No Longer Ordinary
An Interview with Rev. Lau Fuk-chuen
Alumnus Lau Fuk-chuen graduated in the seminary’s Diploma in Bible Studies Program back in 1953. He was among the graduates who were granted certificates in the second graduation ceremony of the seminary. Now at the age of seventy-six, Rev. Lau still preaches from the pulpit with a clear, loud voice and still serves as a minister of God as a free-lance preacher at more than ten churches. Rev. Lau began his ministry when he was 23 years old after his graduation and has walked all the way from the somewhat tarnished fifties to the 21st century, an era when information technology is thriving and dominating much of our lives. The road along which he has been walking is the road of ministry filled with God’s grace.
To be God’s Vessel
Rev. Lau first studied at the Guangdong and Guangxi Baptist Divinity School in Guangzhou. Two years later, this school with a history of over 80 years of theological education was closed due to political changes. He left his hometown in a flurry and came to Hong Kong together with some schoolmates. To Rev. Lau’s amazement, God soon opened another door for him, allowing him to settle down in Hong Kong and complete his study at our seminary.
“After the graduation ceremony, only one person came up to shake my hand and congratulate me. I felt so downhearted. I was worried about my low academic qualification and the path that lay ahead. But God comforted me, telling me not to worry about my academic qualification but concentrate on shouldering my responsibilities and try my best to serve Him. As a result I did not lose heart or back off. Nor did I devise any personal development plans. I only hoped that I could be a vessel fit for God’s use.”
Rev. Lau began his pastoral ministry with this commitment burning in his mind, serving in Baptist churches in Ho Man Tin, Tsuen Wan and Fanling respectively. In the 1950s, most pastors led lives with only meagre salaries. In the era, suits were indispensable at work but he could not afford to buy new ones. He could only buy two suits from a second-hand clothing store, one light and one thick, to be ready for the different seasons.
From unsettling and unhappy to total submission
In 1960, Rev. Lau began his ministry at Sheung Shui Baptist Church. He continued to serve there for nine years. It was not easy to do pastoral ministry in this rural area. Eventually he began to experience pressure at work. His heart grew restless and anxious. His decision to go to Leighton Road Baptist Church was the turning point in his life. God taught this unsettled and unhappy servant how to become wholly submissive by simply relying on Him and serving Him with all his heart. Miraculously, when he became willing to be wholly submissive, he felt the burden on his shoulders suddenly lightened. He no longer cared so much about success or failure, gain or loss in his ministry as he began to tread with joy down a new road of ministry.
“I was ordained at Leighton Road Baptist Church and served there for twenty years and six months. We entered a difficult stage at a time our new church building was about to be built. In 1982, after the new building was completed, we renamed the church as the “Oi Kwan Road Baptist Church.” In those days, the church had only limited financial resources and I myself knew nothing about architecture. Shouldering the burden of the church building project was indeed a difficult task for me. However, God guided me step by step. He led people to contribute offerings to the church and granted me wisdom: to seek advice and to analyze the suggestions and make wise decisions. God taught me to always plan in advance and make prior arrangements. To my amazement, in the process of work implementation, I found myself light-hearted, feeling no pressure at all. God really let me learn how to entrust my workload to Him. I needed to work very hard to do my part, yet I never felt hard pressed.”
Began a new ministry at the age of 60
When Rev. Lau was nearly 60, some changes in the church making him feel it was time he moved on. At first, he felt somewhat anxious about his future. When it became clear to him that God was leading him to work as a free-lance preacher, he felt very much at ease. Not being a famous preacher, he assumed that not many churches would invite him to preach. And yet he entrusted everything to God and rededicated himself to the Lord. He was determined to learn more about preaching and prayed that God would grant him a loud and clear voice until he was 70 years old, so that he could continue to preach for God.
Rev. Lau once again submitted himself totally to God as he embarked upon a new path of ministry. God really granted what he had prayed for. He still has had a loud and clear voice although he is more than 70 years old. In the past 16 years, he has lacked nothing and continued to be a vigorous and joyful independent preacher despite his age.
“The grace God has given to me and my family is more than I had hoped and prayed for, and I know it is more than I deserve. For me, what is most important and yet most difficult to learn is to be wholly submissive. I have come to understand that God’s servants must be wholly submissive. We must be both honest and wise. As the Bible says, we have to be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. My innocence has to be expressed with shrewdness; and my shrewdness has to be restrained by innocence. This is very difficult to learn, and it is indeed a life-long lesson.”
Exert oneself constantly, not to compare with others
Growing up in the difficult time of the Sino-Japanese war, Rev. Lau has learned to be tough in the face of changes. Even when he finds himself in adverse conditions, he constantly exerts himself. For him, exerting himself constantly means relying upon God as well as trying hard to do one’s duty well. There should be no comparisons nor competition with others. As a result of such constant self-exertion, he has developed strong willpower and determination to survive. This enables him to serve with a joyful heart. Even if he faces adversity and crisis, he does not treat them as hardships.
“As God’s servant, one has to do one’s duty to serve God, as well as to care for one’s family. It is important to serve God together with one’s family members with the same mind. The welfare of our families should never be neglected. We cannot neglect exercises and food too. We should order our lives well and let the body and mind have a good balance. It is also important that we keep ourselves humble before the Lord. One should also keep in touch with other pastors and ministers so that we can all learn from one another’s experience in ministry. We should always exchange views and ideas with them in daily conversations and meetings and keep an open ear as we listen to their views. Even if we have disagreement over the conference table, we should be open to listen carefully to their views. Only in this way can we know more and continue learning more.”
Rev. Lau takes seriously the opportunity to serve God with other people, to have fellowship with them and to learn from them. In the past years, he has actively participated in the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union. He had also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary for as many as 21 years. Today, although he has retreated from the front-line, he continued to work hard on the second line. It is his hope that he will continue to give encouragement to the church and Christian brothers and sisters.
God manifests great power in his ordinariness
Rev. Lau said that he has always led an ordinary life. Still God has manifested great power in his ordinariness. God’s work through his servant has been wonderful.
Though Rev. Lau was poor, growing up during the Second World War and lacked the opportunity to receive senior secondary education, God granted him analytical power and a strong determination to survive. God also gave him a wife well loved by sisters and brothers in Christ, who helps him with his ministry.
While he was in Guangzhou, Rev. Lau’s study was interrupted by illness. Therefore he graduated from our seminary one year later than scheduled. Though he began his ministry one year later than his classmates, God has granted him good health and a long period of ministry. Though he is already 76 years old, he continues to move forward with great joy.
God manifests great power in his ordinariness so that Rev. Lau’s ordinariness is no longer ordinary.
