Manna issue 70 - A Brief Introduction to the UK Churches 英國教會簡介
A faith and zeal rekindled. 重新點燃信心和熱心
by UKGA 英總
HISTORY 歷史
Believers who are unaffiliated with a
church and unable to have fellowship
with other brethren are like branches
that cannot bear fruit. This was the
situation for the first few isolated
members and families who came to
the United Kingdom (UK). Gradually,
these brethren grew in faith and
fervency, and eventually established
the UK churches and the General
Assembly of the United Kingdom
(UKGA), but the road to this point of
development was long and hard.
沒有歸屬教會的信徒，就不能和弟兄姐妹團契，就像不能結果子的枝子。
這就是第一代來到英國的少數孤立信徒和家庭的情況。
漸漸地，這些弟兄姐妹信心成長，變得更加熱心，最後建立了英國教會和英國總會，
但走到這種發展狀況的路是又長又艱辛。
True Jesus Church members from
Malaysia first migrated to the UK
for study and work in 1950. Starting
from January 1960, members
from Hong Kong Island, the New
Territories and Ap Chau followed.
Initially, the majority of these
migrants were single brothers, who
worked extremely hard for a living.
They were scattered in different
places and did not gather together at
first, but through the encouragement
of some early workers from overseas,
the brethren gradually came together
for worship. Gathering places, prayer
houses, and eventually churches
were established. Today, there are
nine churches and over two thousand
members spread across the UK.
在1950年，首先有馬來西亞移民到英國讀書和工作的真耶穌教會信徒。
從1960年一月開始，有信徒從香港島來，
隨後新界和鴨洲的信徒亦跟著來。
一開始這些大部份的移民都是單身的弟兄，並且很努力工作賺錢。
他們分散在不同的地方，一開始也沒有聚在一起，
但是透過一些早期海外工人的鼓勵，弟兄姐妹漸漸聚在一起聚會。
聚會點，祈禱所，最後教會成立了。
今日，共有九間教會，超過二千名信徒分散在英國各地。
THE EARLY YEARS 早期
While they were working or studying
in the UK, members continued to
uphold their faith by gathering in
their own homes. In London, the
brethren were few in number, yet they
continued to meet at several different
locations for Sabbath services over
the years. Venues of worship during
the sixties and seventies included
Plaistow (1966), Chiswick (1970),
Bounds Green (1972), and Holloway
(1975).
當時他們在英國工作或讀書，信徒在他們的家裡聚集，來繼續持守他們的信仰。
而倫敦，弟兄姐妹的人數還很少，然而他們一直在幾個不同的地方聚會守安息日有幾年之久。
在60或70年代的聚會點，包括了
Plaistow 普拉斯托 (1966), Chiswick 奇西克 (1970),
Bounds Green 邦?格林 (1972), and Holloway 霍洛威 (1975)。
In the north of the UK, where
many Ap Chau members resided,
Sabbath services were infrequent in
the early 1970s. In 1972, Brother Shi-
Hung Hsiao (Deacon Roung-Kuang
Hsiao) of Taiwan, then a student
in Germany, was invited by the
International Assembly (IA) to join
Brother Keith Horn (an Englishman
baptized in Taiwan) in visiting the UK
members before returning to Taiwan.
At Newcastle, they discussed the
importance of observing the Sabbath,
the issues of selecting suitable
leaders, worshipping venues and so
on. Particular emphasis was placed
upon the importance of Sabbath
worship. Subsequently, a service, led
by Deacon Paul Tang, was held for
the first time in a member’s restaurant
and was attended by more than fifty
believers.
在1970年代早期，英國北部有很多鴨洲的信徒住在那裡，但卻常常沒有安息日聚會。
1972 年，台灣的蕭時雄弟兄 (台北教會蕭榮光執事)，那時他是在德國讀書，
他被聯總邀請到 Keith Horn 弟兄家(台灣受洗的英國人)，在他回台之前，訪問英國信徒。
在紐卡索，他們討論到遵守安息日的重要性，選出合適的教會領導人的相關事宜，聚會場所及其他事項。
而且特別強調守安息日的重要性。
接著鄧保羅執事，在信徒的餐廳第一次辨了一場聚會，有超過50位信徒來參加。
Gatherings were typically held at
members’ takeaways and restaurants.
