芙 蓉 基 督 教 卫 理 公 会 宣 教 始 年 : 1901或1902 ?

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文:王来福弟兄(宣教106周年庆典筹委会主席)

2006年8月28日,执事会议决定将于2007年举办芙蓉堂宣教105周年纪念庆典,同时出版纪念特刊。当时,执事会依据教会的会议记录,芙蓉堂宣教事工始于1902年。

在整理芙蓉堂宣教历史过程中,纪念特刊工委会发现华人教会因早期隸属英语年议会,没有华文纪录可查,因此僅能依历届宣教议会的英文纪录,追溯芙蓉堂初期宣教历史。1900-1936年期间,宣教议会的会议,都是在每一年的一月或是二月召开,因此,议会的纪录,以逻辑来推测,应该是叙述早一年的事件,例如1925年的纪录是叙述1924年的事件。[1907年召开了两次的年议会会议,分别是在 2月和12月,1908年没有召开年议会会议。] 在1901年之前,宣教议会会议记录没有任何记载涉及芙蓉宣教事件,这显示了芙蓉宣教工作还未开始。根据1902年2月召开的宣教议会会录记载,有宣教士由吉隆坡前来芙蓉举行露天布道,听众颇为踊躍;这证实了1901年宣教的工作开始伸展到芙蓉。

因此,根据1902年宣教议会会议记录,执事会于2007年6月15日议决1901年为芙蓉堂宣教始年;就此,2007年庆典名称遂改为『芙蓉基督教华人卫理公会宣教106周年纪念庆典』。

Which year was the founding year for the Chinese Methodist Church Seremban? by Bro. Ong Lai Hock

During a meeting on 28.8.2006, the Local Church Executive Committee [LCEC] of our church decided to celebrate the church's 105th Anniversary in the year 2007. This decision was based on 1902 as the founding year for the Chinese Methodist Church Seremban [CMCS]. Seremban missionary work was first mentioned in the 1902 Malaya Conference and that is why we have, in the past, used 1902 as our founding year.

In tracing the history of CMCS, the Anniversary Magazine Working Committee discovered that in the early twentieth century [1900 – 1936], the only official records available were in the Malaysia or Malaya Conference papers. All these conferences, except in the year 1907, were held annually either in January or February. Surely, all matters reported in the conference papers must have referred to the previous years. Since Seremban missionary work was first mentioned in the 1902 Malaya Conference, this showed that, in Seremban, the missionary work was probably started in the year 1901. Hence, on 16.6.2007, based on the 1902 Malaya Conference records and the findings of the Anniversary Magazine Working Committee, the LCEC declared 1901 as the CMCS founding year and the celebrations in the year 2007 were to commemorate its 106th Anniversary.

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