Mr. Huang Detang (1886-1981) was born in Xiaowantang, Zhonglou Town, Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province. He was an extremely rare believer in the Lord and a true pastor without the name of a pastor in the church.
A believer once dreamed that the Lord Jesus had brought a little "Jesus", and that boy was Huang. He had many wonderful spiritual experiences as the Lord had shown many miracles and wonders through him, but he was not complacent about it. On the contrary, he was extremely modest to sigh with emotion for his own shortcomings and for his naivety in true knowledge.
In his spare time, he studied the Bible and asked others for advice. He often thought he was an evil and lazy servant, failing to give the Lord an answer. He traveled all over Xiangshan County where there were Christians, preaching, visiting believers, and helping others solve spiritual and family problems.
Many believers in neighboring counties knew him, because he often went to different places to attend meetings and witness the way of the Lord.
Some of his experiences were special and valuable.
I knew him since I was a child, and my home was only over ten kilometers away from his. When I graduated from the seminary and was assigned by the church organization to work as a resident pastor, he accompanied me. At that time, he was over 60!
He was older than my parents, so I dared not call him "brother" in both age and spiritual experience. I called him "sir" or "elder sir". He had many good deeds, and the excerpts here are only a prominent part of them, most of which were before 1949.
Mr. Huang died on May 18, 1981. His children and grandchildren did not want to announce his obituary to avoid influencing others. Unexpectedly, more than 400 people came from all over the world to attend his funeral.
Huang was a man with the same heart as San Francesco. He was willing to be poor and never felt bitter in his whole dedicated life. Although he was in poverty, he still smiled happily every day and never complained to others.
He went out to run for the gospel, walking barefoot irrespective of a hot summer or a cold winter. He had the habit of fasting every morning and going up to a mountain to pray before dawn. At the age of 90, he still did so despite the wind, frost, rain or snow, no shade on the mountain, with his clothes and trousers getting all wet. He had a heart of sincere love for the Lord and other people, despite his Bible knowledge or sermon content lacking any special merit. We commemorate him and learn from him, not for his external deeds, but rather his inner piety!
(The article was written in November 1981 and slightly revised in 1988, originally published by Gospel Times. The author was the deceased pastor Shao Shengtang who graduated from Nanjing Union Theological Seminary. Born in Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province, he was a leader of the Yinzhou District CC&TSPM and the pastor of Maoshan Church in Yinzhou District, Ningbo, until his death.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
