Bringing hope into the lost

Interview with Pastor Li Qimei of Quaker Phoebe Church in Taiwan

Interview/Photo provided by Li Wenping/Li Quemei

What can transcend the six realms of reincarnation?

At the end of August 2016, Li Hongzhen, the daughter of Pastor Li Qimei’s third brother, was critically ill. The doctor said she only had two weeks to live. The third brother's family is a devout Buddhist, and Pastor Qimei, who has been a Christian for many years, has some "different beliefs and does not agree with each other." That day, Pastor Qimei and the married sisters rushed back to their parents' home to visit their anxious and grieving brother and sister-in-law, feeling distressed and worried. Life is in the hands of the Lord of Life. If the Lord Jesus wanted to heal Hongzhen, even if the doctor said there was no cure, there would be a cure. If this was indeed the day Hongzhen passed away, then it would be too late not to say something.

Sitting opposite each other, the third brother said to his sister: "The doctor said Hongzhen only has two weeks left."

Chemei: "Have you ever thought about where she went after she died?"

Third brother: "No. It's too late to treat the patient, so there's no time to think!"

Third sister-in-law: "Her mother-in-law said she would worship her for a year."

Chemei: "What will happen in one year? Let her become a hungry ghost?"

The third sister-in-law looked confused, but the third brother said, "Yes! What will happen in one year?"

Pastor Qimei continued to ask directly according to the logic they believed in. His love was so deep that he asked the question seriously and had no time to beat around the bush: "Not only that, but what about one year from now?"

Third sister-in-law: "After one year, it will be once a year."

Chemei: "Once a year, only one day a year. What to do with the remaining 364 days? Let her become a hungry ghost?"

The third brother felt horrified and heartbroken: "No, no!"

Qimei: "But that's how traditional belief is. In the six realms of reincarnation, can Hongzhen go to heaven?"

As a family that worships Buddhism, the third brother and his family all know that one must not only practice spiritual practice, but also practice successfully to escape the fate of the six realms of reincarnation, namely the heavenly realm, the human realm, the asura realm (half human and half ghost), the animal realm, and the evil ghost realm. , and hell realm.

"If Hongzhen doesn't practice, she can't go to heaven." The third brother said.

"I have never heard of practitioners who can ascend to heaven. Then let Hongzhen ascend to the human realm and then be reincarnated as a human being?" Pastor Chemei asked.

Hongzhen's husband drowned in a typhoon just a few years after her marriage. She returned to her parents' home sadly and became a widow. She then suffered from cancer for more than five years. How could her father bear to let her go through such suffering again. So the third brother said: "No, she is suffering too much!"

"Then, what about the Asura Path?"

"That's too scary! Don't go."

"Where are the other three paths?"

"don't want!"

"Third brother, if you can't go to the heavenly realm, you don't want to go to the human realm, and the other four realms don't dare to go, then doesn't Hongzhen really become a lonely ghost? He has been locked up for a whole year, and he can only come out for one month in the seventh month of the lunar calendar. , how pitiful it is to have to ask for food by yourself! All these years, you have tried to cure her illness and change her life to no avail, why don’t you ask Jesus to solve her life-long problem?”

The third brother's heart has become soft and open, so Pastor Qimei can introduce the truth of life to them: "People enter the sea of suffering because of sin. Jesus came from heaven, the Word became flesh, atoneed for people's sins, and was crucified on the cross. , descended to Hades, died and rose again, so everyone who believes in Him can be saved and resurrected.

If Hongzhen believed in Jesus, she would either be healed or taken back to heaven by Jesus. Those who try to solve the problem are human beings who have never died. They don’t understand what death is about, and they don’t know the way to the Western Paradise. Many of them practice rites during the day and eat, drink, and gamble at night. You must believe in Jesus instead of them. You believe in Jesus, and Hongzhen also believes in Jesus. After death, you will not have to go to the terrifying six realms of reincarnation, but Jesus will accompany you on the path of grace through the cross. If the whole family follows the same path, they will definitely be reunited with Hongzhen in heaven. "

The third brother and the third sister-in-law felt that there was no need to delay, so they immediately went to the hospital with Pastor Chemei. Pastor Chemei told the truth to his niece, who accepted Jesus as her savior and was baptized on the spot. The third brother said, "Our whole family must believe and be baptized so that Hongzhen can know and be comforted. We can all meet again in the future and she will not be alone." So the eight members of the family were all baptized into the name of Jesus.