For example, in Sunderland, initial
gatherings took place in Brother
Kai Pou Liu’s restaurant. In London,
services were held on the first floor
of the “Tin Tin Restaurant” in
Chinatown from 1976 onwards.
Starting from 1975, regular Sabbath
services were also held in Leicester at
the takeaway shop of a brother. And
near Portsmouth, the first Sabbath
service was held at a brother’s
restaurant in Bognor Regis in 1977.
在信徒的外賣餐館和餐廳，有常常一起聚會。
例如，在山打崙，一開始在 Kai Pou Liu 弟兄的餐廳聚會。
而倫敦，從1976年開始，在中國城的"Tin Tin 餐廳"一樓聚會。
從1975年開始，在萊斯特的弟兄外賣餐廳也定期有安息日聚會。
而1977年，靠近樸茨茅斯的地方，在 Bognor Regis 弟兄的餐廳，第一次舉行安息日聚會。
THE FORMATIVE YEARS 形成期
As membership gradually increased,
the constraints and difficulties
associated with holding family
services began. In Sunderland,
holding classes in a takeaway shop
caused complaints from the neighbors
and prompted investigations by the
police. As a result, the venue had to
be moved repeatedly. In Sunderland
and Leicester, hired halls were used
for services and Religious Education
(RE) classes, whereas in Newcastle,
members had to rent the premises of
the Central Methodist Church.
。
隨著信徒逐漸增加，舉行家庭聚會就開始有困難和限制。
在山打崙，在外賣餐廳舉行訓練課程，引起鄰居的抱怨，及警方的調查。
結果，聚會的地點需要常常更換。
山打崙和萊斯特，他們就去租會常來聚會，並進行宗教教育，
而在紐卡索，信徒要向中區的衛理公會租用他們的場所。
Membership in the various locations
grew and prayer churches were set
up in the early 1970s. With forty
members, the Sunderland prayer
house was established in 1972. In
the same year, the Cambridge prayer
house was formed, followed by the
Newcastle prayer house with two
hundred members in 1973. Prayer
houses were further established in
Edinburgh in 1976 and Portsmouth
and Leicester in 1978.
1970年早期，各地的信徒增加，也建立了祈禱所。
因為有50個信徒，山打崙祈禱所在1972年成立。
同年，劍橋祈禱所也成立了，
接著就是有200位信徒的紐素祈禱所在1973年成立。
1976年愛丁堡也成立祈禱所，1978年，樸茨茅斯和萊斯特成立。
Initially, services were rudimentary
in form. For example, because of a
lack of service leaders in Edinburgh,
services simply consisted of hymnsinging,
prayer and Bible-reading.
As the membership increased and
the members became more mature
in their faith, the responsibilities
of the prayer house extended to
members in neighboring towns, such
as Dundee, Prestwick, and Elgin.
Members visited one another and
helped to lead family services.
一開始，聚會是很基本的形式。
例如，因為愛丁堡沒有領會的人，聚會只是唱詩，禱告和讀經而已。
隨著信徒人數增加，信仰的程度更加成熟，
祈禱所角色所要擔負的責任，就擴大到鄰近地區的信徒，
如，Dundee 鄧迪, Prestwick 普雷斯蒂克, 和 Elgin 埃爾金。
In August 1975, Deacon Cephas
Yau from Hong Kong visited the
members in the UK and helped with
the pastoral work in Newcastle,
Sunderland, and Edinburgh. Although
there were as many as seven hundred
members living in the UK at the time,
they did not own a church building.
Following Deacon Yau’s continuous
reminders to take action to acquire
a church building, the first True Jesus
Church in the UK was dedicated to
the Lord in Newcastle on July 12,
1976. This was also the first true
church established in Europe, and
the name of the Lord was greatly
exalted. Sunderland and Edinburgh
followed suit in July 1979, London
in 1983, Leicester in 1984, Elgin in
1985, and Portsmouth in 1989.
