從無到有
夏城華人宣道會是由一群西端浸信會 West End Baptist Church (WEBC) 的弟兄姊妹和牧師努力下開始的。早在1983年, 一間石油公司對在 Halifax 發展很有興趣, 於是派了一位高級華人員工來考察。他是一位在 Calgary 居住的主內弟兄, 和加拿大華人宣道會聯會 (華聯會) 有很緊密的聯繫。石油工司最終決定在 Nova Scotia 發展, 他一家也搬到來Halifax 。這時, 他估計如果他的華人同事也從 Calgary搬到 Halifax 來, 就應該有足夠的人數設立一間華人教會。於是他說服了華聯會, 在 Halifax 開設了第一間華人宣道會。
The Beginning
Halifax Chinese Alliance Church (HCAC) started through the efforts of brothers, sisters and pastor of the West End Baptist Church (WEBC). In 1983, an oil company showed great interest in expanding in Halifax and sent a senior Chinese employee to assess the area. This employee, a Christian brother from Calgary, had strong ties with the Canadian Chinese Alliance Churches Association (CCACA). When the oil company decided to establish operations in Nova Scotia, he and his family relocated to Halifax. Seeing an opportunity, he envisioned that if his fellow Chinese colleagues also moved from Calgary to Halifax, there would be enough people to start a Chinese church. He persuaded the CCACA to establish the first Chinese Alliance Church in Halifax.
第一任牧師
華聯會派了李穎強牧師來視察環境。李牧師在短短逗留的一個週末內在 WEBC 找到了新教會敬拜的地方。他與 WEBC 的牧師同工溝通, 得到他們很大的支持。此後, 李牧師和妻子及三個女兒也搬到這裡來正式開始新的教會。为了邀请人们加入这间全新的教会，李牧師就翻開電話簿, 找出所有中國人姓氏的電話, 然後逐一打電話給他們。有兩位已過世的姊妹就是這樣給他找出來的!
The First Pastor
The CCACA sent Pastor Lee to assess the situation. During a short weekend visit, Pastor Lee secured a place for worship and acquired significant support from the WEBC pastor. Afterwards, Pastor Lee, his wife and three daughters moved to Halifax to start the new church. In order to invite people to a brand-new church, Pastor Lee went through the telephone directory, identifying all Chinese surnames and calling them one by one. Two sisters who have passed away were invited to the church by him in this way!
第一次崇拜
舉行第一次崇拜是不能靠李牧師一人。雖然他是一位很有講道恩賜的牧者, 但也需要一個英文翻譯。當時在 WEBC 聚會的一位香港留學生就自然地成為最合適的人選。但因為沒有翻譯講道的經驗, 在崇拜的前一夜, 李牧師和他在教會來了一次練習, 把講道由廣東話一句一句地翻譯成英文! 就這樣, 夏城華人宣道會的第一次崇拜, 就在 1984 年 7 月 22 日順利舉行。 當時崇拜是在教會二樓的 Rombre Room 舉行, 大約有十二人出席, 當中主要是一些老華僑, 及新加坡和馬來西亞的留學生, 他們一起見證了夏宣誕生的歷史時刻。
The First Sunday Worship
Pastor Lee couldn’t hold the first worship service alone. Although he was a gifted preacher, he needed an English translator. A Hong Kong student attending WEBC at the time became the ideal co-worker. Since he had no experience translating sermons, he and Pastor Lee practiced the sermon together the night before, translating it line by line from Cantonese into English. Finally, on July 22, 1984, the first worship service of HCAC took place in the Rombre Room on the second floor of the church. Around twelve people attended, including elderly Chinese immigrants and students from Singapore and Malaysia, witnessing this historic moment of the church’s birth.
