Manna issue 76 - True Jesus Church in Canada 加拿大真耶穌教會
The history and development of the church in Canada.
by Canada Coordination Centre
加拿大真耶穌教會的歷史和發展
加拿大聯絡中心
INTRODUCTION 簡介
The True Jesus Church in Canada was
first planted in Toronto, when church
members who immigrated to the
region started to gather for family
services. Later, in 1971, the Toronto
House of Prayer was established. The
membership grew over the following
years, resulting in the dedication of
the True Jesus Church in Toronto in
1977.
加拿大真耶穌教會首先在多倫多發芽，當時信徒移民到那裡，開始聚集來作家庭聚會。
其後，1971年，多倫多祈禱所成立。
隨後的幾年，信徒人數逐漸增長，最後，多倫多的真耶穌教會於1977年成立，將會堂獻給神。
From the 1970s to the 1990s,
a steady increase of immigrants,
mainly from Hong Kong, Malaysia
and Taiwan, brought new growth
in membership to different areas of
Canada. After the 2000s, believers
from China followed in large numbers
to settle in the country. Under the
continuous guidance of God and by
the power of His mighty hand, the
Canadian churches flourished and
were established in succession.
自1970年到1990年間，來自國外的移民有穩定的成長，
主來自香港，馬來西亞，台灣，到加拿大不同的區域，帶來信徒數新一波的成長。
In order to utilize human and
financial resources more efficiently,
the churches in Canada held their first
annual National Church Conference
(NCC) in Toronto in October 1992.
On the same occasion, the Canadian
Coordination Centre (CCC) was
officially founded, in line with the
International Assembly (IA) by-laws.
The purpose of the CCC is to pool and
share the resources of the Canadian
churches, to better carry out the
sacred work across the country.
These included the consolidation of
the faith of the believers, preaching
the word of God, carrying out the
commission of God, and providing
standardized training for the younger
generation.
為了更有效率的使用人力和財力資源，
加拿大的各真耶穌教會，在 1992 年十月於多倫多教會，舉開第一次年度全國教會大會(NCC)。
在同樣的時間裡，加拿大聯絡中心正式成立，符合聯總的議事章程。
加拿大聯絡中心設立的目的，是為了集中和分享加拿大教會的各種資源，讓全國都能作好聖工。
這些聖工包括鞏固信徒的信仰，宣道，實行神的託付，並且對年輕的一代施與標準化的訓練。
Up until this point, the church in
Canada did not have any fulltime
ministers. However, from 2002
onwards, God prepared three
preachers and a deacon to help
with the national church ministry
on a voluntary assignment basis.
Thank God for His providence,
Timothy Yeung responded to the
call of preacherhood and signed
up for the IA Theological Training
Program (TTP). After graduating
and completing his five-year post-
TTP assignment to a pioneering area,
he returned to Canada in 2006 to
serve as a fulltime preacher. In 2009,
Preacher Luke Hsieh joined the sacred
work to serve the church in Canada.
In 2015, having completed four years
of theological training and internship
placements, Preacher Tony Kuo was
ordained to become the third fulltime
minister in Canada. This ordination
marked a milestone because it was
the first time a preacher had been
ordained in Canada.
直到這個時候，加拿大的教會，還沒有任何全職的傳道者。
然而從2002年開始，神準備了3個傳道和1個執事，來幫助全國教會有自願的工人來進行宣道工作。
感謝神的賞賜，楊提摩西回應了加入傳道者的呼召，參加了聯總舉開的神訓班。
他畢業後，被派到宣道開拓的地區服事主，在完成神訓課程後的5年宣道工作之後，他在2006年回到加拿大，成為全職的傳道人來服事主。
在2009年的時候，台灣的謝宏駿傳道加入了這裡的聖工，來服事加拿大的教會。
2015年，郭勝祺傳道，完成了四年的神學訓練課程和實習安排，就被按立為傳道，成為在加拿大的第三個全職傳者。
這一次按立典禮也在歷史上成為一個值得紀念的日子，因為這是第一次有傳者在加拿大被按立。
By the grace of God, there are
currently four churches and one
prayer house in Canada: Toronto
(established 1971), Vancouver
(1988), Edmonton (1990), Calgary
(1994), and Montreal (1994),
respectively. In total, there are 812
members. Most churches began
with immigrant members who
gathered for family services, which
progressively expanded into houses
of prayer, and eventually churches.
