On November 10, Elder Li Yunxiang, the president of Yangxin County Christian Council, in Hubei, shared that Li Kunxiu, a member of Xin'en Church in the county, passed away at the age of 74.
Sister Li died in an accident on her way to attend the Sunday service on the morning of November 8.
Elder Li said that Sister Li loved the Lord very much. Although she was just an ordinary believer, she played a pivotal role in the establishment and development of the church.
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, Sister Li was born on September 8, 1946, and died on September 23, 2020. She was baptized and became a child of God in 1995.
She was one of the first believers of Xin'en Church. After being baptized, she preached the gospel to most of her relatives, friends and acquaintances, travelling to many villages both nearby and far away.
At first, when sister Li went to preach the gospel to her relatives and friends, her action attracted the attention of the local public security organs who mistakenly thought she was a cult member, as they lacked a correct understanding of Christianity. Once, when she was praying with several believers in her home, some policemen came and took them to the local police station for questioning. After being detained for 48 hours, she was rescued by the pastoral co-workers of the county Christian council. Despite this unpleasant experience, she still walked through the villages to preach the gospel when it was not the busy farming season.
Over the years, she had led her family to believe in the Lord, including her husband, five children, her sister and two brothers, her son-in-law, granddaughter, many nephews and nieces. Thus, her family became a Christian family. At the same time, she also led more than a dozen other relatives or neighbors to believe in the Lord.
Under the influence of Sister Li, one daughter opened her home as a gathering place, and another daughter contributed 30,000 to 50,000 yuan (RMB) to Xin'en Church to every year.
In the early years, after she had led her family and several villagers to believe in the Lord, she set up a gathering place in her home and led believers in worship. Having studied in school for years, she eagerly pursued the truth of God. As a result, she had a good education background and could lead the scripture reading, Bible study and prayer time, as well as teaching the believers to sing hymns.
As several believers lived more than ten kilometers away from her home, she established a large gathering point in a brother's house in the town for those believers. She also led Sunday worship at the larger gathering place and also taught the believers to sing hymns. Later, because this large gathering place was attacked by a heresy (the Cry to be Reborn Sect, designated as a cult by the government), some believers were deceived by their teaching. Sister Li and several other pastoral co-workers defended the truth and led the believers who had not been deceived back to her home and gathered in her home again with the support from the county Christian council.
As the number of believers increased, the gathering place was too small, and she encouraged the staff workers to build a church. But the site selection became a big problem. Because the local villagers believed in other religions for generations and rejected Christianity, they refused to allow a church to be built on their land. In the face of this difficulty, Sister Li and other pastoral co-workers encouraged the believers to keep praying , and at the same time she mobilized her brother, who was a local influential believer, to search for a place. Later, through the efforts of her brother (Brother Li Mingyue), and the support from the local people, they chose her mother’s village as the site for the church. During the period of building the church, her family contributed a lot of money. Not only did she do it herself, but she also encouraged her children, her brothers and nephews to actively contribute. Despite being elderly, she carried bricks and mud by hand with other believers.
After the church was built and put into use, she also held prayer meetings for believers near her home every Friday for many years.
Since Xin’de Church didn’t have well-educated pastors in these years, they invited pastoral co-workers from other churches to give sermons. Therefore, hosting visiting pastors became an important ministry of the church. When gathering at her home, she hosted the pastors every Sunday at her own expense. Though later the Sunday service was held in the church, she still insisted on having them in her home. For a long time, she led a very simple life, reserving the best food for the pastors.
