The Evergreen Fellowship of a church in Shanxi held a thanksgiving service for a venerable male believer, celebrating his ninetieth birthday.
Nearly a hundred old people from the Seniors' Fellowship marked Shangguang Yan’s birthday last Friday in the basement of the Yaodu District Church in Linfen City, Shanxi Province.
Dressed in red flowers, Yan and his wife, Yang Meiguang, sat in the front row, surrounded by their children and relatives.
His ancestral home is Nanshangguan Village, Quwo County (now Houma City), Shanxi Province, while he lives currently in Linfen City. Recorded in "Quwo County Chronicles", he practiced medicine all his life, relieving many patients from pain. Having been an expert in gastroenterology for decades with exquisite medical skills, he still kept on treating patients until last year after retiring from the People's Hospital of Linfen City.
His grandfather, Shangguan Guoshun, appointed as a deacon and elder, was one of the earliest Christians in the county. Known for his devotion to the Lord, he pulled a cart of grain to the church every year after the summer and autumn harvests. His grandmother was martyred for the Lord.
His father-in-law was a pastor before the liberation (from Japanese occupation), rushing around to preach the gospel. Influenced by their father, his wife and her siblings were all willing to work for the Lord too. With a nursing career in the municipal hospital, his wife also worked as a cashier in the church for many years and was ordained as a deacon. After retirement, she devoted herself to serving God, including giving sermons, teaching hymns, and visiting various gathering places. Meanwhile, she donated money and materials to help the disabled, the weak, and the poor. Moreover, for several decades, the couple insisted on dedicating one-tenth of their proceeds to God.
With the inheritance of faith, they have established a Christian family, in which 29 people believe in the Lord. Every year on the first day of the first lunar month, they use the opportunity of family reunion to hold a thanksgiving service, testifying about the grace of God. As family worship is held every Saturday, the family often reads the Bible, prays and studies the word of God together. With three experts and lawyers in the family, all the grandchildren are successful in their careers.
In a speech, on behalf of the disabled fellowship, Elder Zhang Xiaohua expressed his gratitude to the two elderly people for their dedication to God and assistance to the disabled and the poor for many years. After that, a piece of calligraphy writing with the words "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalms 34:8)", was presented as a birthday gift.
Shangguan also reviewed his own experience and the examples of his elders, sharing testimonies of the whole family in serving God. Later, his eldest daughter spoke on behalf of younger generations, thanking God for His grace and for the love of other church members.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
5月28日，来自教会长者团契的近百位老人欢聚一堂，共同为德高望重的上官彦老弟兄举行九十寿辰感恩崇拜。
山西省临汾市尧都区城区堂地下室内，“老寿星”上官彦和夫人杨美光身披大红花端坐前排，子女及亲友围坐一旁。
上官彦原籍山西曲沃县南上官村（现属侯马市），其祖父上官国顺是该县最早的基督徒之一，后被按立为执事、长老，素以乐于甘心为主奉献闻名，每年夏收秋收后，都要拉一车粮食奉献教会，其祖母为主被杀殉道。《曲沃县志》曾有记载。他本人一生行医，在临汾市人民医院为多年消化科专家，艺术精湛。退休后还余热生辉，一直到去年仍坚持出诊，为许多患者解除病痛。
爱人杨美光父亲解放前就是牧师，四处奔波为主传扬福音，兄妹几人深受影响，甘心为主做工，她也在市医院长期从事护理工作。多年在教会从事出纳工作，被按立为执事。退休后专心服侍神，经常深入各聚会点讲道、教唱、看望，而且经常捐款捐物，助残扶弱济困，而且几十年如一日，二人都一直坚持奉献十分之一。
因着信仰传承，他们还建立了基督化家庭，全家老少29人都信主，每年正月初一都要利用合家团聚的机会，举行感恩礼拜，述说数算神的恩典；每周六举行家庭敬拜，一起读经祷告，学习神的话语。一门走出了三位专家，还有律师，孙辈们也都事业有成。
张晓华长老发表了致词，代表残障团契对二位老人多年来坚持奉献，深表谢意。之后一幅书写有“你们要尝尝主恩的滋味，便知道他是美善，投靠他的人有福了（诗篇34：8）”书法作品，作为寿礼献上。
上官彦老先生也作了发言，回顾了自己的经历和长辈奉献的榜样，以及全家侍奉神的感恩见证。此后长女上官萍代表儿女发言，感恩神的恩待和众弟兄姊妹的爱心。
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/portal/article/index/id/56456
临汾市尧都区基督教会为上官彦老先生庆贺九十寿辰侧记
The Evergreen Fellowship of a church in Shanxi held a thanksgiving service for a venerable male believer, celebrating his ninetieth birthday.
Nearly a hundred old people from the Seniors' Fellowship marked Shangguang Yan’s birthday last Friday in the basement of the Yaodu District Church in Linfen City, Shanxi Province.
Dressed in red flowers, Yan and his wife, Yang Meiguang, sat in the front row, surrounded by their children and relatives.
His ancestral home is Nanshangguan Village, Quwo County (now Houma City), Shanxi Province, while he lives currently in Linfen City. Recorded in "Quwo County Chronicles", he practiced medicine all his life, relieving many patients from pain. Having been an expert in gastroenterology for decades with exquisite medical skills, he still kept on treating patients until last year after retiring from the People's Hospital of Linfen City.
His grandfather, Shangguan Guoshun, appointed as a deacon and elder, was one of the earliest Christians in the county. Known for his devotion to the Lord, he pulled a cart of grain to the church every year after the summer and autumn harvests. His grandmother was martyred for the Lord.
His father-in-law was a pastor before the liberation (from Japanese occupation), rushing around to preach the gospel. Influenced by their father, his wife and her siblings were all willing to work for the Lord too. With a nursing career in the municipal hospital, his wife also worked as a cashier in the church for many years and was ordained as a deacon. After retirement, she devoted herself to serving God, including giving sermons, teaching hymns, and visiting various gathering places. Meanwhile, she donated money and materials to help the disabled, the weak, and the poor. Moreover, for several decades, the couple insisted on dedicating one-tenth of their proceeds to God.
With the inheritance of faith, they have established a Christian family, in which 29 people believe in the Lord. Every year on the first day of the first lunar month, they use the opportunity of family reunion to hold a thanksgiving service, testifying about the grace of God. As family worship is held every Saturday, the family often reads the Bible, prays and studies the word of God together. With three experts and lawyers in the family, all the grandchildren are successful in their careers.
In a speech, on behalf of the disabled fellowship, Elder Zhang Xiaohua expressed his gratitude to the two elderly people for their dedication to God and assistance to the disabled and the poor for many years. After that, a piece of calligraphy writing with the words "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalms 34:8)", was presented as a birthday gift.
Shangguan also reviewed his own experience and the examples of his elders, sharing testimonies of the whole family in serving God. Later, his eldest daughter spoke on behalf of younger generations, thanking God for His grace and for the love of other church members.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Shanxi Church Celebrates Christian Doctor’s 90th Birthday