因為神的恩典，目前在加拿大有四間教會和一間祈禱所：
多倫多(1971年成立)
溫哥華(1988年成立)
艾德蒙頓(1990年成立)
卡加利(1994年成立)
蒙特婁(1994年成立)。
總共有812位信徒。
大部份是教會，一開始是由移民的家庭聚會所組成的，然後人數日漸增加擴大成祈禱所，最後成立教會。
ORGANIZATIONAL STATUS 組織情況
The CCC Executive Committee
(EXCO) comprises seven council
members, including the chairman.
There are five departments in the
CCC EXCO: the Department of
Religious Affairs, the Department of
Training, the Department of Literary
Ministry, the Department of General
Affairs, and the Department of
Financial Affairs. Each department
is managed by one director, who is
responsible for mobilizing the work
of the church on a national level.
加拿大聯絡中心執行委員會，由七位負責人組成，含主席在內。
加拿大聯絡中心執行委員會，有五個部門：
宗教教育部，教會訓練部，文宣部，事務部，和財務部。
每一個部門由一位主管來管理，他們負責統籌全國性質的教會事工。
1. 國內信徒統計表
1992: About 200 members
2002: 540 members
2005: 620 members
2012: 774 members
2014: 812 members
2. 各地教會信徒統計表
CHALLENGES 挑戰
The Canadian True Jesus Church
membership is largely composed of
immigrants and is predominantly
Chinese in ethnicity. In addition, the
local churches are geographically
spread out and many provinces are
still without churches or members.
This poses some challenges to the
pastoral and evangelistic work of the
church nationwide. Many members
left their native countries to seek
a better life in Canada, but such
a significant move is not without
setbacks and hardships. As such, the
church in Canada needs to address
some problems for newcomers,
such as the language barrier, cultural
differences, the education of the
younger generation, obstacles in
professional life, and psychological
pressure. For those who are already
well adapted and comfortable in
Canada, there is often the challenge
of a lack of fervency as well as the
tempting influence of worldly values.
加拿大的真耶穌教會信徒，大部份由移民組成，主要是以華人為主。
此外，每間在地的教會，在地理位置上分佈在四處分散，而且還有許多省仍然沒有教會和信徒。
對於要巡牧信徒，或是國內各教會的宣道事工，構成了一些挑戰。
許多的信徒是離開原本的國家，來加拿大尋求更好的生活，但是這麼重大的作為，並不是沒有挫折和艱辛的。
就是因為這樣，加拿大的教會要向新來的人，說明一些問題，例如語言障礙，文化差異，子女教育問題，職業生涯的阻礙，和心理壓力。
而那些已經適應良好，並且在加拿大生活舒適的人，時常會面對缺乏熱心的挑戰，並且也會要面對世界價值觀影響的引誘。
Language Barrier 語言障礙
The official languages of Canada
are English and French, but most
church members speak a different
mother tongue. In order to cater for
the needs of the diverse membership
and the local population, each church
conducts services which are delivered
and/or interpreted into Chinese,
English, and sometimes French. Some
local churches have also created
multilingual websites, evangelistic
materials and online resources to
reach out to the non-Chinese.
加拿大的官方語言是英文和法文，但是大部份教會信徒說不同的母語。
為了可以好好照顧各種不同信徒的需求，以及需要面對當地的居民，
每一個教會舉行聚會的時候，講道和翻譯會用中文，英文，有時會用法文。
一些當地教會也建立了多語的網頁，宣道資料，線上資源，為的就是能夠接觸非華人的族群。
Cultural Differences 文化差異
Canada is a multicultural country
with different ethnic and cultural
groups coexisting side by side.
Many believers live within their own
cultural communities, and often
have limited interaction with wider
society. Thus, it is sometimes difficult
for these members to relate to the
Canadian lifestyle and find common
ground with the general public. In
order to preach to non-Chinesespeaking
truth-seekers, the churches
hold hymnal evangelistic services and
outreach activities. Communication
and mutual understanding are vital in
a church that is increasingly diverse.
Cultural clashes are inevitable, but
the local churches are striving to
encourage integration and maintain
harmony, while teaching the correct
biblical doctrines to preserve the
faith. It is the responsibility of
the church in the present time to
integrate everyone into the faith,
without favoring one culture over
another, or compromising with the
trends and practices of society.