On November 13, Xin'en Church held a memorial service for her at her residence. A brother named Li Shangyi, who was sitting in a wheelchair, said that Mather Li (his honorific name for sister Li) was full of love, as she often visited him at his home to encourage, comfort, and give him strength and help, treating him like her own child.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Pa2020年11月10日，湖北阳新县基督教协会会长李云香长老告知该县信恩堂离世信徒李坤秀姐妹，享年74岁。
李坤秀姐妹，是2020年11月8日（农历9月23日）礼拜天早上在去教堂礼拜的途中，不幸遭遇车祸离世的。
李长老说，李坤秀姐妹十分爱主，虽然只是一名普通的信徒，但她在信恩堂的创建和发展中，起到了举足轻重的作用。
李坤秀姐妹出生于1946年农历9月8日；殁于公历2020年11月8日（农历9月23日）。1995年蒙主耶稣基督的拣选成为神的儿女
她是信恩堂首批信主的几位基督徒之一。她信主后传扬福音，足迹遍布了她家乡方圆十几公里的大部分大小村落，向她绝大部分的亲戚朋友和同村父老乡亲传过福音。
福音初传入李坤秀姐妹的家乡时，当地相关管理部门还对基督教缺少正确的了解和认识。从而，在李坤秀姐妹走村串户向其亲戚朋友传福音时，引起了当地公安机关的关注（误认为她是邪教分子）。一次，她与几位信徒在其家中祷告时，被来村庄办事的公安民警发现，从而，被传唤致当地公安派出所接受询问。在当地派出所留置了四十八个小时后，才被该县基督教“两会”的同工解救。李坤秀姐妹传福音的热忱没有因为这次不愉快的经历而消退，依然在农闲时走村串户，向其亲戚朋友和乡亲们传扬主耶稣的福音。
这些年来，她先后带领了其丈夫和五个子女，一位同胞妹妹和两位同胞弟弟等亲人信主；在她的影响下，女婿和外孙外孙女基本信了主；娘家的二位弟媳和多个侄儿侄女信了主。从而，她的家庭成了基督化家庭。同时，她还带领或影响了十几位其他亲戚朋友或乡邻信主。
在李坤秀姐妹的影响和带动下，一个女儿长期开放家庭，作为其居住地周边信徒的小组聚会点；还有一个女儿，每年都向母会——信恩堂奉献三至五万元（人民币）的现金，以支助母会的圣工。
早年，当她带领了家人和几位乡亲信主后，为了让信徒能过上正常的信仰生活，就在自己的家里，设立聚会点，亲自带领信徒聚会。她念过几年书，又十分渴慕和追求属灵知识，从而，生命成长快，也掌握了一定的属灵知识，成了弟兄姐妹的属灵长者。她长期教弟兄姐妹们唱诗，带领弟兄姐妹们读经、查经和祷告。
当她与离她家十余公里，居住在集镇街道上的几位徒信取得联系并建立关系后，就与那些信徒一起在街道居住的一位弟兄家中，建立了大聚会点。她还带领这些弟兄姐妹参与大聚会点的主日崇拜；她自己还长期在大聚会点教唱诗歌和积极参与其它圣工。后来，因为这个大聚会点受到了异端——哭重生派（“全范围教会”，被国家政府定为邪教）的冲击，部分信徒被这个异端所迷惑；李坤秀姐妹等几位同工为了维护真理，在取得该县基督教“两会”的支持后，动员和带领没有受迷惑的弟兄姊妹离开异端，重新回到她家中建立聚会点。
随着信徒的增长，李坤秀姐妹看到了教会建堂的需要，从而，鼓励教会同工着手建堂。在建堂筹备过程中，选址成了最大的困难。因为，当地的村民世世代代信奉其他宗教，十分排斥基督教，从而，拒绝基督教会在他们的地盘上建教堂。在这一困难面前，李坤秀姐妹与其他同工在组织信徒恒切祷告的同时，动员她在当地具有一定影响力、且已信主的娘家弟弟出面寻找和争取地基。后来，在她娘家弟弟（李名月弟兄）的努力下，取得了娘家村里人的大力支持，将建堂地点选在了其娘家所在的村庄。在建堂期间，她不仅自己奉献，还鼓励自己的孩子和娘家的兄弟、侄儿积极奉献，从而，她家族为建堂事工奉献了大笔的财物。同时，她老当益壮，与教会的弟兄姐妹一起亲手搬砖和泥。
教堂建成投入使用后，她在家中设立祷告点，组织和带领她家附近的信徒，于每礼拜五举行祷告聚会；这样一坚持又是多年。
由于信恩堂这些年来还没有接受过神学装备的传道人，长期以来，在讲台事奉上基本依赖其他教会的同工同道帮助。因此，接待传道人成为该堂的一项重要事工。聚会点在她家时，每个礼拜天从本县其它堂点差来的传道人都由她自费接待，主日聚会搬到教堂后，她依然坚持接待。长期以来，她的生活十分简朴，有好吃的都要留着接待传道人。
11月13日，信恩堂在李坤秀姐妹住地为其举行追思礼。一位坐在轮椅上、名叫李尚义的弟兄说，李妈（他对李坤秀姐妹的尊称）很有爱心，这些年来常常去他家探望他、坚固他，待他如同亲生的孩子，给了他很大的鼓励和安慰，而且，在生活上也给予了他很大的帮助。
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/54388
悼念主耶稣所爱的好女儿李坤秀姐妹
On November 10, Elder Li Yunxiang, the president of Yangxin County Christian Council, in Hubei, shared that Li Kunxiu, a member of Xin'en Church in the county, passed away at the age of 74.
