Rev. Ouyang Hou (Shishi) was born in 1884 in Tatan Village, Chengxi Town, Longxi (presently known as Longhai District, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province), into a family of five children, who were raised alone by his mother after his father's early demise. Being the youngest child, at the age of six or seven, Ouyang began to collect pig manure in the village and sell it daily to provide for the family. He was malnourished and physically frail. Moreover, residents of the village ridiculed him for having a congenital cleft lip, while wealthy kids in the area frequently subjected him to beatings and bullying. Later, he was lured away from Tatan village by an older opium addict, forced to beg during the day and sleep at the gate of the village at night when he wandered to Zhangpu and other places.
While wandering and dressed in rags, he stumbled upon the Xinluwei Church at the Xinluwei of Zhangpu, where he attended sermons and sang hymns every Sunday, attracting the attention of Rev. Wu Ju. With the help of Rev. Wu, Ouyang secured admission to the Fengyuan (not sure) School that the church held and completed his studies. Upon recommendation from the same church, he went to study at the Shanghai Theological Seminary, where he met Huang Debi, who hailed from Changqiao, Zhangpu, and became his best friend. Huang Debi introduced Huang Side, his eldest brother’s oldest daughter, to Ouyang Hou, who eventually married her.
In 1929, Ouyang Hou commenced serving at the Shima Church, becoming a director of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (not sure) of the Southern Fujian Synod of the Church of Christ in China while also serving as a director of the Christian Weekly. He founded a church school with short semesters, personally supervising its operations to encourage people to read the Bible using a textbook with the Roman alphabet. He aimed to help his students "ascend from knowing the alphabet to knowing the truth."
Moreover, Reverend Ouyang Hou attached great importance to the evangelical propaganda work and went on to establish the Shima Church Information Record. Additionally, he personally authored several historical records of the church and biographical articles on prominent pastors. In 1945, Hou was appointed as the chairman of the Minnan Theological Seminary. Afterward, he pursued his ministry in Malaysia from 1949 until he passed away peacefully in 1966.
On June 12th of this year, a male believer named Ouyang Shenci, who is the eldest son of a local pastor, Ouyang Jianyou, narrated about his father. Shenci described, "Rev. Ouyang Hou is a benefactor of our family and a diligent servant of the Lord."
Jianyou's father passed away early in his life, which left his mother as a young widow with four children to provide for. Unfortunately, those in the village had a tendency to bully widows. It was at this juncture that Rev. Ouyang Hou paid a visit to their dilapidated home. Witnessing the family's wretched condition, he brought Jianyou back with him to Shima the following day where Jianyou was granted the opportunity to study free of charge at Minli Primary School, which was administered by Shima Church. Later, he was also supported to complete his junior high school education free of charge at Zhangzhou Talmadge College. After graduating from middle school in early 1939, Jianyou progressed to study at Minnan Theological Seminary. Upon completion of his theological studies in 1941, he returned to Tatan, his hometown, and initiated the task of preaching and constructing a church. Subsequently, he established Baotan Primary School, wherein he served as the principal. Thereafter, he commenced to teach by day and preach by night.
At the time of the foundation of the People's Republic of China, Ouyang Hou had planned to bring Rev. Jianyou with him as he pursued his ministry in Malaysia. However, given that there was no pastor left behind to pastor the local church and also that Jianyou had many young children, he opted against taking him. Jianyou continued to serve as a loyal servant of the Lord until his unfortunate passing in 1968.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
欧阳侯（石狮）牧师，1884年出生，龙溪（现福建省漳州市龙海区）程溪镇塔潭村人。
其父亲早年去世，母亲成了寡妇,独养五个小孩，欧阳侯是家中最小。六七岁的他每天在村里拾猪粪卖，欧阳侯自幼营养不良，长得又瘦又小。加上患先天性唇裂常为村里人嘲笑，经常受村里富人小孩打骂欺负。后来欧阳侯在村里一名年纪较大的“鸭片鬼”（吸食鸦片的人）引诱下，离开塔潭村，到漳浦等地流浪。白天乞讨为生，晚上露宿村头。
在异乡流浪期间，身着破烂的他偶然来到漳浦新路尾的新路尾教堂。自此之后，每个主日，他都进礼拜堂认真听道、吟诗，引起了吴埧牧师的注意。
随后，在吴牧师的帮助下，欧阳侯进入了教会办的逢源学校读完书。不久，经教会推荐，欧阳侯到上海神学院学习，认识了漳浦长桥人的黄得庇，两人称兄道弟。黄得庇介绍其大哥的长女黄泗德给他为妻。
1929年起，欧阳侯牧师开始在石码礼拜堂事奉，期间他还兼任中华基督教闽南大会宣道会董事、《道南报》董事等职。他亲自创办了“以罗马字为课本勉人读经，以认识主为目的”的教会短期学校，让学员“由字母而升入真道”。
此外，欧阳侯牧师还重视福音文宣工作，创办了《石码堂会徵信录》。他亲自撰写不少教会史料和杰出牧者的传记式文章。