加拿大是一個有多個文化的國家，有不同的種族和文化族群，同時在一起存在於社會中。
許多信徒活在他們自已文化的社區裡，常常和其他更多的社會族群，只有少少有限的互動。
因此，這些信徒要與加拿大的生活模式能產生關連，或是要和一般社會大眾有一些彼此的互動，有時候是困難的。
為了要向非華語的慕道者來傳道，各教會都舉辨福音詩歌佈道會，和各種擴展福音的活動。
在教會裡，互相交通和互相了解是非常重要的，並且逐漸變化多端。
文化衝擊也無法避免，但是各各教會都努力鼓勵融合，維持和諧，並且教導正確的聖經教訓來保守信仰。
目前教會的責任，就是在信仰上整合每一個人，不偏坦一種文化，或輕視另一個文化，
並且也不向社會的潮流和貫例來妥協。
Educating the Younger Generation 教育年輕的子女
Inter-generational gaps occur when
the younger generations become
proficient in English and French, and
lose their ability to communicate
in their mother tongues. Firstgeneration
immigrant parents may
find it difficult to speak to their
children, let alone pass down their
faith. The generations of youths
who grew up in Canada have been
educated with certain principles,
concepts and values in school, which
are inconsistent with the values they
are taught at home and in church.
Our children are the future of the
church, and the greatest challenge in
raising them is this conflict between
the truth and worldly views. The
church should encourage parents to
raise their children in Christ, so that
they will not deviate when they grow
older. All parents, whether they are
immigrants or not, face these issues
in the education of their children.
One must first hold on to the
complete faith, to be an example to
the children, teaching them to adjust
to changing environments while
remaining in the truth. The church
is tasked with strengthening and
building up the faith of each family.
當年輕的一代精通英文和法文的時候，並且喪失了母語溝通的能力，二代之間的代溝就因此發生了。
第一代的雙親移民，可能會發現要說服他們的子女很難，更不用說要把他們的信仰傳承下去。
在加拿大長大的年輕一代，已經受過某些教育，如學校裡面所教的法則，概念和價值觀。
我們的子女是教會的未來，養育他們最大的挑戰就是，會面對到真理和世俗價值觀的衝突。
教會應該鼓勵父母，在教會裡養育他們的子女，這麼一來，當他們長大的時候，就不會偏離真道。
所有的父母，不論他們是不是移民，都在教育他們的子女上，面臨到這些問題。
首先要抓緊這完全的信仰，並且成為兒女的模範，教導他們能夠一直保守在真理中，來適應這個多變的環境。
教會的任務，就是要加添每一個家庭的信心，並且讓信心得以拙壯。
Obstacles in Professional Life 職業生涯的阻礙
Canada does not accept professional
qualifications from most foreign
countries, and many immigrant
professionals need to retake
examinations before their credentials
are recognized by the government. It
is also difficult to find employment in
one’s chosen field, because most jobs
require Canadian work experience.
Thus, many members are not
employed in their field of expertise.
However, they are able to use their
skills to serve as volunteers in church,
and to help various individuals and
fellowship groups. If we build our
faith on the Rock, facing obstacles
can further our knowledge of God’s
grace and love, and tribulations can
become blessings in disguise. The
church should instill this faithful
attitude in members, so that they
can overcome such challenging
circumstances of life.
加拿大並不接受大部份國家的職業証照，許多移民者的職業，在他們被政府重新授權之前，需要再考試一次。
要在自已的領域裡，找到工作也是很困難的，因為大部份的工作需要加拿大本地的工作經驗。
所以，有許多信徒在他們原本的專業領域裡，找不到工作。
然而，他們可以使用他們的技能，成為志工在教會服事，來幫助各種人和各各團契。
如果我們把信心建立在磐石上，面對前面的阻礙，可以進一步加深我們對神的恩典和慈愛的知識，
那各種苦難就會成為一種偽裝的祝福。
教會要把這種信仰的態度灌輸在信徒身上，這樣他們才能克服生活中，會遇到挑戰的各種環境。
Psychological Pressure 心理壓力
The church can provide new
immigrants with counselling, to help
them to adjust and integrate into
Canadian society. When dealing
with members under great stress, the
church needs to provide the word
of God, in addition to caring and
encouraging actions. Members need
to learn to leave their comfort zone,
lift up their eyes and look upon the
Lord Jesus. In this way, they will be
released from the bondage of stress,
and live a life of heavenly joy and
freedom in Jesus Christ. This is the
goal that the church strives to reach,
so that the name of Christ Jesus will
be glorified and praised.