1975年八月，香港來的 邱磯法執事來訪問英國信徒，
在紐素，山打崙，愛丁堡地區幫忙尋牧工作。
雖然當時有多達700位信徒住在英國，他們並沒有買任何教會的會堂。
因為遵照邱執事的不斷提醒，要付出行動買一間會堂，
在1976年七月12日的時候，第一間真耶穌教會在英國紐素舉行獻堂。
此教會也是歐洲的第一間真耶穌教會，讓主的名大大受到尊崇。
山打崙和愛丁堡在1979年七月也跟著仿效，
倫敦在1983年，萊斯特在1984年，埃爾金在1985年，樸茨茅斯在1989年。
As the churches grew and prayer
houses turned into churches,
members became increasingly
zealous in participating in divine
work. For example, Leicester
Church bought a place of worship in
Peterborough, a city in a neighboring
region, to ensure regular services
could take place in the area. As the
number of members increased, many
churches either moved or extended
their existing buildings. For example,
Sunderland Church relocated and
expanded its premises in 1982 and
1994, respectively. A constant stream
of members from other parts of
the world increased the number of
members in London to 175 in 1992;
therefore, the church moved to a
nearby five-storey building at Old
Street in 1996. In 1994, Edinburgh
Church decided to branch out; the
new church, which comprised about
250 members, kept the name of
Edinburgh Church, while the former
church, which had a membership
of 180, was renamed Gifford Park
Church. Similarly, London Church
decided to establish a church in
South London. After eight years,
four moves, and three unsuccessful
bids for church properties, Forest Hill
Church in South London was finally
established in 2012. In addition
to this, a four-storey building for
Leicester Church was dedicated in
July 2013.
隨著教會成長，祈禱所轉成了教會，信徒就變得非常熱心參與聖工。
例如，萊斯特教會在鄰近城市Peterborough 彼得伯勒買了聚會所，
這樣就確保了這個地區可以定期舉行聚會。
因為信徒人數增加，許多教會不是搬到更大的房子，就是進行現有房子的擴建。
例如，山打崙教會分別在1982年和1994年，進行搬遷和擴建。
從其他世界地區的人潮不斷的湧入，在1992年的時候，倫敦信徒增加到175人；
所以教會在1996年，移到附近舊街的五層樓建築。
1994年愛丁堡教會決定要分設教會；這個新的教會大約由250位信徒組成，使用愛丁堡教會的名字，
而原來的教會，還有180位信徒，就改名為吉福德園教會。
同樣的情況，倫敦教會決定要在南倫敦地區，建立新的教會。
經過了八年之後，歷經四次搬家，想購教會建物而三次投標失敗，
最終，福雷斯希爾教會在2012年的時候，在倫敦南區成立了。
此外，在2013年七月時，萊斯特教會的四層樓會堂舉行獻堂。
Thanks to the recent influx of
members from mainland China, we
now have many gathering places in
the UK, including those in Glasgow,
Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
In Cardiff, which also started out
as a gathering place, membership
grew and a prayer house was thus
established in 2011.
由于最近湧入的大陸真耶穌教會信徒，
在英國我們如今有許多聚會的地方，包括了
Glasgow 格拉斯哥, Birmingham 伯明罕, Manchester 曼徹斯特 和 Leeds 利茲。
PASTORING WORK PRIOR TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UKGA
英總成立之前的巡牧工作
In July 1977, the IA sent Deacon
Simon Hsu to the UK for six months of
practical training. At the time, youths
who had previously participated
in the RE work in Hong Kong’s
Kowloon Church also assisted in the
divine work. Under the guidance of
God, each UK church made plans
for further advancement, and a
national conference for ministers
and church board members was
held in Newcastle that same year. A
resolution to request that the IA send
a preacher to assist in the divine work
in the UK was reached. Thank God, as
a result, Deacon Hsu was dispatched
to pastor the UK churches for one
year. In November 1983, in light
of the need for a resident preacher
for the Newcastle and Sunderland
churches, Preacher Aun-Quek Chin
was invited by these two churches to
help out with the pastoral work.
1977年七月，聯總派徐西門執事到英國六個月作技能培訓。
那時，之後參與過香港九龍教會宗教教育事工的青年，也協助這次的聖工。
在神的帶領之下，每一間英國教會都為未來發展訂了計劃，
同年，傳道者及教會負責人的全國會議，在紐素舉行。
大家達成一致的共識，決定要請聯總派一位傳道來幫助英國的聖工。
感謝神，結果徐西門執事被派駐來英國巡牧教會一年。
1983年十一月，紐素和山打崙教會由于需要一位駐牧傳道，
這兩間教會就邀請陳恩國傳道來幫助他們的牧養工作。
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM 英國總會
On October 24, 1989, a National
Church Delegates Conference
was held at Newcastle Church. Its
main purpose was to discuss the
establishment of a General Assembly
(GA). After the delegates had voted
in favor of the proposal, thirteen
members were elected to serve on
the General Assembly board. A
committee responsible for drafting
the by-laws, rules, and regulations
was also elected. Following lengthy
discussions by the first GA board, a
formal set of rules and regulations
was adopted for all the UK churches.
