Zhanggong District CC&TSPM, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, held a thanksgiving testimony service last Saturday for a 100-year-old pastor at Gospel Church in Xijin Road.
Pastor Ju Zengxi cited Psalms 103:1-5, 116:8, 12-13, and 89:1, to describe God’s grace in his life during the service, according to Ganzhou CC&TSPM.
Born into a Christian family in 1921, he was saved from death several times by God in his childhood. Together with four other persons, he was baptized in the Ji'an branch of the China Inland Mission after the Dragon Boat Festival in May 1937.
After studying in Shanghai Spirituality Training Theological Seminary starting from 1950, he worked as a full-time pastor in Ganzhou Church at the age of 32. Although having retired in 1990, he still worked for the Lord so that people in remote mountainous areas could hear the gospel. He was very grateful to the Lord that he had the "five good qualities". First, he had a good memory, so he could always keep in his heart the Bible verses which he could share with other faithful. Second, he had a good and sonorous singing voice, so he could lead everyone to sing and worship the Lord wherever he went. The third were his good ears, so he could communicate with others since retirement until now. Fourth, with good strong legs and feet, he could walk 100 miles a day to work for the Lord. The last was his good popularity, with which he could get along well with men, women and children.
He had brought the good news to 18 counties’ churches in southern Jiangxi. He missed the Ji'an churches in his hometown, so he also gave sermons in churches in Taihe, Suichuan, Yongfeng, and Shuinan Town in Jishui County. He was welcomed by church members, as he was approachable and his sermons were simple and easy to understand. Many brothers used their cars to drive him to different places to work for the Lord. Some believers in the mountains also brought food, vegetables, clothes and shoes to him. What was more to be grateful was that a brother insisted on cutting his toenails for him for more than 20 years since he became old.
Ju Jianrong shared some of his father’s little-known experiences. In her memory, though his father was a poor pastor, he once pulled around a handcart while working on earthwork in order to earn money, and also hemmed shoes in a shoe factory despite suffering from high myopia (shortsightedness). Even though he was classified as a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, he still did not lose his confidence. Sometimes she saw her father sighing up to the sky and sometimes singing, playing the piano and the flute. She said this kind of joy could only be enjoyed in Christ. Although he had no sons, he had more spiritual children in Christ.
Elder Zhu Wenhui witnessed that among all the pastors, the area of places Mr. Ju had served was the widest, while his attendance was the highest in 52 meeting points in Ganzhou city. The places where he served most were churches in Ruijin. There are 18 towns in Ruijin City, and he had served in almost all of them. It is also the place with the highest number of believers in Ganzhou City. With at least 5,000 yuan given to churches every year, he was among the pastors who contributed most. He provided his own savings of 10,000 yuan and more than 4,900 yuan which other believers gave to him for the construction of Gospel Church in Xijin Road, Ganzhou City. Over the years, he had supported countless number of theological students who returned to the church to serve after graduation. Mr. Ju also had the most gifts, as he could play the piano, teach poetry, preach, and speak the dialects of Ji'an, Nanchang, Shanghai and Ruijin, as well as Hakka. It is likely the only case in Jiangxi and one of the few in the country, where a 100-year-old pastor could still preach from the podium.
Nearly 800 believers in churches of Ganzhou City and staff from churches the pastor had served in attended the testimony meeting. The latter churches include Gospel Church in Ji’an City, Shuinan Church in Jishui County, Gospel Church in Suichuan Town, and other churches in Ruijin County, Yudu County, Nankang District, Dayu County, Chongyi County, Longnan County, Huichang County, Gan County, Xingguo County, Tandong, Tankou, Sanjiang, Fenggang, and Tangjiang.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
赣州市章贡区基督教两会于2021年4月17日在西津路福音堂举办鞠增希先生百岁感恩见证会。
见证会邀请了鞠先生传道服侍过的吉安市福音堂、吉水县水南教会、遂川福音堂、瑞金县、于都县、南康区、大余县、崇义县、龙南县、会昌县、赣县、兴国县、潭东、潭口、三江、凤岗、唐江等教会的教会同工及赣州教会的弟兄姊妹近800人参加。
鞠增希先生感恩见证，引用诗103:1-5、116:8、12-13、89:1的经文，讲述自己一生蒙恩的经历：
鞠增希于1921年出生在基督徒的家庭，小时候几次经历死亡边缘而蒙上帝奇妙的救赎，1937年在吉安内地会受洗，当时一同受洗共有5人。几人5月过了端午节先受洗。
1950年，鞠增希蒙主呼召前往上海传道人灵修学院读神学，毕业后32岁在赣州教会全职传道。1990年退休，但为了偏远山区能够有人听见福音，仍然到处为主做工。他很感谢主，让他清楚知道自己有“五好”：一是记忆好，可以把读的圣经常常存记在心和弟兄姊妹分享；二是歌唱好，声音洪亮，无论走到哪里都可以带领大家唱诗敬拜主；三是耳朵好，从退休直到现在耳朵听力很好，方便和弟兄姊妹沟通，四是腿脚好，一天可以走100里路程为主做工，五是人缘好，男女老幼都可以谈得来。
赣南18个县大小教会都留下了他佳美的脚踪，他还念念不忘家乡的吉安教会，到泰和、遂川、永丰、吉水水南等教会去为主传道。鞠先生的平易近人，讲道深入浅出通俗易懂也得到了弟兄姊妹的认可。很多弟兄用汽车供给他使用，载他去到不同的地方去为主做工，还有山区的弟兄姊妹带来粮食，蔬菜、衣服鞋子。更感恩的是年老之后，有一位弟兄二十多年坚持为鞠先生剪脚指甲。
