On November 26, 2022, Pastor Wang Zhongxiao passed away in Shanghai's Xinhua Hospital at the age of 89. Later that year, on December 3, his fellow church coworkers held a memorial service for him, and churches and individuals who had received help from Pastor Wang all came to express their condolences.
The memorial service began with the hymn "Amazing Grace," then the choir sang Pastor Wang's three favorite hymns: "Lord, Here I Take My Cross," "It Was the Lord Who First Loved Me" and "Lord, I Love You".
The lyrics go like this:
"Lord, here I take my cross now to follow Thee, worldly gain and empty fame are but dross to me;
It was the Lord, not I, who first showed His love; it was the Lord who chose me, so I followed Him.
Whenever I think of the Lord's great love, it is so great that I have nothing to repay.
I love You, Lord, because You died for me; from this day on, my body and my mind I surrender to You; it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me."
One of Pastor Wang's students shared that these three hymns, which Pastor Wang often sang together with other believers, were his all-time favorites, and the words of the hymns actually reflected the real life of Pastor Wang as testified by God and people.
He remembered the prayer that Pastor Wang led him to pray on his knees before God 30 years ago: "Lord, it is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. You have called me to dedicate myself to You since I was 18 years old, and for these past 40 years, You have accepted my dedication and kept Your covenant with me. Lord, may You continue to maintain the love between You and me until the day I am old and gray and pass from this life to my eternal home." The words of this prayer have also become the aspiration and goal of the lives of many believers in the Church.
At the memorial service, various churches and individuals who had received Pastor Wang's help and mentoring expressed their condolences for him:
Church A was once in a state of disarray due to doctrinal issues, and it wasn't until after speaking with Pastor Wang that the members of the church finally had a better understanding of the teaching of the Bible. Moreover, since Pastor Wang came to the church, the struggling church has been able to develop with his help.
A coworker from Church B shared: "Pastor Wang is our beloved pastor, our spiritual father on earth, and an example for us to follow. Pastor Wang did not lead us to Christ because he was well-educated or because he was eloquent, but because he showed us a life that was lived in the Lord. He was humble and sincere, and he loved God and people with all his heart and without fear. He practiced what he preached and meant what he said when it came to dealing with others. He was a true Israelite in whom there is no deception".
He went on to say that Pastor Wang was indeed very humble. Once, a publisher wanted to write a testimony of Pastor Wang based on his life story, but he refused because he wanted to give all the glory to the Lord.
Pastor Wang was also full of love and acceptance for those who were younger than him. In the early years when he came to the church, the believers often called Pastor Wang by his first name, and even though Pastor Wang, who was relatively traditional-minded, valued respect for superiors and seniority, he did not care much how he was called. Later, as the believers got to know Pastor Wang better, they all began to call him Pastor Wang out of love for him.
"Dear old Pastor Wang loved to take pictures of others to capture memories, but some of the younger believers could not understand the pastor's heart. However, after knowing that some believers did not like to be photographed, Pastor Wang restrained himself and did not ask others to be photographed so often. From all these little things, we could see the abundant love overflowing from the life of this servant of God.
A brother in Christ said that he would always remember Pastor Wang's kindness in taking his two daughters as students and letting them live in his home for half a year without charging them.
A sister in Christ who accompanied and cared for Pastor Wang in his later years shared that God led her to Pastor Wang after she became a Christian. Pastor Wang gave her training and opportunities to preach and even arranged a position for her in the church, which led her into full-time ministry and opened the door for her to study theology.
Pastor Wang Zhongxiao was born on January 2, 1933, in Pudong, Shanghai. He graduated from Shanghai High School. He received a call to dedicate himself to the Lord at the age of 18 from the Holy Spirit during a prayer meeting. He then studied at the seminary for four years and, upon graduation, began to serve the Lord with other spiritual mentors. In the following years, Pastor Wang participated in pastoral training in churches throughout China, helping to develop and support the many churches in the country and their coworkers. He rested in peace with the Lord on November 26, 2022, in Shanghai's Xinhua Hospital.
