer for the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Joyce Leung
Memorial Service for Father of Shanghai Christian Leader