教會可以幫助新的移民，給予一些建議，讓他們可以調適，並且融入加拿大的社會。
當處理信徒，他正在面對巨大的壓力時，教會要能提供神的話語，除了關心之外，並且有鼓勵的行動。
信徒要能夠走出自已的舒適圈，眼目向上仰望神，求主耶穌幫助。
這樣，他們才會從壓力的束縛中解放，也才能活出天國喜樂的生活，得到在耶穌基督裡的自由。
這是教會要努力達成的目標，這麼一來，基督耶穌的名才會得到榮耀和讚美。
Complacency 自滿
As life is very comfortable in Canada,
members may become complacent
when their lives are blessed with
material abundance. Members need
to be alert to seemingly insignificant
changes and influences in their
environment, so that they are not
led astray; they must respond by
cultivating their spirituality instead.
Without cultivation, they may lose
their initial love and fervency for
God, and lack the sense of mission
to work for a greater purpose. One
of the biggest threats that the church
faces today is feeling contented with
where we are now, without having
the urgency to expand and grow.
Canada, after all, is the second largest
country in the world by landmass,
so there is still much terrain to be
conquered. In order to do this, the
church in Canada needs to train up
more workers and spread the gospel
more rapidly.
在加拿大生活是非常舒適的，當信徒的生活受到祝福，有豐富的物質的時候，也有可能變得自滿。
信徒要時常警醒，對一些在他們環境裡，看起來似乎是不重要的改變和影響，要小心，那麼我們才不會被引走偏；
相反地，他們要用靈修的工作來面對和回應世界的變化。
若是沒有靈修，他們就會失去起初為神的愛和熱心，也會缺乏事工的使命感，去完成更大的目標。
今日教會所面對最大的威脅其中之一，就是對我們目前的狀態感到滿足，也沒有緊急感去擴大教會，讓教會成長。
畢竟，加拿大土地是世界上第二大的國家，所有有許多土地需要去開拓。
為了能這樣作，加拿大教會需要訓練更多的工人，並且能夠更快的廣傳福音。
Christian Values versus Worldly Values 基督徒的價值觀對上屬世的價值觀
Canada is a liberal country which
proudly embraces the tolerance and
acceptance of all cultures. Its nationfounding
policies also emphasize
human rights and the freedom of
people. True Jesus Church members
growing up in Canada, with no
exception, are being inculcated with
these values from a young age in
school. However, some of the values
and practices that have become
acceptable in Canadian society,
such as same-sex marriage, among
others, are straying further and
further away from the teachings and
principles of the Bible. The church
is the watchperson and the voice of
the end time, and she must stand on
guard for God’s people, to help them
fight the tides of this world.
加拿大是一個自由的國家，而且很自豪的擁包容各種文化。
它建國的政策也強調人類的權利和自由。
真耶穌教會的信徒在加拿大長大的人，也不會有例外，這些價值觀在學校自從小時候，就一直被灌輸。
然而，有一些價值觀和行為在加拿大社會裡，已經變成一種可以接受的情形，例如同性婚姻，
還有其他的事情，更是偏離聖經的教導和原則。
教會就是世界末了的守望者，以及警告的聲音，祂必須要為神的子民來警醒警戒，來幫他們對抗世界的潮流。
BLESSINGS 祝福
As we recount the blessings of the True Jesus Church in Canada, we can only see
God’s wonderful guidance and plan. We are thankful for the effort and hard work
of our predecessors in various regions across the country, and look forward to a
bright future. We pray that the Lord will continue to abide with all the brothers,
sisters and church workers, so that we can stand firm in our faith and practice
love. May the Holy Spirit guide the church to reach out and preach to all people
in every corner of Canada, so that Jesus’ name may be glorified. Amen.
當我們回想加拿大真耶穌教會的祝福，我們只會看到神奇妙的指引和計畫。
我們對於前輩，在橫跨全國各各不同的區域中，所付出的努力和艱苦的工作，實在很感謝，並且期待有更光明的未來。
我們祈求，神會繼續和所有的弟兄姐妹和教會的工人同在，那麼我們才能在信心和愛的付出上，站立得穩。
願聖靈引導教會，能夠向外廣展，把福音傳給加拿大每一個角落的所有人，那麼耶穌的名才能夠得到榮耀。
阿們。
加拿大各省地圖分佈圖
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)