The memorial service of Niu Shujun, the wife of the late influential house church pastor Li Tianen, was virtually held last Thursday.
After her husband Li who served the Chinese church for more than half a century died on May 3, 2016, Niu passed away on June 7, aged 92.
At the memorial service, Li Xinming, son of Pastor Li, shared the story of her mother, who followed the Lord all her life.
He said that when she was young, she went to Shanghai with Li who was imprisoned four times for the gospel during his lifetime, preaching the gospel in Pudong District. Coming from the countryside, her life was very difficult that she was never sure of her next meal but managed to survive by relying on God. She once shared that she missed those days very much because God supported her the way He fed Elijah.
"Father was arrested in the 1960s", Mr. Li Xinming shared. During the Cultural Revolution, his father Pastor Li was in prison for 18 years for his beliefs. His mother had to raise two young children by herself alone.
"As my mother could not turn to anyone else, she only came to the Lord to cry. God answered her, 'I am with you', and in despair He showed her a way to live."
"My mother delved into tailoring, making clothes in order to survive in the city of Shanghai." He continued, "At that time, many families were destroyed, many people committed suicide in desperation, but the illiterate woman from the countryside survived, for God was with her."
"She loved the Lord who was fond of her. Her words could always pierce people's hearts, not for how wise she was, but for the wisdom from God that was in her."
And when she was seriously ill, she mentioned that even if mountains fell on us and strong waves came our way, we should always rely on God, as He would never change.
Her son added, "Two weeks ago, my mother talked to me for the last time. She gasped, saying, 'This road of serving God is hard and full of thorns, but you must go on, as it is worth it.' Today, my mother has forever rested in the house of the Lord, and we will follow her on the path that leads to the house of the Lord."
Finally, the service ended with the hymn God Be With You Till We Meet Again.
Called by the Lord while still in college, Li Tianen quit his studies and turned to a seminary in Kaifeng, Henan. He later continued theological education in Nanjing and Hangzhou. He served the local churches in Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shangzhou, and the northeastern area of China after graduating from Hangzhou Theological Seminary in July 1950.
Having been imprisoned four times for the gospel during his lifetime, he spent more than a decade in Chinese prisons. He was arrested the second time in 1973 and sentenced to death due to his evangelism during the Cultural Revolution. Moreover, he faced execution by shooting squad on three occasions; however, the Almighty God amazingly saved him from "the lion's mouth". After the end of the Cultural Revolution, he resumed his preaching and service in churches across the country until his death.
As one of those who witnessed the history of Chinese churches, he served people of that era with Wang Mingdao, Ni Tuosheng (Watchman Nee), Yuan Xiangchen, Samuel Lamb, Xie Moshan, and Yang Xinfei.
Recalling his service, a pastor of a Chinese house church comments on him as "the root of the church in Henan and the light of the church in Shanghai."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
