Memorial Service for Holy Mountain Huang (101 years)

A Memorial Service for Elder Holy Mountain Huang (101) was held on March 25, 2014 in the True Jesus Church, 69 Sunrise Avenue, Toronto, Canada. God has blessed him and he lived to the ripe old age of 101, respected and loved by the congregation. He was the first elder in the True Jesus Church in Canada to have this distinction of reaching 101.

The chapel was beautifully decorated with floral arrangements in theme of white and purple blossoms accentuated with purple graceful ribbons by Grace Chao, a very talented artist with her arrangement in flowers.

The service was conducted in Mandarin and translated in English by William Chen. He translated in English for about 2 1/2 hours. Samuel Wu translated the article for
Dn. K. C. Tsai.

Hymn 245 Softly Now the Light of Day
Pianist: Edlyn Tsai


Preacher Timothy Yeung spoke in the opening service. He related Elder Holy Mountain to that of Moses who lived to a ripe old age. Elder Huang was 101 years of age while Moses lived to 120 years. He faithfully served the Lord for a good many years first as a deacon and then as an elder. May God give him peace.

Deuteronomy 34:7

And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eyes were not dim, nor his natural force abated.

Deacon Apollos Lee led the congregation in prayer to the Lord.

In the name of Lord Jesus Christ we pray, O Lord, we entrust the memorial service unto the guidance of the Holy Spirit, May all that we say and do in here be blessed by You, and be pleasing to You. O Lord! We thank you, because concerning those who have fallen asleep; You do not want us to be uninformed, lest we sorrow as others who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus, Elder Huang, who has fallen asleep in him. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with Elder Huang in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. May Your Holy Spirit move us, so that through these words we can all be comforted (1 The 4:13).

Deacon Fritz Chen spoke words of comfort to the congregation in the Memorial Service.

Ecclesiastes 3:1~2; 7:1~4,8; 8:8
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

Acts 17:26
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.

2 Timothy 4:6~8
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

1Thessalonians 4:13~18
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
...
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Psalms 116:15
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

Revelation 14:13
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Read by the great grandchildren from 12 years and under.

Davis Yenpin Hwang
Brindel Yenshon Hwang
Bethany Liu
Caleb Liu
Anjoline Wang

Singing: Jesus Loves Me with the audience.

The group of grandchildren now included Meagan who is 3 years old.

His Footprints ……

Elder Holy Mountain Huang was born on December 15, 1912 in Taipei, Taiwan. The eldest of eight children from poor family, he worked with his father in the Family trade from the age of six. An avid, life-long learner, he pursued further education in the Japanese Police Academy and moved up the ranks in the police force. Following Taiwan’s repatriation, he entered the civil service in the areas of forestry management and electoral systems.

In 1959, because of his wife’s poor health, he was introduced to the True Jesus Church. After seeing how she experienced physical healing and spiritual assurance in the words of God, he too, was baptized into the Lord. Taking it a step further, he studied and graduated from the TJC Theological Seminary in 1961 and began his ministry as a volunteer preacher, pasturing to the indigenous people in the mountains of Taiwan. He established four student centres across the country and advocated on behalf of the preachers from the mountain regions For equality of pay and benefits. He was ordained as a deacon in 1967.

From 1971 to 1978, he was involved in church leadership at both the local level in Taipei, and nationally at the Taiwan General Assembly, where he was responsible for general affairs and pastoral ministry of the mountain regions. He joined his family in Canada in 1978.

Elder Huang and his wife had three daughters and a son, all of whom were richly blessed. His wife passed away in 1989, and his youngest daughter in 2000. He was blessed with 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, who live in Asia and North America.

Elder Huang was fond of saying that the wonderful love and mercy of God was ever present throughout his life. Divine love transformed his humble beginnings into a rich and fufilling life in the service of God, and perfumed his journey of faith with its lasting sweetness.

They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. Psalm 92:14

In Remembrance of Elder Huang - Excerpt
Deacon K. C. Tsai was abroad and Samuel Wu read the script..

Elder Huang continued to deliver sermons until he was close to 100 years of age. Although he frequently shared the same testimonies, he always spoke as if he were telling a new testimony each time. He spoke with genuine sincerity, and his eyes conveyed a look of earnestness,

During the last two months of Elder Huang's life, my wife and I often visited him at the nursing home. Other than constantly giving thanks, Elder Huang often said that he had lived too long, and that he was no long useful. He had such an abundance of stories to tell, with so much preaching experience. Did it matter if he was old? I was left to ponder: did he lose an opportunity to testify, or did I lose a chance to hear him?

Three days before Elder Huang passed away, my wife and I visited him. He apologized for being unable to get up to pray with us. He did not have enough strength to stand. I held his hands and told him, "It is fine to pray on the bed." When we prayed, he spoke in tongues, which was fluent and strong. He held up his hand and laid it on me to bless me.

When I left the nursing home, I felt that it was unlikely to see Elder Huang again, upon my return to Toronto. Abut the image of him giving thanks and laying hands on me at the end of our visit will remain with me - He was useful and productive until the end.

It is fine not to see you when I return to Toronto. We will see each other in heaven, Elder.