This is an example of Pastor Chemei bringing the truth and hope of life to those who have lost their loved ones at the time of bereavement. However, she never forced indoctrination. She had big principles but no rigid format. She always taught based on needs and actual conditions. Bring in the content of truth with gentleness and wisdom.

▲Pastor Li Qimei officiating at the ceremony ▲Sister Li Hongzhen’s memorial service at Shalu Church,

Preach the truth that brings hope and fill the entire family with the hope of seeing each other again in heaven.

Gospel.

When loving “passively”, take the initiative

Love is a verb, and it is also the duty and mission of Christians; but sometimes, love cannot be too active, such as at weddings and funerals. Love at this time needs to be invited and loved, otherwise it will be suspected of "bad intentions" and "utilitarianism", and it will be far away from the original intention of love. Pastor Qimei calls this kind of love "passive love."

Although love is passive, once it is activated, Pastor Qimei takes the initiative to bring the special care from God into those special situations.

▲The souvenirs prepared by Pastor Qimei from the ▲Restaurant Church are all information about preaching Jesus, every little detail

The short story served as a testament to the theme, and the audience resonated with the same sentiments and deeply understood the wisdom of life.

All built for evangelism.

Collected Works on Pregnancy Worships and Memorials

In Taiwan, mourning is a big event. There is a ceremony of celebrating the seventh day, followed by a hundred-day ceremony and an anniversary ceremony. In the early years of his conversion to Christianity, Pastor Qimei “taught” Quaker Pastor Zheng Xinjiao (late). Pastor Zheng attaches great importance to funerals and respects the bereaved family. With permission, during the funeral period, he will go to the bereaved family every seventh day to lead the funeral service. According to the different needs and situations of each family, he will bring out the gospel message, including hundreds of days and anniversary ceremonies. In this way, be considerate and caring, and give the truth bit by bit without forcing it. Because "the heart of a wise man is in the house of mourning" (Ecclesiastes 7:4), facing the end of life, a living person's mind will temporarily shift from the busy work of life to paying attention and thinking about life. It is easy to The special period when truth "opens the door" is short but precious.

Pastor Qimei inherited the insights of Pastor Zheng Xinjiao, and used his literary qualities (studied literature at the University of Tokyo) when caring for and pastoring the bereaved, and customized a "Memorial Collection" for each family, including a program list. , pastor’s sermons, pastor’s encouragements, family memorials, interviews, etc. The themes vary according to the family, such as “wisdom in tears”, “from past life to eternal life”, “win-win life”, “win at the end” wait. This is actually a text mission. People who have not believed in the Lord see the program as unlucky and often throw it away after the funeral. However, the memorial collections she made are usually kept. Someone once called her because she was looking through the early memorial collections. , and was moved to believe in the Lord.

Chen Yi, the only daughter of member Zheng Xuemei’s cousin, was smart and enthusiastic. She first went to National Taiwan University, and later got admitted to the National Taipei University of Education out of interest. She graduated in June 2017, interned in August, contracted influenza in October, and passed away at the end of December. Aged twenty-four. The parents were very sad, but according to custom, those who died young did not need to hold a large funeral, not to mention that their family only had about twenty people.

However, Pastor Qimei helped them book the Zhongshan Presbyterian Church to hold the ceremony; for the memorial collection, the students used LINE to invite contributions. As a result, the number of participants that day exceeded Chen Yi’s parents’ expectations. More than 400 people attended. Chen Yi’s classmates, teachers, parents’ colleagues and friends all came. Even after the burial, one hundred copies of the memorial collection need to be printed and distributed to friends who want to read them.

▲ Pastor Zheng’s nephew passed away suddenly and was buried in heavy rain after the funeral service. Pastor Qimei led Pastor Zheng’s sister and her family to be baptized.

Chen Yi's university mentor, Chen Bixiang, the head of the department who teaches "life philosophy", told Chen Yi's parents: "When I attended the farewell memorial service, I watched the carefully compiled life DVD and listened to the sermon on "Crossing the Abyss of Death". "A win-win life" and reading the memorial collection, the atmosphere was amazing and touching. "The dean of the department, who originally did not agree with the truth of Christ, was deeply moved by the power of faith, hope and love.

