In recent years, Rev. Stephen Tong, an overseas Chinese Indonesian Reformed pastor in his eighties, has continued to travel around Indonesia to preach the gospel. In just the past August, Pastor Tong's evangelical events in three cities in Indonesia attracted a total of 76,000 people in attendance.
In mid-September, at the 2023 US East Coast Gospel Rally in Boston, Tong shared this unlifting news with the audience.
"In these past few years, I've traveled to 189 cities across Indonesia, including towns, and spent only one day in each city before moving on to the next. Among those 189 cities, I've preached to a total of 720,000 people."
Pastor Tong shared that out of these 720,000 people, more than 500,000 came forward during the altar call. The number of attendees at each preaching event ranged from 3,000 to 10,000 people. In the entire month of August, this pastor preached to 76,000 people in Indonesia.
In three cities in North Sumatra Province in August, Indonesia, Pastor Tong's team would prearrange open-air venues in the city centers and set up chairs and podiums when they arrived in each city.
After each preaching event, the team would pack up the chairs and equipment and transport them to the next city. He mentioned that several large trucks were arranged to carry the stools for the audience.
"We need to set up 5,000 chairs, and sometimes, when we just finished arranging them around 4-6 p.m., it started raining and our team members quickly wiped the chairs dry. When the sun went down at 7 p.m., people started coming." Tong said he was deeply moved by the scene of people gathering. When the chairs ran out, people would stand to listen to the gospel.
In the world's most populous Muslim country, Tong has the opportunity to preach the gospel to Muslims during his events in Indonesia. The sound systems installed at the preaching events allowed the sound to reach a wider audience. He said, "Some people don't come out because they are Muslims; they just listen at the windows."
As one of the most respected evangelists in the world, Tong stated that in August, during the preaching event in Doloksanggul, a county town in North Sumatra Province with a population of 13,000, 9,000 people attended the event. He explained that Doloksanggul was a predominantly Christian area and that Indonesians made up the majority of the population in such areas, with very few Chinese.
He shared that on the day of the preaching event in Doloksanggul, he invited the restaurant owners to the event while dining in a Chinese restaurant. Later, the restaurant owners, along with their grandson, attended the event.
"When you see a gathering of ten thousand people, with thousands coming to the front to receive the calling, it brings tears to your eyes. It's like the scenes from two thousand years ago when Jesus preached in diverse cities and villages. Like John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness, people came to repent and come before the Lord."
Tong explained why he only held open-air evangelistic events in Indonesia, "In Indonesia, I can't hold evangelistic rallies at churches because even the largest churches can only accommodate two or three thousand people. Many people think that Western churches are thriving while Eastern churches are declining, but that's completely wrong. The world's largest Chinese churches are in Indonesia, not in the United States or Europe."
Regarding his ministry in Indonesia, this pastor proudly said, "I designed the largest church in the world, Gereja Katedral Jakartal, with Indonesian funds, without a single penny of foreign aid. It can seat 6,500 people, right in Jakarta."
As for the reason for his worldwide preaching tours, Tong said that because he had Chinese blood running through my veins and a debt of the gospel, he wanted to spread the gospel to Chinese people all over the world. In September, he conducted farewell preaching tours in four cities in the United States: Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., spanning 16 days, with four days of preaching in each city. Regarding the reason for conducting farewell preaching events in North America, Rev. Tong explained that he was now 83 years old and might not return to North America for preaching. As for his gospel work in Indonesia, he said that as long as God gave him strength, he would continue.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
近年来，已年过八旬的唐崇荣牧师依旧在印尼各地巡回讲道。单在刚过去的8月，唐牧师在印尼三个城市的福音活动就吸引了76000人实地参加。
9月中旬在波士顿的《唐崇荣牧师告别布道会》上，唐牧师向会众分享了这一振奋人心的好消息。
“我这几年在全印尼，包括乡镇在内跑了189个城市，每一次只用一天，第二天就到另外一个城市。在189个城市中，一共对72万人讲过道。”
唐牧师分享说，在这72万人中，有50多万人在呼召的时候都走到了台前。每场布道会参加人数在3000到10000人之间。在整个8月份，唐牧师在印尼已经对76000人讲过道。
8月的布道会是在印尼北苏门答腊省的3个城市举办的，唐牧师的团队每到一个城市，都在城镇的中心提前租好露天的大的场地，摆上凳子，搭建讲台。
每次布道会结束，同工们就收拾好凳子和所有的器具，运往下一个城市。唐牧师分享说，每一次，单搬运给会众听道用的凳子就需要几辆大卡车。
“5000个椅子需要摆，有时候4-6点刚摆放完椅子就下雨，（同工们）马上擦干这些椅子，到7点的时候太阳下山了，人们就（聚过）来了。”唐牧师说，看着人们纷纷过来的场景非常的感动。椅子不够用的时候，人们就站着参加布道会。
印尼是世界上最大的穆斯林国家，唐牧师在印尼的布道会也有机会向穆斯林传福音。在布道会现场安置的音响设备可以让声音扩散的更远，唐牧师说：“有些人不出来，因为他是回教徒，他就在窗口听。”
唐牧师见证说，8月份在印尼的布道包括在北苏门答腊省的一个县城杜落桑古（Doloksanggul），当地人口数量为13000人。布道会当天，有9000人来参加聚会。唐牧师介绍说，杜落桑古这个城市算是基督教的地区，这种以基督教信仰为主的地区几乎都是印尼人，中国人很少。
