我成长于中国一个十分普通的家庭,从小听说的“宗教”只有佛教。还记得那时姥姥带着我给家里供奉的菩萨磕头上香,祈求她保佑一家老小平安如意。可是每次这样的仪式之后,我从未觉得生活有什么好的改变。

第一次听到耶稣基督的故事是在我上小学的时候,那时候学校来了一个外国老师,在英语课上给我们讲圣诞节的来历。当老师讲到主耶稣出生在牛棚里,不知为何我竟流下了眼泪。当时具体的词句已渐渐模糊,唯有图画书上点点星光至今难忘。那微弱的小小光芒照亮了我的心灵。至今想起,那时主已悄悄来到我身边,开始保守看顾我。

我生長於基督教家庭,小時候媽媽就帶我和弟弟上主日學,聖經故事耳熟能詳。但到了中學三四年級的時候,由於反叛,再加上被世俗的東西吸引,就遠離了神。一開始是停止上教會,後來經常聽到未信神的人質疑聖經,久而久之我的心裏就沒有神了。

我爸爸在我七歲的時候因肝癌去世,媽媽獨自把我和弟弟撫養成人。幸好我比較懂事,很會照 顧自己,這樣媽媽只照顧弟弟就可以了。我這種懂事的性格,慢慢就變成了好勝和驕傲,其中又夾 雜有自卑。因為我不想因沒有父親而被人輕視,所以立志要做得更出色,甚至得到全世界的讚揚。 小學階段我在普通學校讀書,我努力學習,考了第一名。中學我考入名校,在學校我名列前茅。我 生性愛出風頭,我那時真的成了”風雲人物”。我參加許多課外活動,當了好幾個學會的主席。一 直到了大學,都是這樣。但其實我一直都不快樂,我的自信心要不斷從外在的成就和他人的認同中 建立。一旦遇到小小的挫折,或者大一點的挫折,我的自信心,甚至自尊心就會嚴重受損。這樣, 我不斷地與別人比較,給自己很大的壓力。我從會考A level,即HSC開始,就整天生病,一咳就是 幾個月。到了大學二三年級,我患皮膚敏感,一發病就得服藥,在大學幾年幾乎藥不離口。

In this day and age it’s easy to think of ourselves as in- vincible, where in the developed world we control our life and it’s all in our grasp if we fight for it. Growing up I stood by the idea that we shape our own fortunes that good things happen to good people who work hard doing the right things.

I had a vague idea of some higher being out there, but thought that was a genie, there to grant all my wishes. In year 8, a good friend of mine invited me to an event called RICE. It was at RICE where I first found out that the wish-granting genie has a name, Jesus and He isn’t there just to grant me wishes but He came to save us from our sins. At the time, though the message resonated with me, I hadn’t really understood it. What is sin and why did Christ have to save me from it?

I grew up in a world where God did not exist, or He was only seen as a genie who grants wishes. My family is non-Christian so I wasn’t exposed to God or who He is. I had never been to a church and even in primary school I went to non-scripture classes. For the first half of my life I really hadn’t known or experienced God and He didn’t affect my life in any way.

I attended PresbyterianLadiesCollege for high school, and although it was a Presbyterian school, the school’s religion didn’t mean anything to me. I was just sent there because it was just another private school. There were religious education classes which were compulsory, and being the Asian child I was, I would listen in class and study for the exams to do well in the subject, but never actually take the information to heart. This was probably the first time I was exposed to this person called God and what He did.

My name is Grace, and I’ve been attending CBC for quite some time. My parents brought me up at CBC when I was a baby and I’ve been attending ever since. I have the stereotypical Christian story of being born and raised into a Christian family and am very thank- ful for this blessing. My first friends were from this church and we grew up together, attending Sunday School and Timothy/ Blaze youth and the majority of people I knew as a child in my life were from church. It seemed like a normal thing to attend church without even questioning why. When I started attending primary school in the public education system, I couldn’t understand why everyone didn’t attend church, but I didn’t question it and accepted it as the norm.

My name is Karen Lee and by the grace of God, I belong to His family through grace in Jesus Christ.

I was born in Hong Kong, and I have a love of writing, reading and enjoy the company of music and cats where I am afforded the opportunity.

It did not seem that long ago that I arrived at Central Baptist Church with my mum, having not long moved to Australia from Hong Kong, the first step in a story that God had laid out before the both of us. I have a qualification in Health Sciences and have been working in ad- ministration for the past ten or so years. I had been privileged to have been a part of the high school, university and young workers’ minis- tries, and I currently serve in the International Congregation, in the ministries of Street Café, the Welcoming Team, Growth Groups and assist here and there with various ministries as need arises. I also serve as a deacon.

鍾偉賢 (Rudolph)弟兄,在年青時已被CBC 的弟兄姊 妹稱為“dol叔”,不知為何被稱為亞叔,只知他從少就坐著 叔父輩份。他出生於香港, 1981年來到雪梨定居,1984年 決志成為基督徒,1985年起在中央浸信會聚會,自小生活在 女權家庭,家中除父母外,有一兄長及六位姊姊,排行最小, 至今與Eva姊妹結婚已19載及有兩位可愛女兒(Ester and Elizabeth),仍然是家庭中的少數族類(但肯定是一家之主) 。很多人都可能認識他從事電腦行業,原來他曾就讀醫學, 後以科學學士畢業,過去15年在投資銀行工作。

李同仰弟兄,又或稱呼為Joseph,Joe 或”大舊”,是我們教會的執事,秘書,參加國語堂的崇 拜,同時也曾是國語堂同工會的主席。每個星期天我們都會在教會與他一起敬拜,但不一定有時間跟 他長聊,了解他的生活及事奉,今天我們很高興能夠跟他作一採訪,以讓我們對他多一點認識及了解。

編者:Joseph,你是何時信主及如何來到中央浸信會呢?
李: 我出生於香港一個基督徒的家庭,從小在教會長大。我在香港的教會是宣道會國語堂,是由 一批來自中國大陸的信徒創辦的,崇拜用國語,有廣東話傳譯。我十二歲接受洗禮,從小參加教會 的團契,也有參與事奉。1978年在神的帶領下來到澳洲升學,當年我與三個中學同學住在一起, 星期六到East Sydney Technical College 上中文課,跟著馮約瑟師母會來接我們去參加星期六中 午的查經班,星期天我去中央浸信會聚會,當年的崇拜是英語的,但有廣東話傳譯。就這樣開始在中 浸聚會。