The Passing of Allen Yuan

Allen Yuan passed away peacefully in Beijing on August 16, 2005. He was 91 years old. His wife and six children were at his hospital bed. Allen was Beijing’s most noted house-church leader and one of a half-dozen surviving nationally respected house-church leaders of the older generation.

Allen was laid to rest in the Babaoshan Cemetery. About 2,500 people attended his funeral and plain-clothed police turned away another 1,000.

For many years Allen ran an independent house church near the Baitasi pagoda on the west side of the city. Nearly 100 people would cram into his tiny home to hear the gospel faithfully preached. But he was also spiritual father to a much wider network of house churches, and Christians from across north China would visit him for spiritual counsel and books.

For many years Allen held a mass baptism of new converts at a lake outside Beijing. Every year 300-400 people were baptized. On one occasion they hired a swimming pool in the center of town, but had to revert to the lake after receiving an official warning. Allen will be greatly missed, not only by his wife and family but by the church in Beijing and throughout China, as well as by his many overseas friends who were always warmly welcome at his church. The church of Jesus Christ transcends all political and cultural barriers.

MY TESTIMONY — BY ALLEN YUAN
I was born in June 1914 as a Cantonese in south China. I came to Beijing with my parents at the age of 14. My father sent me to the YMCA school to receive an English education. They did not preach Christ, but modernism. I couldn’t believe in God as I couldn’t see him or touch him. However, two Christian teachers prayed for me. I would not have been saved without their prayers. If there are people you want to see saved, pray, pray, pray and God will hear you and save them.

I will never forget December 29, 1932. (I was 18 years old.) At about 9:30 pm that night I was alone in my room finishing my homework. God revealed himself into my heart at that moment and gave me the faith to believe in him. I kneeled on the ground, confessed my sins and accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. When I turned the light back on, the universe had changed for me. I was very, very happy! The next day I told all my friends about my born-again experience.

In church we had pastors from Shandong who were filled with the Holy Spirit. A pastor laid his hands on me and prayed for me. I began to weep. I was never used to crying but I cried much that night. Riding the bicycle on my way home I couldn’t help laughing heartily and loudly. By then I had been a Christian for about a year. My heart was changed and I have been a different person since then. I received the Holy Spirit that night.

By the age of 20, still in high school, I had a burden to preach Christ. I did not want to continue my study and told my parents that I wanted to go to Bible school. This demand from their only child really disappointed my parents. I began to receive some persecution from my family. But God’s calling was urgent: save my lost sheep!

I started attending a Bible school run by the Oriental Missionary Society in Beijing. After four years of training I had no leading from God to join any mission or organization. I believe that a servant of the Lord should be supported and led by the Holy Spirit. Since that time I have lived by faith all my life. Psalm 23 says that the Lord is our Shepherd and he is faithful to supply all our needs.

(English extracts written by Pastor Allen Yuan and given to visitors.) A full biography of Allen Yuan has been written by Lydia Lee and published by Sovereign World: A Living Sacrifice—The Life Story of Allen Yuan. Please contact your local Christian bookshop. (Not available at OMF offices.)

BLIND BOY REVOLUTIONIZES BRAILLE
“My Braille writing machine does not hurt my hands. It also writes from left to right like ordinary people.” A 12-year-old boy from Jiangsu province has invented a new Braille writing machine, winning a gold medal and a 2,000 RMB [US$247] prize. It is a general practice in the world that blind people write from right to left. When they read Braille with their hands they need to reverse the page and do it from left to right. It is impossible to read and write at the same time. His invention solves these problems. “My classmates often hurt their hands because the pen is steel. The pen I have designed is more comfortable.” His invention will revolutionize the 100-year-old writing practice. (China Daily, 20 Sept 05)

GROWTH OF UNIVERSITY WORK
Christian fellowships are springing up in many Chinese universities. According to one Chinese house-church worker, with over a decade of experience working with graduates, there are about 60 universities in the Shanghai-Suzhou region of east China. He believes that two-thirds of these now have student Christian fellowships. Most are small, 10 to 20 members at most, but they continue to multiply. “Many students and intellectuals in Shanghai have a very pessimistic view of life. Despite growing affluence, they are disillusioned by materialism and the fierce competition in the job market. Many are extremely open to the gospel as a result.”

More and more small privately-owned Christian bookshops are being opened in major cities. Their range of Christian books—all published legally within China—appeals largely to educated urban believers and students.

New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell has been published by Christian Communications Ltd. in Hong Kong as well as within China. A university professor in north China came to Christ through reading it. More recently a Christian in a university fellowship in south-central China won it as a prize last year from an evangelical broadcaster. He came to Hong Kong to get ten more copies. A professor in his university took a copy and was also converted by reading it, according to CCL’s October newsletter.

Returnees, those converted overseas and now returning to China, are taking a more prominent role in fellowships for students and graduates. However, they also face some problems of re-adjustment to life in China as believers after enjoying the freedom of often large fellowship meetings abroad. Sometimes they find it hard to integrate with existing TSPM or house churches and so establish their own fellowships which can be rather divorced from the existing grass-roots church. Many are the sons or daughters of high government officials. Their parents often accept their coming to faith with surprising ease (although there are exceptions.) They need much prayer so they will be effective in the coming years for Christ in leading positions in the Chinese government, business and academia.

DON FLEMING (FINALLY!) RETIRES
On October 3rd 60 colleagues gathered in Hong Kong for a time of remembrance and celebration for Don Fleming’s 53 years of life and ministry in Asia. Born in China some 80-plus years ago, Don has faithfully served the Lord and OMF in Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, Taiwan, Australia, Hong Kong and, most recently, Macau. Don reported from Macau that numbers at Morrison Chapel have increased so much that they have difficulty in seating everyone, and the hymn-books have run out!

We were reminded that Don’s humble and faithful service has been an example for generations of younger missionaries in OMF, and is much needed today. Don closed the meeting with an exhortation from 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Don has moved back to a cottage in a tiny village near Dumfries in the beautiful border country of southern Scotland. We wish him God’s blessing as he serves the church and community there. (Will he ever really retire, we wonder?)

Copyright 2005 OMF International