鞠见荣同工分享了自己的父亲鲜为人知的一些经历。在记忆中父亲虽然是穷传道，即使在文革年代被划成右派，仍然没有失去信心。为了生活去拉大板车打土方，深度近视还去鞋厂做鞋子的包边。有时看见父亲仰天长叹，有时又看见父亲唱歌，弹琴、有时还吹箫，这种喜乐只有在基督里才能体会的到。父亲虽然没有儿子，但福音的果子，在基督里生养了更多的属灵的儿女。
朱文辉长老见证鞠先生为主传道的地方最广，赣州市城区52个聚会点他服侍的出勤率最高，到的最多的地方是瑞金市教会，瑞金市有18个乡镇，差不多都走过，也是赣州信主最多的地方。他的奉献也是赣州传道人中最多的人之一，每年至少有5000元奉献给教会，记得赣州福音堂西津路福音堂建造时，他把弟兄姊妹给他奉献的4900多元及自己的积蓄1万元人民币用于建堂奉献。多年来资助神学生不计其数，才得以完成神学训练，回到教会服侍。鞠先生的恩赐也最多，能弹琴，能教唱诗歌，能讲道，还有方言的恩赐，能讲客家话，吉安话、南昌话、上海话、瑞金话等。100岁的老传道还能够站讲台讲道，在江西应该是唯一的，在全国也是屈指可数的。
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/portal/article/index/id/56025
赣州教会百岁传道鞠增希先生感恩见证会
Zhanggong District CC&TSPM, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, held a thanksgiving testimony service last Saturday for a 100-year-old pastor at Gospel Church in Xijin Road.
Pastor Ju Zengxi cited Psalms 103:1-5, 116:8, 12-13, and 89:1, to describe God’s grace in his life during the service, according to Ganzhou CC&TSPM.
Born into a Christian family in 1921, he was saved from death several times by God in his childhood. Together with four other persons, he was baptized in the Ji'an branch of the China Inland Mission after the Dragon Boat Festival in May 1937.
After studying in Shanghai Spirituality Training Theological Seminary starting from 1950, he worked as a full-time pastor in Ganzhou Church at the age of 32. Although having retired in 1990, he still worked for the Lord so that people in remote mountainous areas could hear the gospel. He was very grateful to the Lord that he had the "five good qualities". First, he had a good memory, so he could always keep in his heart the Bible verses which he could share with other faithful. Second, he had a good and sonorous singing voice, so he could lead everyone to sing and worship the Lord wherever he went. The third were his good ears, so he could communicate with others since retirement until now. Fourth, with good strong legs and feet, he could walk 100 miles a day to work for the Lord. The last was his good popularity, with which he could get along well with men, women and children.
He had brought the good news to 18 counties’ churches in southern Jiangxi. He missed the Ji'an churches in his hometown, so he also gave sermons in churches in Taihe, Suichuan, Yongfeng, and Shuinan Town in Jishui County. He was welcomed by church members, as he was approachable and his sermons were simple and easy to understand. Many brothers used their cars to drive him to different places to work for the Lord. Some believers in the mountains also brought food, vegetables, clothes and shoes to him. What was more to be grateful was that a brother insisted on cutting his toenails for him for more than 20 years since he became old.
Ju Jianrong shared some of his father’s little-known experiences. In her memory, though his father was a poor pastor, he once pulled around a handcart while working on earthwork in order to earn money, and also hemmed shoes in a shoe factory despite suffering from high myopia (shortsightedness). Even though he was classified as a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, he still did not lose his confidence. Sometimes she saw her father sighing up to the sky and sometimes singing, playing the piano and the flute. She said this kind of joy could only be enjoyed in Christ. Although he had no sons, he had more spiritual children in Christ.
Elder Zhu Wenhui witnessed that among all the pastors, the area of places Mr. Ju had served was the widest, while his attendance was the highest in 52 meeting points in Ganzhou city. The places where he served most were churches in Ruijin. There are 18 towns in Ruijin City, and he had served in almost all of them. It is also the place with the highest number of believers in Ganzhou City. With at least 5,000 yuan given to churches every year, he was among the pastors who contributed most. He provided his own savings of 10,000 yuan and more than 4,900 yuan which other believers gave to him for the construction of Gospel Church in Xijin Road, Ganzhou City. Over the years, he had supported countless number of theological students who returned to the church to serve after graduation. Mr. Ju also had the most gifts, as he could play the piano, teach poetry, preach, and speak the dialects of Ji'an, Nanchang, Shanghai and Ruijin, as well as Hakka. It is likely the only case in Jiangxi and one of the few in the country, where a 100-year-old pastor could still preach from the podium.
Nearly 800 believers in churches of Ganzhou City and staff from churches the pastor had served in attended the testimony meeting. The latter churches include Gospel Church in Ji’an City, Shuinan Church in Jishui County, Gospel Church in Suichuan Town, and other churches in Ruijin County, Yudu County, Nankang District, Dayu County, Chongyi County, Longnan County, Huichang County, Gan County, Xingguo County, Tandong, Tankou, Sanjiang, Fenggang, and Tangjiang.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
100-Y-O Pastor Shares Life-long Testimony