Thank God for giving me a father who is imperfect. Although he did not stand out in terms of his education or his career, his life long goal is worthy of my emulation. My father spent a good half of his life following the lord, preaching the gospel to others without fail When I was young, I always remembered him standing firm like a big tree. He was not afraid of the elements, always standing tall. Not long after, I look back and realized my father has become an elderly man with close to one hundred years of age. Time passes as if it was but a moment. Fortunately I have always had a chance to spent time with my father every year. My father and I would always discuss the spiritual life and the gospel. I benefited tremendously from these words of mutual encouragement.

I will always remember the love my father gave us. Although my father was also weak in the flesh, but he had completed the journey that the Lord had entrusted him called life. His faith to God was firm to the end. May he rest in peace. Dad, I love you. You are the one and only. Praise the lord, amen!

Excerpt

My childhood memory of grandfather is that of a giant, tall and dark-skinned, with an impressive physique and a thundering voice. My grandfather was often away doing pastoral work. However, whenever he returned, we would he summoned to our uncle¡¯s place for family services, since we lived in the same apartment building as them. We rarely understood the content of his sermons, but I remember clearly his constant refrain, ¡°Lord Jesus loves us very much, we must always be grateful.¡± Then he would lead us in singing hymns, which he enjoyed thoroughly and conducted with intense focus and great gusto. Gazing at this towering figure, I was awed by his majestic, yet kindly, presence.

My grandfather had an astonishingly sharp memory. Even after more than a decade living in Canada, whenever he came back to Taiwan for visits, he was able to remember every person he met, their names, the circumstances of their meeting, the person¡¯s family history and connections. Once when we expressed amazement at this uncanny ability, he told us the secret to his good memory, which was the result of deliberate application and practice. .. He would always confirm all the necessary particulars before he acted, which resulted in his heightened sense of memory and awareness.

My grandfather exemplified dogged perseverance, never letting a new or unfamiliar information pass by without persistent inquiries and unflagging practice. When I visited him at the nursing home in 2012, he said to me, ¡°Even though I had a difficult childhood, studying is my solace and blessing.¡± He was upset that in his youth, the dictionary he so painstakingly copied by hand while he was working in the governor¡¯s library was lost in the move to Canada. It was an important memento left over from the days when he was determined to learn as much as he could.

When new computer technology became popular and available, my grandfather excitedly asked my brother- in-law to help him buy a laptop. He then stayed with us for two weeks so that my husband could tutor him on how to use his brand-new computer. At that time, Windows and Word were relatively new. Yet despite his age, he was undaunted. He papered his laptop with numerous post-it notes covered with his indecipherable scribbles to help him remember. However, when he woke up the next morning, he would forget what all the squiggles meant, and we would have to start again. Learning to use the new software was difficult; and although he was initially baffled and discouraged, he refused to give up. He would forget, then apologize for his forgetfulness, and we would repeat the instruction from the beginning again and again until he finally understood how to use the laptop and the software. From then on, he wrote his daily journal and sermons on the laptop, and learned to navigate the Internet and use email. He is an ideal role-model for life-long learning, no matter the age.

Grandfather treasured his independence, and relied on his own resources for most things. He rarely asked for help,

When I first heard that he had passed away peacefully alone, I thought, despite my grief, that this was somehow fitting. It was so in-character for him: someone who liked to come and go as he pleased, independent in body and spirit until the very end. He didn¡¯t want to bother anyone, he just left when the time came. Grandfather was a champion for the underdog, always siding with the disadvantaged and fighting against injustice. He unblocked a plugged toilet at the student centre with his bare hands when no one else would do it, to the shock and admiration of those watching. He was very concerned with the church¡¯s participation in social welfare, as demonstrated in his 2007 interview in which he detailed the church¡¯s activities to better the lives of the members living in the mountains of Taiwan. My grandfather¡¯s concept of an ideal church is one that not only evangelizes, but also engages in humanitarian effort and social action for the greater good. These were the churches of the past he reminisced about and missed very much.

When I came to Canada in 2012 to visit him, one of my deepest impressions was that he was someone who lived very much in the present. He was always grateful for everything that happened in his life and he had no regrets about anything. Living in the nursing home, he willingly participated in a host of activities, and always made sure he was properly attired beforehand. My lasting memory of him shall be this: my grandfather¡¯s habit of stopping at the mirror in the hallway of the nursing home to peer at his reflection, making sure he was neatly attired; then straightening his posture, he would then proceed sedately onward... Thank you, grandfather, for giving me such an excellent example to follow in life. In my heart, you will always be my super grandfather.

My grandfather immigrated to Canada when I was very young, so the earliest memory I have of him is from photographs showing a balding man. When I was older and attended various Student Spiritual Convocations, people would ask after him. Only then did I realize that he was a devoted worker for God and well respected by many. Although he did visit us in Taiwan, I do not recall much of those days. Only after I immigrated to Canada during high school did my relationship with him grow. When I saw him after I arrived in Canada, my first thought was, ¡°Wow! My grandfather is ageless! He looked just like the photographs I remembered.¡± The tracks of time could not be seen on his face at all. My grandfather missed my grandmother very much, and he often talked about her during these dinners. His emotions would get the better of him and he would weep and I was at a loss for words to comfort him. I remember he often went to visit her grave, and he would play the harmonica and circle her tombstone again and again. In those circuits I could see that she was constantly on his mind and he missed her very much.