1989年十月24日，在紐素教會舉開全國代表大會。
主要的目標就是要討論成立英國總會。
在所有代表贊成這個計劃之後，有13位被選為英總的負責人會來服事。
也推舉委員成立依據法規起草章程的聯總成立委員會。
隨著第一次英總負責人會冗長深入的討論之後，
正式的規章細則正式通過，被全部的英國教會採納使用。
In the beginning, UKGA workers
focused on encouraging the middleaged
members to return to the Lord.
At the same time, they tried to give
care and guidance to the younger
generation. The Youth Theological
Training Course (YTTC) was set up
in July 1991 to train and prepare
potential workers for future church
development. In addition, the Youth
Coordination Centre was established
in 1992, and a full-time preacher was
assigned to care for the UK youths.
一開始，英總工人集中在鼓勵中年的信徒回來主身邊。
同時，他們也試著關心並帶領年輕的一代。
青年神學訓練班 (YTTC) 在1991年七月成立，
目標要訓練，並且準備一些為了未來教會發展所需要的工人。
此外，1992年成立青年聯絡中心，有一位全職的傳道被派任專門來關懷英國的青年。
Churches since 1997, eight years after the UKGA was established:
在1997年英總成立八年之後的教會
In 2003, the UKGA enhanced
the care of members’ families and
the counseling of married couples
by emphasizing the importance of
family life and practical faith. Since
2011, the UKGA has been reminding
the UK members to turn their hearts
back to God so that they will not
follow the trends of the world and
drift away from their faith.
2003年，英總加強信徒家庭的關懷，輔導已婚夫婦，強調家庭生活和實際施行信仰的重要性。
自從2011年，英總一直提醒英國信徒，內心要回歸到神身上，
這樣他們才不會跟隨世上的潮流，隨流失去自已的信心。
The number of full-time preachers
in the UK has increased from three
in 1997 to six in 2012. However,
we are still short of manpower
because of the heavy workload in the
pioneering areas, both in the UK and
abroad. Most of the time and energy
of our preachers is spent on either
evangelistic or training work, leaving
very little time for pastoral work. The
care of the local churches has been
left to their church board members,
with IA workers providing some
assistance.
而英國全職傳道的數目，也從1997年的三位，增加到2012年的六位。
然而我們仍然感到人力短缺，因為我們在英國及國外的福音開拓地區的工作負擔很大。
大部份我們傳道的時間和精力，不是花在傳福音，就是用在訓練的工作上。
地方教會關懷的工作，因著聯總工人帶來一些協助，就交給地方教會負責人來處理。
As of December 2012, a total
of nine churches and two prayer
houses have been established in
the UK, with a total membership of
2,690. There are currently thirty-four
deacons, eighteen deaconesses and
six preachers. May the almighty and
merciful Lord continue to guide and
support us.
自2012年12月之後，總共有九間教會和二間祈禱所在英國成立，信徒總人數為2690人。
目前有34位執事，18位女執事，6位傳道。
願全能和慈愛的主，繼續帶領和幫助我們。
CURRENT CHALLENGES AND DEVELOPMENTS 現成的挑戰和發展
The slow growth of the UK
membership may be due to the fact
that most modern families living in
the West nowadays opt to raise at
most one or two children. In addition,
the church has always encouraged
members to preach and spread the
gospel; however, as a result of the
older generation’s limited ability to
communicate in English and a general
lack of understanding of the Bible
amongst the brethren, it has been
difficult to preach to non-Chinese
people. Efforts towards this end need
to be strengthened with the help of
our Lord. Our children and youths are
the future of the church, so we hope
the next generation will be able to
do a better job than we have. Thank
God, many UK youths have had the
opportunity to experience work in
pioneering areas and have realized
its value because of volunteertraining
seminars, particularly the
Africa Voluntary Workers Missionary
Training (AVWMT).