Chen Yi's parents were also comforted during the service. Through the process of the service, they thought about and recalled their daughter. They were convinced that they would have the hope of seeing each other again in heaven in the future, and there would no longer be the misery of life and death. Infinite joy surged in their hearts. Grateful and moved; although there are tears of sadness at the loss of a daughter, there is no longer despair of loss. From the words of salvation, comfort and hope of Jesus preached by the pastor, they found a way out of the quagmire of sorrow; and because the church colleagues shouldered the responsibility of taking care of the funeral, the full love melted the sorrow and turned it into the hope of peace. Therefore, I was greatly moved and comforted. On Easter soon, they were both baptized into the name of Jesus and gained more relatives in the family of God.

Anyone who has written articles, interviewed and edited probably knows how time-consuming and hard it is to produce a memorial collection. Once Pastor Qimei was invited to preside over the funeral and could love passively, she immediately took the initiative, devoted herself wholeheartedly to her true feelings, and incorporated truth and love into each specific memorial book.

But this is only one step. Once he agrees, when encountering unexpected challenges, Pastor Qimei dares to be responsible for the etiquette to the end.

▲Chen Yi’s farewell service was decorated in a simple and elegant manner. The main church and two auxiliary churches were full. Pastor Qimei’s message was sincere, profound and practical, and moved his relatives and friends who believe in Buddhism and Taoism.

▲Pastor Qimei delivered a speech of condolences at Chen Yi’s farewell service. The carefully produced last text of the DVD gave people hope for eternal life and became a handkerchief to wipe away people’s tears.

When I am invited, I will honor the Lord as great

At that time, the temple in Jerusalem was turned into a business place. Jesus became angry and turned a rope into a whip to drive the traders out in order to restore the sanctity that the temple should have. In Taiwan today, funerals have become a lucrative business. The bereaved families do not understand the pitfalls, and they also want dignity and glory, so it is easy to take money out of their pockets.

However, Pastor Qimei and his colleagues hosted the funeral, not only did they not accept gifts, but they also brought practical help and comfort. Although this benefits the lost families, it may not make other businessmen happy.

In July 2017, the mother of church member Wang Mingren passed away suddenly in Kouhu Township, Yunlin County, which is the most prosperous place for worship on the west coast of Taiwan. The sister of the church member had not yet believed in the Lord. Pastor Chemei said to the church members who asked for help: "If you want to hold a Christian funeral, I will fully support you."

Brother Wang rushed back to his hometown and found that his cousin had arranged a Taoist funeral ceremony. After discussion, the cousins all agreed to change everything to a Christian funeral after Pastor Qimei and Deacon Hong Huize, owner of the Christian funeral home, arrived at 2pm the next day. Unexpectedly, during the funeral meeting with the family, the local funeral agency used intimidation to request to take charge of the funeral arrangements. They despised Pastor Qimei for not understanding funeral rituals. After several confrontations, he still looked provocative and sprayed betel nut juice into Deacon Hong's mouth. face.

Fortunately, Deacon Hong was very personable and did not get offended. Pastor Qimei reminded: "We didn't agree that the church would take over after two o'clock. Today is the Wang family's funeral, not yours!" Finally, Pastor Qimei said softly but firmly: "The Wang family invited me here because I am the one who made the decision. .

▲Brother Xie Hongyi, a Christian who returned to Taiwan from the United States alone for medical treatment for lung cancer, was introduced to Pastor Qimei. The church set up a care group to take care of him and stayed with him for nearly a year. After resting in Taiwan, he helped his wife and children at Zhongshan Presbyterian Church. Send to the end.

"Okay, you can do it if you want. You have to ensure the safety of the whole village in the future. If it is not safe, I will come to settle the account with you." The other party said angrily and harshly.

Pastor Qimei said: "It's strange! It's a family affair. Each family worships its own ancestors and worships its own gods. Why does the Wang family do the whole village's business by holding funerals?"

The other party was in a daze, and was eventually taken away by the Wang family's cousin, but threatened that he would not help apply for a death certificate. Naturally, this trick didn't work, and they made things difficult and threatened to take away the refrigerator where the body was frozen. But these tricks don't work, because Pastor Qimei can solve these practical problems immediately.

I am very grateful that the funeral was held at the local Chuwu Presbyterian Church. People from all walks of life in Kouhu Township came to participate in this first Christian funeral in the village. There were no idols that they usually worship, and it was solemn and peaceful. This is the reason why Pastor Qimei usually insists on holding funerals in churches, because the spiritual atmospheres in churches and funeral homes are very different. God is light, and where there is light, there is warmth and strength; where there is light, all darkness will recede, and we will not be afraid of evil spirits or evil spirits. Pastor Qimei preached Jesus with the words "God is love" in his consolation speech that day, and worked with the Holy Spirit who opened people's hearts to lead Wang Susheng's grandmother's mother-in-law to believe in the Lord.