- Translated by Joyce Leung
2022年11月26日，王忠孝牧师在上海市新华医院离开人世，享年89岁。同年12月3日，教会同工为其举办了追思礼拜，曾经得到王牧师扶助的教会和个人纷纷表达了他们的悼念之情。
追思礼拜在圣乐《奇异恩典》中拉开帷幕，之后诗班献上了王牧师生前最喜欢的赞美诗《主我今背十字架》《原是主先爱我》《主我爱你》：
“主，我今背十架，前来跟随你，浮名利、虚荣华，一概都舍弃；
原是主先爱我，非我先爱祂，是主先拣选我，我才跟随祂；
每思念主爱大，粉身碎骨难以报答；
主我爱你，因恩主你曾为我死，从今日起我将身心完全献给你，不再是我，乃是基督在我里面活。”
王牧师的一位学生分享说，这三首歌是王牧师生前最喜欢的歌，也是他经常和弟兄姐妹分享的歌。这些诗歌是王牧师一生真实的经历，是在上帝和人面前可以得到见证的。
他回想起30年前王牧师带领他跪在上帝面前的祷告：“主啊，人在年幼负轭原是好的。我从18岁那年蒙你的恩召将自己奉献给你，40年过去了你悦纳我的奉献，和我立下的约没有改变。主啊求你继续保守我与你之间的爱，直到我年老发白，离世归家的日子。”这个祷告也成为教会很多信徒一生的志向和追求。
追思礼拜上，曾经得到王牧师扶助和引导的各教会和个人都表达了对他的哀悼：
A教会曾经遭遇过教义的冲击，教会内部非常混乱。教会同工经过和王牧师的交通后，明白了上帝纯净话语的规模。并且王牧师自来到这个教会，帮助患难中的教会得以发展。
B教会的一位同工分享道：“王牧师是我们敬爱的牧者、地上的属灵父亲，是我们效仿的榜样。王牧师带领我们信主，不是靠过人的学识和口才，是活生生的向我们展现了他被主得着的生命。他为人谦卑真诚，爱神爱人单纯无畏……与人交往言行一致，心口合一，是心里没有诡诈的真以色列人……。”
他还分享说，王牧师为人极其谦和，曾有著书人想以他的经历为题材，为他写见证书。但是被他回绝了，因为他要把一切的荣耀都归给主。
王牧师对后生之辈也充满了爱与包容。在教会头几年，信徒对王牧师常常是直呼其名。而王牧师是比较传统的人，讲究尊师重教、长幼有序，但他并不计较这个称呼。当信徒对王牧师有更深的了解后，因爱他的缘故都改称他为王牧师。
“老人家特别爱给人照相留纪念，有些年轻的肢体不能体会老人家的心意，当他知悉有人对照相有抵触后 ，就自己节制，比较少地招呼大家照相。在这些点点滴滴里，我们都看到上帝仆人被爱充满的丰盛生命。”
一位男信徒表示，他会铭记王牧师让他两个女儿在他那里学习，半年时间在他家吃在他家住没有收取任何费用的恩情。
晚年在王牧师身边陪伴和照顾他的一位姐妹分享到，她信主后，上帝把她带到了王牧师身边。王牧师培养她，给她讲道的机会，并且给她安排服事的禾场，引导她走上全职事奉的道路，也为她开了神学学习的大门。
王忠孝牧师，1933年1月2日出生于上海浦东，高中毕业于上海中学。18岁时在一次聚会祷告中被圣灵感动奉献给主。之后在神学院进深4年，毕业后与属灵的长辈一起服事上帝。后来多年在全国各地的教会中做培训牧养的工作，扶持了全国各地许多的教会和同工。于2022年11月26日在上海市新华医院离开人世，安息主怀，荣归天家。
怀念逝者| 王忠孝牧师追思礼拜：在上帝面前谦卑，在人面前显出极大的怜悯
On November 26, 2022, Pastor Wang Zhongxiao passed away in Shanghai's Xinhua Hospital at the age of 89. Later that year, on December 3, his fellow church coworkers held a memorial service for him, and churches and individuals who had received help from Pastor Wang all came to express their condolences.