1945年，欧阳侯牧师任闽南神学院董事长，并于1949年赴马来西亚事奉，直至1966年异地安息主怀。
今年6月12日，当地一传道人欧阳建猷的大儿子——欧阳神赐弟兄，讲说他爸爸的故事。“欧阳候牧师是我们家的恩人，神家的好仆人。”
因为欧阳建猷的父亲早年去逝，母亲成了年轻寡妇带四个儿女艰难地生活，村里恶人欺负寡妇人家习以为常。欧阳牧师看到建猷家里破烂不堪，四个小孩吃的很薄的稀饭，配的是邻居送的（咸）菜汁。经他母亲同意，欧阳牧师第二天便带建猷回石码，让他免费在石码教会办的民力小学毕业，又让他免费在漳州寻源中学读完初中。1939年初中毕业后的欧阳建猷考上闽南神学院。1941年自闽南神学院毕业后，欧阳建猷回家乡塔潭任传道，兴建圣殿。后创建宝潭小学，任校长。白天教书，晚上传道。
临中国解放时，欧阳候牧师去了马来西亚，也本想把建猷传道带上。考虑到当地教会没有人，建猷传道多子女且年纪尚小，就没有随行……此后，欧阳建猷一身为仆，于1968年含冤逝世。
欧阳侯牧师小传
Rev. Ouyang Hou (Shishi) was born in 1884 in Tatan Village, Chengxi Town, Longxi (presently known as Longhai District, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province), into a family of five children, who were raised alone by his mother after his father's early demise. Being the youngest child, at the age of six or seven, Ouyang began to collect pig manure in the village and sell it daily to provide for the family. He was malnourished and physically frail. Moreover, residents of the village ridiculed him for having a congenital cleft lip, while wealthy kids in the area frequently subjected him to beatings and bullying. Later, he was lured away from Tatan village by an older opium addict, forced to beg during the day and sleep at the gate of the village at night when he wandered to Zhangpu and other places.
While wandering and dressed in rags, he stumbled upon the Xinluwei Church at the Xinluwei of Zhangpu, where he attended sermons and sang hymns every Sunday, attracting the attention of Rev. Wu Ju. With the help of Rev. Wu, Ouyang secured admission to the Fengyuan (not sure) School that the church held and completed his studies. Upon recommendation from the same church, he went to study at the Shanghai Theological Seminary, where he met Huang Debi, who hailed from Changqiao, Zhangpu, and became his best friend. Huang Debi introduced Huang Side, his eldest brother’s oldest daughter, to Ouyang Hou, who eventually married her.
In 1929, Ouyang Hou commenced serving at the Shima Church, becoming a director of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (not sure) of the Southern Fujian Synod of the Church of Christ in China while also serving as a director of the Christian Weekly. He founded a church school with short semesters, personally supervising its operations to encourage people to read the Bible using a textbook with the Roman alphabet. He aimed to help his students "ascend from knowing the alphabet to knowing the truth."
Moreover, Reverend Ouyang Hou attached great importance to the evangelical propaganda work and went on to establish the Shima Church Information Record. Additionally, he personally authored several historical records of the church and biographical articles on prominent pastors. In 1945, Hou was appointed as the chairman of the Minnan Theological Seminary. Afterward, he pursued his ministry in Malaysia from 1949 until he passed away peacefully in 1966.
On June 12th of this year, a male believer named Ouyang Shenci, who is the eldest son of a local pastor, Ouyang Jianyou, narrated about his father. Shenci described, "Rev. Ouyang Hou is a benefactor of our family and a diligent servant of the Lord."
Jianyou's father passed away early in his life, which left his mother as a young widow with four children to provide for. Unfortunately, those in the village had a tendency to bully widows. It was at this juncture that Rev. Ouyang Hou paid a visit to their dilapidated home. Witnessing the family's wretched condition, he brought Jianyou back with him to Shima the following day where Jianyou was granted the opportunity to study free of charge at Minli Primary School, which was administered by Shima Church. Later, he was also supported to complete his junior high school education free of charge at Zhangzhou Talmadge College. After graduating from middle school in early 1939, Jianyou progressed to study at Minnan Theological Seminary. Upon completion of his theological studies in 1941, he returned to Tatan, his hometown, and initiated the task of preaching and constructing a church. Subsequently, he established Baotan Primary School, wherein he served as the principal. Thereafter, he commenced to teach by day and preach by night.
At the time of the foundation of the People's Republic of China, Ouyang Hou had planned to bring Rev. Jianyou with him as he pursued his ministry in Malaysia. However, given that there was no pastor left behind to pastor the local church and also that Jianyou had many young children, he opted against taking him. Jianyou continued to serve as a loyal servant of the Lord until his unfortunate passing in 1968.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
Biography of Pastor Ouyang Hou in Fujian