When Deacon Hong estimated the cost to be about NT$60,000, the cousins thought he had missed a zero and were afraid that the funeral would be too simple and unseemly. But unexpectedly, when the villagers experienced this beautiful Christian funeral, they came up with the idea of "I will be like this after I die." The cousins all considered converting to Jesus, because by believing in Jesus, they can reunite with their loved ones, and the funeral can be peaceful. You can save money, be decent, and be safe.

For Pastor Qimei, a funeral is not just a funeral, but a sermon that brings hope not only to the families who have lost their loved ones, but also to all those who attend the funeral.

"We are reforming Taiwan's funeral culture." Pastor Qimei said.

Pastor Qimei not only has the courage to face the local gangsters, but even if all the civil and military officials come to attend the funeral, she still adheres to the principle: attending the funeral is not to say goodbye, but to "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who mourn." (Romans 12:15). This is the Lord’s grace, and it is also what the Lord teaches, to magnify the Lord. So if you come, don’t turn around and leave like a stick of incense, but participate in the whole process.

This was Pastor Chemei’s gentle reminder to the guests when he was attending the funeral for his uncle Xie Ruizhi (former Dean of Students of Normal University and President of Police University).

At that funeral, the then President of Taiwan, Mr. Ma Ying-jeou, was also present. Pastor Qimei spent fifteen minutes before the funeral blessing the President and Taiwan. After the funeral began, the entire process was devoted to the Lord. Except for the vice president who left midway due to business issues, more than 700 guests attended the funeral from beginning to end and heard the complete gospel message. After that, my aunt took her grandson to live in the church, and I also heard that some officials had believed in the Lord.

▲Pastor Qimei led the church to hold a grand farewell memorial service for Grandma Wang Susing at the Chuwu Presbyterian Church in Kouhu Township. After the ceremony, the choir lined up to see off Grandma Wang Susing. She was hailed as a scene of Jesus. The villagers yearned for it and thought, "I will be like this after I die."

The fruit on the tree takes root underground

Pastor Chemei’s twelve-character journey

If God wants to use a person to convey His grace, he must first cultivate him. Pastor Qimei has walked through different spiritual journeys under the guidance of God. She herself summed it up this way - the life before she believed in the Lord was just like what Psalm 90 said, summed up in twelve words: "Labour and sorrow are gone in the blink of an eye, like flying away." After believing in the Lord, I became humble and obedient and followed Pastor Zheng Xinjiang. As Luke 9:6 says, it also contains twelve words: “Going through every country, preaching the gospel, and healing people everywhere.” God’s presence allowed miracles to happen. Things follow their footsteps. As her spiritual journey progressed further and the Lord led her to see the golden streets of heaven, she lost her original passion for earthly jewelry and traveling around the world. She only wanted to save money to help the poor, and as in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 Verses 16-17 also contain twelve words: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything.” She wholeheartedly preaches the gospel according to the instructions given to her by the Lord through Pastor Zheng. After being ordained in 2013, her twelve-word motto gained new content: "Commitment and responsibility, calling and grace, love and sheep."

It is with such pastoral feelings that Pastor Qimei sincerely promises and faithfully takes on the responsibility. As a called and favored person, she leads the sheep with love, and the sheep are in turn willing to work with her.

Anyone who is a pastor has probably conducted a funeral. For Pastor Qimei, there seem to be many funerals, ten in 2017 alone. To organize a funeral into an evangelistic meeting, the whole church needs to become a team and serve together to glorify God’s name. It can be said that all members of the Phoebe Church are "soldiers". They receive pastoral care in peacetime, and then return to the fields to build family altars and enjoy family relationships. Once there is a "battle" to be fought, they immediately put on "armor" and go into battle to preach the gospel - all brothers are dressed in white, black pants, and black ties; The sisters wore black dresses and cross necklaces with Russian rhinestones. If someone praises the cross necklace during the funeral, church members are encouraged to give it to her immediately, and the church distributes it. What accessory is more auspicious than a cross necklace?

"A funeral is a serious place that conveys love. When we go out, we must be decent and orderly." Pastor Chemei said.

▲At the funeral of Pastor Qimei’s uncle, Hsieh Ruizhi, after President Ma Ying-jeou issued a commendation order and lowered the national flag, the pastors prayed for the president together and blessed Taiwan.