The memorial service began with the hymn "Amazing Grace," then the choir sang Pastor Wang's three favorite hymns: "Lord, Here I Take My Cross," "It Was the Lord Who First Loved Me" and "Lord, I Love You".
The lyrics go like this:
"Lord, here I take my cross now to follow Thee, worldly gain and empty fame are but dross to me;
It was the Lord, not I, who first showed His love; it was the Lord who chose me, so I followed Him.
Whenever I think of the Lord's great love, it is so great that I have nothing to repay.
I love You, Lord, because You died for me; from this day on, my body and my mind I surrender to You; it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me."
One of Pastor Wang's students shared that these three hymns, which Pastor Wang often sang together with other believers, were his all-time favorites, and the words of the hymns actually reflected the real life of Pastor Wang as testified by God and people.
He remembered the prayer that Pastor Wang led him to pray on his knees before God 30 years ago: "Lord, it is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. You have called me to dedicate myself to You since I was 18 years old, and for these past 40 years, You have accepted my dedication and kept Your covenant with me. Lord, may You continue to maintain the love between You and me until the day I am old and gray and pass from this life to my eternal home." The words of this prayer have also become the aspiration and goal of the lives of many believers in the Church.
At the memorial service, various churches and individuals who had received Pastor Wang's help and mentoring expressed their condolences for him:
Church A was once in a state of disarray due to doctrinal issues, and it wasn't until after speaking with Pastor Wang that the members of the church finally had a better understanding of the teaching of the Bible. Moreover, since Pastor Wang came to the church, the struggling church has been able to develop with his help.
A coworker from Church B shared: "Pastor Wang is our beloved pastor, our spiritual father on earth, and an example for us to follow. Pastor Wang did not lead us to Christ because he was well-educated or because he was eloquent, but because he showed us a life that was lived in the Lord. He was humble and sincere, and he loved God and people with all his heart and without fear. He practiced what he preached and meant what he said when it came to dealing with others. He was a true Israelite in whom there is no deception".
He went on to say that Pastor Wang was indeed very humble. Once, a publisher wanted to write a testimony of Pastor Wang based on his life story, but he refused because he wanted to give all the glory to the Lord.
Pastor Wang was also full of love and acceptance for those who were younger than him. In the early years when he came to the church, the believers often called Pastor Wang by his first name, and even though Pastor Wang, who was relatively traditional-minded, valued respect for superiors and seniority, he did not care much how he was called. Later, as the believers got to know Pastor Wang better, they all began to call him Pastor Wang out of love for him.
"Dear old Pastor Wang loved to take pictures of others to capture memories, but some of the younger believers could not understand the pastor's heart. However, after knowing that some believers did not like to be photographed, Pastor Wang restrained himself and did not ask others to be photographed so often. From all these little things, we could see the abundant love overflowing from the life of this servant of God.
A brother in Christ said that he would always remember Pastor Wang's kindness in taking his two daughters as students and letting them live in his home for half a year without charging them.
A sister in Christ who accompanied and cared for Pastor Wang in his later years shared that God led her to Pastor Wang after she became a Christian. Pastor Wang gave her training and opportunities to preach and even arranged a position for her in the church, which led her into full-time ministry and opened the door for her to study theology.
Pastor Wang Zhongxiao was born on January 2, 1933, in Pudong, Shanghai. He graduated from Shanghai High School. He received a call to dedicate himself to the Lord at the age of 18 from the Holy Spirit during a prayer meeting. He then studied at the seminary for four years and, upon graduation, began to serve the Lord with other spiritual mentors. In the following years, Pastor Wang participated in pastoral training in churches throughout China, helping to develop and support the many churches in the country and their coworkers. He rested in peace with the Lord on November 26, 2022, in Shanghai's Xinhua Hospital.
- Translated by Joyce Leung
In Memory of Pastor Wang Zhongxiao: 'Humble before God and Merciful to Man'