他分享说，在杜落桑古布道会当日，他在一个中餐馆就餐时，邀请了餐厅店主来参加聚会。后来店主夫妇带着他们的孙子，一家三口一起来参加了聚会。
“当你看到一万人的聚会，几千人到台前来，你会流泪。这个场面好像2000年前，耶稣在各城各乡传道。像施洗约翰在旷野呼喊，人来了就悔改，就到主的面前来。”
唐牧师解释了为什么在印尼只做露天福音大会的原因：“在印尼，我没有办法用礼拜堂开布道会，因为大的教堂也只能容纳两三千人。很多人以为西方的教会很兴旺，东方的教会很衰落，完全错误。世界最大的华人教会都在印尼。不在美国，不在欧洲。”
谈到在印尼的侍奉，唐崇荣牧师自豪的说：“（世界上最大的教堂— 雅加达大教堂是）我自己设计，我们用印尼的钱，没有外国人帮助一块钱建立的礼拜堂，可以坐6500人，就在雅加达。”
对于为什么在世界各地巡回布道，唐崇荣牧师说，“因为我流着中国人的血”，“欠福音的债”，因此想要把福音传给世界各地的华人。9月份在美国的告别布道会巡回了费城、波士顿、纽约和华盛顿DC四个城市，布道天数共16天，每个城市做了4天的布道会。至于为什么在北美做告别布道会的原因，唐牧师解释说他已经83岁了，可能不再会去北美做布道会。对于在印尼的福音工作，唐牧师表示，只要神给他力气，他就不会停下来。
唐崇荣牧师分享好消息：8月印尼巡回向76000人布道 亦盼福音达到全球华人
In recent years, Rev. Stephen Tong, an overseas Chinese Indonesian Reformed pastor in his eighties, has continued to travel around Indonesia to preach the gospel. In just the past August, Pastor Tong's evangelical events in three cities in Indonesia attracted a total of 76,000 people in attendance.
In mid-September, at the 2023 US East Coast Gospel Rally in Boston, Tong shared this unlifting news with the audience.
"In these past few years, I've traveled to 189 cities across Indonesia, including towns, and spent only one day in each city before moving on to the next. Among those 189 cities, I've preached to a total of 720,000 people."
Pastor Tong shared that out of these 720,000 people, more than 500,000 came forward during the altar call. The number of attendees at each preaching event ranged from 3,000 to 10,000 people. In the entire month of August, this pastor preached to 76,000 people in Indonesia.
In three cities in North Sumatra Province in August, Indonesia, Pastor Tong's team would prearrange open-air venues in the city centers and set up chairs and podiums when they arrived in each city.
After each preaching event, the team would pack up the chairs and equipment and transport them to the next city. He mentioned that several large trucks were arranged to carry the stools for the audience.
"We need to set up 5,000 chairs, and sometimes, when we just finished arranging them around 4-6 p.m., it started raining and our team members quickly wiped the chairs dry. When the sun went down at 7 p.m., people started coming." Tong said he was deeply moved by the scene of people gathering. When the chairs ran out, people would stand to listen to the gospel.
In the world's most populous Muslim country, Tong has the opportunity to preach the gospel to Muslims during his events in Indonesia. The sound systems installed at the preaching events allowed the sound to reach a wider audience. He said, "Some people don't come out because they are Muslims; they just listen at the windows."
As one of the most respected evangelists in the world, Tong stated that in August, during the preaching event in Doloksanggul, a county town in North Sumatra Province with a population of 13,000, 9,000 people attended the event. He explained that Doloksanggul was a predominantly Christian area and that Indonesians made up the majority of the population in such areas, with very few Chinese.
He shared that on the day of the preaching event in Doloksanggul, he invited the restaurant owners to the event while dining in a Chinese restaurant. Later, the restaurant owners, along with their grandson, attended the event.
"When you see a gathering of ten thousand people, with thousands coming to the front to receive the calling, it brings tears to your eyes. It's like the scenes from two thousand years ago when Jesus preached in diverse cities and villages. Like John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness, people came to repent and come before the Lord."
Tong explained why he only held open-air evangelistic events in Indonesia, "In Indonesia, I can't hold evangelistic rallies at churches because even the largest churches can only accommodate two or three thousand people. Many people think that Western churches are thriving while Eastern churches are declining, but that's completely wrong. The world's largest Chinese churches are in Indonesia, not in the United States or Europe."
Regarding his ministry in Indonesia, this pastor proudly said, "I designed the largest church in the world, Gereja Katedral Jakartal, with Indonesian funds, without a single penny of foreign aid. It can seat 6,500 people, right in Jakarta."
As for the reason for his worldwide preaching tours, Tong said that because he had Chinese blood running through my veins and a debt of the gospel, he wanted to spread the gospel to Chinese people all over the world. In September, he conducted farewell preaching tours in four cities in the United States: Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., spanning 16 days, with four days of preaching in each city. Regarding the reason for conducting farewell preaching events in North America, Rev. Tong explained that he was now 83 years old and might not return to North America for preaching. As for his gospel work in Indonesia, he said that as long as God gave him strength, he would continue.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Rev. Stephen Tong Preached to 76,000 People in Indonesia in August