Sister Li died in an accident on her way to attend the Sunday service on the morning of November 8.
Elder Li said that Sister Li loved the Lord very much. Although she was just an ordinary believer, she played a pivotal role in the establishment and development of the church.
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, Sister Li was born on September 8, 1946, and died on September 23, 2020. She was baptized and became a child of God in 1995.
She was one of the first believers of Xin'en Church. After being baptized, she preached the gospel to most of her relatives, friends and acquaintances, travelling to many villages both nearby and far away.
At first, when sister Li went to preach the gospel to her relatives and friends, her action attracted the attention of the local public security organs who mistakenly thought she was a cult member, as they lacked a correct understanding of Christianity. Once, when she was praying with several believers in her home, some policemen came and took them to the local police station for questioning. After being detained for 48 hours, she was rescued by the pastoral co-workers of the county Christian council. Despite this unpleasant experience, she still walked through the villages to preach the gospel when it was not the busy farming season.
Over the years, she had led her family to believe in the Lord, including her husband, five children, her sister and two brothers, her son-in-law, granddaughter, many nephews and nieces. Thus, her family became a Christian family. At the same time, she also led more than a dozen other relatives or neighbors to believe in the Lord.
Under the influence of Sister Li, one daughter opened her home as a gathering place, and another daughter contributed 30,000 to 50,000 yuan (RMB) to Xin'en Church to every year.
In the early years, after she had led her family and several villagers to believe in the Lord, she set up a gathering place in her home and led believers in worship. Having studied in school for years, she eagerly pursued the truth of God. As a result, she had a good education background and could lead the scripture reading, Bible study and prayer time, as well as teaching the believers to sing hymns.
As several believers lived more than ten kilometers away from her home, she established a large gathering point in a brother's house in the town for those believers. She also led Sunday worship at the larger gathering place and also taught the believers to sing hymns. Later, because this large gathering place was attacked by a heresy (the Cry to be Reborn Sect, designated as a cult by the government), some believers were deceived by their teaching. Sister Li and several other pastoral co-workers defended the truth and led the believers who had not been deceived back to her home and gathered in her home again with the support from the county Christian council.
As the number of believers increased, the gathering place was too small, and she encouraged the staff workers to build a church. But the site selection became a big problem. Because the local villagers believed in other religions for generations and rejected Christianity, they refused to allow a church to be built on their land. In the face of this difficulty, Sister Li and other pastoral co-workers encouraged the believers to keep praying , and at the same time she mobilized her brother, who was a local influential believer, to search for a place. Later, through the efforts of her brother (Brother Li Mingyue), and the support from the local people, they chose her mother’s village as the site for the church. During the period of building the church, her family contributed a lot of money. Not only did she do it herself, but she also encouraged her children, her brothers and nephews to actively contribute. Despite being elderly, she carried bricks and mud by hand with other believers.
After the church was built and put into use, she also held prayer meetings for believers near her home every Friday for many years.
Since Xin’de Church didn’t have well-educated pastors in these years, they invited pastoral co-workers from other churches to give sermons. Therefore, hosting visiting pastors became an important ministry of the church. When gathering at her home, she hosted the pastors every Sunday at her own expense. Though later the Sunday service was held in the church, she still insisted on having them in her home. For a long time, she led a very simple life, reserving the best food for the pastors.
On November 13, Xin'en Church held a memorial service for her at her residence. A brother named Li Shangyi, who was sitting in a wheelchair, said that Mather Li (his honorific name for sister Li) was full of love, as she often visited him at his home to encourage, comfort, and give him strength and help, treating him like her own child.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Hubei Church Mourns Passing of Sister Li Kunxiu