初期挑戰
一間教會的成功建立, 不是靠人, 而是靠神。故此, 李牧師每逢星期二便與 WEBC 的牧師同工一起祈禱, 可見當時牧者們對以禱告作為基礎的重視和兩間教會的同心。在當時會眾中, 三份之一都是不懂廣東話的, 但這些人對將福音傳給中國人卻有很大的負擔。可惜的是, 當教會成立不久, 石油價格大跌, 石油公司隨即撤退, 本以為會來的石油公司員工也來不了, 連當時的教會領袖和負責兒童事工的妻子也搬走了。有見及此, 李牧師將福音對象轉移至留學生, 他接觸的多是馬來西亞, 星加坡和香港來的學生。他認識了一位物理學學生, 梁維坤 (Stanley Leung) (現今多倫多士嘉堡華人宣道會主任牧師), 接著就帶他去教會, 並領他決志信主。Stanley 對神的國很熱心, 最後還去了 Regina 讀神學成為宣教士, 後來被士嘉堡華人宣道會差派去委內瑞拉作第一次宣教。隨著教會日漸成長, 李牧師也要離開 Halifax 到士嘉堡華人宣道會牧會。當時, 教會人數已增至大約四十至五十人。
Early Challenges
A church’s success does not rely on people but on God. Every Tuesday, Pastor Lee would pray with WEBC pastors, emphasizing the importance of prayer as the foundation for both churches. At that time, about one-third of the congregation did not understand Cantonese. However, they were deeply committed to sharing the Gospel with the Chinese community. Unfortunately, soon after the church was founded, oil prices dropped dramatically, leading the oil company to withdraw its operations. Many expected employees did not arrive, and even the one of the church leaders and his wife, who was responsible for children’s ministry, had to leave. Aware of this situation, Pastor Lee shifted his focus to international students, particularly those from Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. One of them was Stanley Leung, a physics student who is now the senior pastor at Scarborough Chinese Alliance Church in Toronto. Pastor Lee invited Stanley to church and led him to Christ. Stanley’s passion for God’s Kingdom eventually led him to study theology in Regina, become a missionary, and later serve as a missionary in Venezuela, sent by the Scarborough Chinese Alliance Church. As the church grew, Pastor Lee left Halifax in 1986 to serve at Scarborough Chinese Alliance Church. By then, the congregation had grown to around 40 to 50 people.
第二任牧者
當李牧師離開後, 教會的理事會就在這時成立, 並負責尋找新一任牧師。當時有一位在多倫多的資深牧師向理事會聯絡, 要自薦到這教會來事奉。於是在李牧師離開後大約一個月, 馮大衛牧師於 1986 年上任成為夏宣的第二任牧者, 相信這都是神的安排。馮牧師著重家庭事工, 當時會眾約有六十人, 其中三份之一都是家庭, 亦有三份之一是在加拿大出生的中國人, 同時併有很多小朋友出生。這時是教會成長中的一個獨特時刻。
選自夏城華人宣道會三十週年記念集
The Second Pastor
After Pastor Lee’s departure, the church board was officially formed and tasked with seeking a new pastor. Then, an experienced pastor from Toronto reached out, expressing his strong desire to serve in Halifax. Pastor Fung assumed the role about one month after Pastor Lee left, a transition that seemed to be God’s divine plan. Pastor Fung focused on family ministry. At that time, the congregation numbered about sixty people, of which one-third were families, another third were local born Chinese, and there were also many new born babies. This was a unique moment in the church’s growth.
Article sourced from Halifax Chinese Alliance Church 30th Anniversary
教會至今共經歷了十位牧者, 因為本文是創立簡史, 所以只記錄了最初兩位牧者的事。願我們努力追求神, 把教會變得一天比一天更好。
To date, we have had ten different pastors. Since this article is a brief history of its establishment, it only records the events during the tenure of the first two pastors. May we strive to pursue God and make the church better each day.
1984-1986 李穎強 Wing Lee
1986-1989 馮大衛 David Fung
1989-1996 麥耀光 Joshua Mak
Nov 1996 – Jan 1997 余彩玉 Miss Yu
1997-2002 謝朗軒 Gary Tse
2002-2011 丁耀燊 Daniel Ting
2012-2017 周偉峯 Wai Fung Chow
2018-2021 梁偉光(顧問牧師) Nelson Leung
2021-2025 苗延漢 Anthony Miu
2025-present 羅裕安 Samson Lo
Halifax Chinese Alliance Church (HCAC) 