英國信徒成長緩慢，或許是因為今日大部分住在西方的家庭，最多都只扶養一到二個小孩。
此外，教會一直都鼓勵信徒向外傳福音，然而因為老的一代，英文溝通能力有限，
以及弟兄姐妹之間一直沒有好好了聖經，所以要向非華裔的人士傳福音就有困難。
要努力達到這個目標，需要神的幫助及加添力量。
我們的小孩和青年是教會的未來，所以我們希望下一代可以比我們這一代有更好的工作機會。
感謝神，因為有開拓訓練班，特別是非洲自願工人事工訓練營，(AVWMT)
許多年青人有這樣的機會去體會福音開拓地區的工作，也體認到這工作的價值。
The UK membership has increased
markedly since 2004, when many
brethren began to migrate to the
UK from Fujian, China. While the
increasing number of brethren from
China has helped the growth of the
church in many ways, it has made
pastoral work more difficult, as many
of the Chinese brethren have no fixed
abode and are often scattered around
the country, receiving no support from
local churches. The establishment
of a coordinating committee has
improved communication and
coordination among these Chinese
brethren. We continue to encourage
them to establish places of worship
to facilitate regular services and
fellowships. The goal would be to
develop these places of worship into
prayer houses. For example, Sabbath
services amongst a small number of
believers started in Cardiff in 2007,
with workers from other churches
assisting in the pastoral, training, and
evangelistic work. We thank the Lord
that the membership grew and a
prayer house with fifty-five members
was established in 2011.
自從2004年，英國信徒數很明顯的成長，因為有許多弟兄姐妹從中國福建省移民來英國。
而從中國來的弟兄姐妹人數增加，在許多方面幫助了教會的成長，
但也讓牧養的工作變得更加困難，許多中國的弟兄姐妹沒有固定的居所，
常常是散佈在英國各處，也沒有從地方教會得到幫忙。
而聯絡委員會的成立，已經改善了這群中國弟兄姐妹的溝通和聯絡。
我們一直鼓勵他們成立聚會所，可以定期聚會，及團契牧養的工作。
目標就是要讓這些聚會所，發展成為祈禱所。
例如，在2007年，Cardiff 加地夫，就有一小群信徒開始安息日聚會，
會有當地其他教會的工人來協助牧養，訓練及傳福音的工作。
我們感謝主，信徒逐漸成長，並且在2011年的時候，成立了一間有55位信徒的祈禱所。
Another challenge that the UK
churches are facing is a shortage of
workers. The increase in the number
of gathering places such as those in
Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast
and Dublin has led to a greater need
for speakers, interpreters, and RE
teachers. Additionally, the UKGA is
responsible for the African ministry
and the pastoral work in many
European countries, which require
the involvement of many workers.
In order to meet these challenges,
the UKGA has encouraged retired
and gifted brethren, ministers, and
YTTC graduates to participate in
church work. In addition, more
training opportunities have been
established: the duration of the YTTC
has been increased from three to
four years, and in 2011, an annual
adult theological training course
was introduced. These take place in
addition to the annual AVMT and
regular pastoral training for church
workers.
另有一個挑戰，英國教會面臨了福音工人的短缺。
聚會所的增加，例如在 Manchester 曼徹斯特, Birmingham 伯明罕,
Belfast 伯發斯特和 Dublin 都伯林, 已經有很強烈的需要增加講道者，翻譯和宗教教育老師。
此外，英總負責了非洲事工，還有許多歐洲各國的牧養工作，這些都需要許多工人來幫忙。
為了可以解決這些問題，英國總會鼓勵退休和有恩賜的弟兄，傳道人和神訓班畢業生來參與教會事工。
還有，建立了更多的訓練營隊和機會：
神訓班的學程，已經從三年增加到四年，
在2011年，開始正式進行年度的成人訓練班。
此外還有年度的非洲自願事工訓練，及定期的教會事工人員牧養訓練，都會定期開辨。
Through the grace and guidance
of God, following the efforts of the
UKGA and all the UK churches, the
members in the UK are gradually
being transformed and strengthened
in their faith. May all glory and praise
be given to God!
因著神的恩典和帶領，隨著英國教會和總會的努力，
英國信徒漸漸改變，加強信心。
願一切榮耀和讚美歸於神！
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)