Commitment, calling and grace, love and sheep

Order does not come into being in a day. The unity and concentricity of the team come from daily pastoral care. Pastor Qimei’s pastoral work has three parts: touch people who enter the church with the truth and love of Christ → people stay and become members and receive pastoral care → go out and touch others with the truth and love of Christ. She cherishes every opportunity to love her church members. "Eating, drinking, and having fun are all opportunities to build relationships." Therefore, she pays attention to the church's love banquet. If the love banquet is worse than the one at home, don't cook it.

Pastor Han Yuanxiong’s friend, teacher Liang Yumei, suffered from liver cancer. He believed that only Pastor Qimei could pastor her, so he introduced her to Feibi Church. Teacher Liang married into a Christian family, but she resisted her Christian faith because of being hurt. After meeting Teacher Qimei, she said she "wanted to play all the way until she died."

Pastor Qimei said: "You have to start worshiping Jesus, your life depends on Him, and you have to play all the way to the end." But Teacher Liang insisted on his original intention. Pastor Qimei said: "Okay! I will pray for you and leave your life and death to the Lord Jesus. Even if it is not possible, I pray that you will be able to see the Lord safely." He accompanied her with love all the way. Teacher Liang was very happy and joyful in the church, and finally left without any pain. When the family saw that their mother was so happy in Phoebe Church, they listened to Pastor Qimei’s reminder: If you regret not being able to fulfill your filial piety, you must go back to the church and you will not be able to reunite with your mother until you see the Lord. After apologizing, saying goodbye, and thanking her, Teacher Liang's whole family returned to the church.

▲Vice President Wu Dunyi read "Walking in the Light", a collection of essays prepared by Pastor Qimei for the funeral.

While Pastor Chemei "eats, drinks, has fun" and builds close relationships with members who have more time, he also makes good use of technology to pastor busy office workers. He uses LINE to hold "Fibi Bible Reading Meetings" where he reads the Bible and writes notes for fifteen minutes every day. , it is expected that the Bible will be read once in five years; a "Phoebe Prayer Group" has been set up to push six essential parts every day: greetings to God, worship songs, repentance and self-consecration before the mercy seat, prayers for Taiwan, prayers for Israel, and blessings; There is also the "Phoebe Church Together" group, which allows members to have a community life; and the "Phoebe Bulletin Board" is where church activities are mobilized. This is how her funeral team was scheduled on LINE, with a high degree of harmony. When someone came to seek help and asked them how to hold a funeral preparation meeting, the answer they received was surprising: "We don't have a preparation meeting."

Team members also personally experienced God’s actions during service and were edified. After a funeral, a church member heard other people's favorable comments while riding the MRT, and said with emotion: "We are doing it, and God is remembering it. We have completed what we should do, and God will continue to do His work."

Pastor Chemei said: "According to Pastor Zheng's estimation, the average cost of bringing an unbeliever into the church is NT$1 million; but preaching the gospel through funerals is like a bunch of rice dumplings that catch the head and lift the whole thing. It is very economical and effective. There are funeral services, memorial services, comfort and encouragement for the bereaved, and evangelistic work to spread Jesus.”

He also said: "The most important thing is that instead of saying that we serve others, we are served; because in serving, we learn a lot of life wisdom and practice the biblical truth of life. In team service , the whole church unites in love and walks in the light again and again, focusing on the love of the Lord Jesus, bringing spiritual revival to the church.”

Just after finishing the interview, Pastor Qimei was about to host a funeral. May God continue to bless Phoebe Church and be with Pastor Qimei and members, not only bringing hope into lost places, but also allowing hope to take root in the hearts of more people.

Interviewee profile
Li Quemei was a member of the "Tzu Chi Promotion Group" before the opening of Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital in August 1986. After completing the phased tasks, she bid farewell to Master Cheng Yen. In June 1993, Jesus appeared to her and she was baptized in 1994. In 2008, she was sent by Pastor Zheng Xinjiang to open up the Quaker Phoebe Church. Ordained as a pastor in 2013.

Journalist profile
Li Wenping, traveler, executive editor of this magazine and Fengrong Online Magazine, and special editor of communications. He once served as editor, anchor, columnist and editor of different magazines and poetry magazines at CITIC Broadcasting. He is the author of essay collections "The Day the Lily Blooms" and "The Road Is an Extension of the Soul". His various texts have been scattered in various newspapers and periodicals. His early poems were Won the Ai Qing Cup World Chinese Poetry Excellence Award.