国语礼拜堂历史

History of the San Diego Chinese Mandarin Church

荣耀归于三一真神﹗

主后一九七零年﹐刚从美国东部迁來南加州的梁传播弟兄﹐被神感动要成立一个中文查经班。于是他先收集中国人的姓名﹐地址﹐共有伍百人左右﹐主要是加州大学的学生及刚开始工作的留学生。经他分別写信邀请﹐不久就在加大的中国学者宿舍的交谊室﹐开始第一次的聚会﹔以后人数渐渐增加﹐交誼室不敷使用﹐經商得一間浸信會的同意﹐在他们的教会中聚会查经。这时﹐本城华人中﹐只有一间早期华侨们聚会﹐用粤语﹐英語崇拜的教会。

感谢主﹐查经班中各样恩赐的人都有﹐大家自己帶领唱诗﹐查经﹐祷告﹐探访﹐在不到一年的时间里﹐查经人数达到二十多人。大家在主里心中火热﹐计划成立一个教会﹐以便中国人在自己语言的教会中﹐大家同心协力﹐兴旺福音﹐敬拜﹐事奉神。在计划建堂的事上﹐有主里的弟兄姊妹﹐付出许多的精力与爱心。当初參加查经的弟兄姊妹﹐有来自不同的宗派﹐爱主的心却都是一样﹐因此订定将要成立的教会宗旨是只传耶稣基督钉十字架的救恩﹐教会取名为国语礼拜堂。

一九七一年六月十二日﹐國語禮拜堂在圣地亚哥城﹐借十街第一浸信会的副堂举行首次崇拜﹐參加崇拜的共有四十三人﹐在自制十字架形的木板上签下了个人的姓名。这片有纪念性的木板﹐现存于教会中。大家读中文圣经﹐唱中文赞美诗歌﹐充滿了无比的兴奋﹐感到神亲自在我们当中﹐每个人都流下喜乐的眼泪﹐感謝赞美神﹗初期的教会﹐由自己的弟兄轮流讲道﹐大家分別担任各项教会传福音及事奉的工作﹐神也不断地添加教会的人數。

一九七四年﹐神将自己购买一间礼拜堂的事放在大家的心中。经过多次的祷告﹐在神奇妙的安排下﹐在不到五个月的时间中﹐买下了今天的堂址。神的安排是人想不到的﹐梁弟兄夫妇在五号公路出了车祸﹐梁姊妹受了不大不小的伤。车祸是他人的錯﹐得到的一笔理赔費用被全部奉献在主前﹐作为感恩﹐也定下了教会的基金基础﹐同時教会的奉献也蒙神大大的祝福。

教会不断增長﹐先后有两批弟兄姊妹开发了两间新的教会。感谢神﹐籍著分出去的弟兄姊妹﹐让福音传开﹐使更多的华人归主。后来﹐教会有能力购买一辆交通车﹐服侍年长又沒有交通工具的弟兄姊妹來教堂聚会。这件事奉工作至今沒有间断。目前礼拜堂中﹐有同工执事分別负责各项事工。大家在主里﹐只为兴旺福音﹐领人归主﹐一同敬拜真神。求神祝福这个在神里小小的家﹐多领人归主﹐荣耀神的名。阿门﹗

主后一九九七年梁归文麟志

选编自<<圣地雅歌国语礼拜堂建堂三十周年纪念特刊>>

History of the San Diego Chinese Mandarin Church

Glory be to the Triune God!

In 1970 A.D., Brother Chuanbo Liang, who had just moved from the eastern United States to Southern California, felt called by God to establish a Chinese Bible study group. He first gathered the names and addresses of about five hundred Chinese individuals, primarily students at the University of California and newly arrived Chinese scholars beginning their careers in the area. After sending personal invitations, the first gathering was soon held in the lounge of the Chinese scholars’ dormitory at the university. As the number of attendees gradually increased, the lounge could no longer accommodate the group. Through negotiation, a Baptist church graciously allowed them to meet for Bible study in their church building.

At that time, there was only one Chinese church in the city, established by early Chinese immigrants, where services were conducted in Cantonese and English.

Thanks be to the Lord, the Bible study group was blessed with members possessing various gifts. They led hymn singing, Bible study, prayer, and visitation by themselves. Within less than a year, the Bible study attendance grew to over twenty participants. With fervent hearts for the Lord, the group began planning to establish a church, so that Chinese believers could worship, serve God, and spread the gospel together in their own language. In planning the establishment of the church, many brothers and sisters devoted great effort and love. Although the members of the original Bible study group came from diverse denominational backgrounds, they all shared the same love for the Lord. Thus, they determined that the purpose of the church would be to solely proclaim the salvation through Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. The church was named the San Diego Mandarin Baptist Church.

On June 12, 1971, the first worship service of the Chinese Mandarin Church was held in San Diego, borrowing the chapel of the First Baptist Church on Tenth Street. A total of forty-three people attended this service and signed their names on a cross shaped wooden plaque, which remains preserved in the church to this day as a memorial. During this initial worship, everyone read the Chinese Bible and sang Chinese hymns with great excitement, deeply sensing God’s presence among them. Many were moved to tears of joy, offering heartfelt thanks and praise to God.

In the early days, sermons were delivered in turn by the brothers from the congregation, and the members shared the responsibilities of evangelism and various ministries. God continued to add to the number of believers in the church.

In 1974, God placed upon the hearts of the congregation the desire to purchase their own church building. After much prayer and through God’s wondrous guidance, the congregation acquired the current church property in less than five months. God’s arrangement was beyond human expectation. Brother Liang and his wife were involved in a car accident on Interstate 5, in which Sister Liang sustained minor to moderate injuries. The accident was caused by the other party, and the compensation they received was entirely dedicated to the Lord as an offering of thanksgiving, laying the financial foundation for the church. At the same time, the church’s offerings were greatly blessed by God.

As the church continued to grow, two groups of brothers and sisters subsequently went out to establish two new churches. We thank God that through those who went out, the gospel was spread further, bringing more Chinese people to the Lord. Later, the church acquired a church bus to serve elderly brothers and sisters who had no means of transportation, enabling them to attend worship services. This ministry continues without interruption to this day.

Currently, the church has co-workers and deacons who are responsible for various ministries. United in the Lord, our only desire is to advance the gospel, lead people to Christ, and worship the one true God together. We pray that God would bless this small family in Him, so that more souls may be led to the Lord, and His name may be glorified. Amen!

Compiled in A.D. 1997 by Liang Guiwen Linzhi

Excerpted and adapted from the “30th Anniversary Commemorative Publication of the San Diego Chinese Mandarin Church.”