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教會同工 Our Ministers

教會簡史

一群主内的弟兄姐妹在雅靈頓地區的教會聚會、服事多年以後，看見神的異象，深深感到需要有一間以服事初信者及慕道朋友家庭為對象的教會，經過一段時間的禱告之後，於主後一九八七年一個炎熱7月的星期日下午，在蔡約翰夫婦的家中開始第一次的崇拜聚會。第一次的主日崇拜聚會約有20-25人參加，由龔明東牧師與林毓麟長老主持崇拜與查經。

初期參加聚會的主要家庭有盧惠興、劉慧珍夫婦，蔡約翰、龔明先夫婦，陳仲燦、龔明璇醫師夫婦，黃然、姚惠雲夫婦，龔明惠姐妹，林思民、劉引夫婦，陳素琴女士，劉良俊、龔明愛夫婦，謝立人先生，和陳希真姐妹。

蒙神的祝福，一九八七年的九月Pantego Bible Church答應借給我們使用教會的設施，讓主日下午的崇拜聚會以及星期五晚上的團契活動有了適當的場所，雅城聖經教會就此誕生了。 當時除了林毓麟長老繼續帶領教會外，更蒙神的祝福，從達拉斯神學院(DTS)帶領衪的僕人Don & Annie Espina夫婦來幫助教會兒童及青少年的事工。神也感動李雪桃與陳希真姐妹參與兒童主日學的事工而成爲教會最早的兒童主日學老師。

神的祝福繼續不斷。教會正式成立約一個多月之後，神的恩雨再次降在雅城聖經教會，神感動七位兄姐的心，一九八七年十月在教會第一次的洗禮崇拜中受洗歸主，加入神的大家庭，成爲衪的兒女。雅城聖經教會從此日漸增長，感謝主！

神知道教會的需要，衪繼續不斷地差遣衪的僕人來幫助、牧養教會。一九八八年一月，神差遣新加坡聖經神學院院長沈立德牧師在DTS進修期間來參與教會的服事，並牧養教會。於一九九零, 曾興才被按立为雅城圣经教会的第一任主任牧师。

為著幫助弟兄姐妹靈性的增長，並參與神給信徒的大使命，教會與一九九一年舉辦了第一屆的差傳年會，支持宣教士，並參與全球宣教的事工。教會支持的第一位宣教士是菲律賓的Ms.Deborah Santo Domingo， 從此每年的九月就成爲教會的差傳月！

教会在神的祝福下不但弟兄姐妹靈性日漸增長，教會人數也日漸增加。神看見教會的需要，加上弟兄姐妹們的努力，教會於一九九一年四月買下原來是意大利餐廳及辦公室的建築物。在曾興才牧師的帶領下，將它改建成我們現在的教堂的工程立即展開。教堂的改建於次年的八月完成，教會也及時遷入新堂聚會，並於十月舉行獻堂感恩禮拜。感謝主，衪賜給我們自己的聚會場所，讓我們能方便地推展傳福音的各樣事工。神感動眾弟兄姐妹甘心樂意的奉獻，使教會能在短短的三年内將建堂的貸款完全還清, 其中也包括一位年長的愛主姐妹將積蓄奉獻！

教會設立迄今，神繼續不斷地差遣衪的僕人來幫助、牧養衪自己的教會。這些年來，開始由龔明東牧師與林毓麟長老，接著有沈立德牧師、陳宗清牧師、鄧英善牧師、曾興才牧師, 鄧梓全牧師，劉碧虎牧師和史惠恩牧師。這些牧者或長時間或短時間在雅城聖經教會忠心服事、牧養教會，感謝主！神不斷地祝福我們，願天父繼續看顧、保守，帶領雅城聖經教會，也懇求父神幫助我們每一位弟兄姐妹，忠心於神所交付我們的大使命—“去使萬民作主的門徒”。

Arlington Chinese Bible Church History

A group of brothers and sisters in the Lord, after worshipping and serving in churches in the Arlington area for many years, saw the vision of God and desired to start a church to serve non- believing friends and new believers and their families. After much prayer, on a hot Sunday afternoon in July of 1987, they had the first Sunday worship at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Sison. There were about 20-25 people in the first worship service and Rev. Moses Keng and Elder Allen Lim led the worship and Bible study. The core families at the beginning of the church were Mr. and Mrs. Huey and Jenny Lu, Mr. and Mrs. John and Lucien Sison, Drs. Filemon and Shirley Tan, Mr. and Mrs. Ran Huang. Ms. Keng Beng Hui, Dr. and Mrs. Szu Min Lin, Mrs. Keng Tan So Khim, Mr. and Mrs. David and Irene Lau, Mr. Ben Hsieh, and Miss Bernadine Tan.

Through the Lord’s blessing, in September of that year, Pantego Bible Church agreed to let us use their facilities on Sunday afternoons for worship services and Friday nights for fellowship meetings. Arlington Chinese Bible Church (ACBC) was then officially born. While Elder Allen Lim continued to minister and lead the congregation, God also blessed us by sending from Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) Mr. and Mrs. Don and Annie Espina to lead the children and youth ministry. Ms. Dao Ly and Ms. Bernadine Tan answered the calling of our Lord and led the children’s Sunday School ministry. They became our first Children’s Sunday School teachers.

A month after the church was officially established, God touched the hearts of a group of seven brothers and sisters and they were baptized in ACBC’s first baptismal worship service in October of 1987. Praise the Lord!

God knew the needs of the church and continued to send His servants to help and minister the church. In January of 1988, Rev. Michael Shen, the principal of Singapore Bible College, while studying at DTS, joined our church and ministered to us. In 1990, Rev. Hing Chai Cheng became ACBC’s first full time pastor.

In order to help the spiritual growth of brothers and sisters and to encourage them to be involved in the great Commission of our Lord, ACBC held the first Mission Conference in 1991. The first missionary ACBC supported was Ms. Deborah Santo Domingo from the Philippines. Since then, September has been the church’s mission month.

As God continued to bless, lead and guide the church, brothers and sisters grew spiritually and the church grew in number. God saw the need of the church to have its own facilities and in April of 1991, through an interest free loan provided by a brother in the church, we purchased a building that had been an Italian restaurant. Under the guidance of Pastor Hing Chai Cheng, the conversion of that property into our current church building began immediately. The renovation of the church was completed in August of 1992 and the new church sanctuary dedication service was held on October 10, 1992. Praise the Lord for blessing us with our own church building! The loan for the building was paid off in three short years through the love and generosity of many brothers and sisters in the church including a sister who gave the remaining balance of the loan.

Since the beginning, God has continued to send His servants to help and to minister His church. The first pastors were Rev. Moses Keng and Elder Allen Lim, followed by Rev. Michael Shen, Rev. Ching Chong Chen, Rev. Patrick Tang, Rev. Hing Chai Cheng, Rev. Chee Chuen Tang, Rev. Pik H. Law and Rev. Eliyah Shira.  These servants of God served and ministered church members faithfully.

May our heavenly Father continue to watch over and guide Arlington Chinese Bible Church. May He also help each one of us faithfully obey the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations”.