My grandfather was an avid learner, and he was keen to learn how to use a computer and to type Chinese. I never learned how to type Chinese properly; and to this day the way I type in Chinese is very basic and slow. I was unable to teach grandfather how to type Chinese using my method. Perhaps because his Mandarin pronunciation of words was not so exact, the phonetic way was not always successful in finding the words he wanted, and he was stumped and frustrated. Yet, to my amazement, I soon discovered that he learned to type Chinese faster than me! He had found a way to simplify the search and pinpoint the exact words. To this day I admire him for his tenacity and resourcefulness. An octogenarian learning how to use the computer at his age; what excuses does the younger generation have when faced with similar challenges? In my recollection of my grandfather, the phrase "Thank God" was always on his lips. He was thankful for every day that he lived. He often told me that no one is obliged to help you; so if they did, always remember to thank them. I think this is an appropriate motto for my grandfather. Towards God and men, he felt this sense of indebtedness that compelled him to always be thankful. It was the only thing he could do.Grandfather repeatedly told me that God loves me, and truly, God loves me very much. During my formative and lonely teenage years, God gave me such a special grandfather to keep me company.My grandfather will always live in my heart.

Elder San Fa Huang (Elder Holy Mountain Huang) was God’s faithful servant and a good shepherd. He immediately involved in the holy work pasturing the flock as soon he and his wife immigrated to Canada in 1978.

In 1980, he helped the church obtain permission to allow holding church service in the Common Room of the apartment building where he lived.

On May 8, 1984, Elder Huang led the whole congregation to pray for God’s guidance on acquiring the church building at 369 Harbord St, Toronto. God moved the whole congregation to agree to purchase the building to be the permanent worshipping place in Toronto. There is a common saying, “One should become stronger as one grows older." But from our point of view, Eld Huang remained stronger as he grew older. He used to preach in a very loud voice, and sang with thundering notes. He still could climb up the stair in the church one month before his death. At one time, Eld Huang came back from out of town on his pasturing work. He looked darker and thinner, but very strong and high in spirit. However, it was discovered that he had lost one tooth. This shows that how hard he worked for the Lord regardless of his health.

Eld Huang’s words and deeds could be described as "water reflecting a face". He always kept his promise. In 2004, he mentioned several times that he wanted to pay a visit to Bro Michael Chang who gradually recovered from a serious illness in Sabah. On March 25, 2005, two days after arrival in Sabah from Taiwan by Malaysian Airlines MH69 (At that time Malaysian Airlines was safe.), he, in his old age of 93, really took the trouble going to visit Bro Michael Chang. He encouraged Michael to rely on God and to look forward for the future.

Besides, he constantly asked about Bro Michael Chang. “How is Michael?” The last time he asked about Michael was on January 31, 2014. This shows his great love and care for the church members.

Everything has been passed. Elder Huang has left us, but we miss him by a lot. We can weep and cry, but we should not be discouraged. We can still be sorrowful, but we should not give up. Because by tomorrow when we wake up, Elder Huang, our God’s faithful servant and good shepherd with his unusual spirit of constant loving care of church members; getting stronger when getting older; and putting his words into practice will always encourage us to go forward on our journey to seek the truth and faith.

Elsa Lin, Janet Yaw and Jim Chiam also spoke in remembrance of Elder Huang. They said he was very involved and highly motivated in the welfare of the congregation. He was very helpful with his advice and concerned about the health and welfare of the people. Elder Huang was greatly respected and loved by his congregation.

James Hwang on behalf of the family thanked the group of members and friends for attending the Memorial Service. He was very glad and thankful for the big gathering that came to pay respect to his grandfather's memory.

Relatives from abroad

Maggie Huang (Baldwin Park, California, US), James Hwang, Alison Hwang, Davis Hwang, Breindel Hwang (Shanghai, China), Conrad Cheung, Lucy Cheung (Hwang) (New York, US) Jerry Hsiao Taiwan), Anton Hsiao (Cambodia).

Bookmarks with lapel pins depicting a Canadian leaf were left on the reception desk for visitors to pick up to celebrate the Memorial Service. Elder Huang loved Canada and whenever visitors came to Canada, he always gave them lapel pins for remembrance.

Refreshment

Yvonne Chen and Claire Lin were in charge of refreshment. After the service was over, the guests were invited to refreshment in the dining hall where they had prepared Chinese spring rolls, bruschetta, spinach dip with tortilla and crackers, fruit, punch, coffee and tea, cake and small cups of creamy desserts.

The service ended not with a whimper but a bang, a cry of triumph of joy for Elder Holy Mount Huang who was called back by the Lord. God has rewarded Elder Hwang with long life, many children, grandchildren and great grand children.

Farewell, Elder Holy Mount Huang!

Video

Recorded by Gordon Yen and Peter Chen

http://einron.hubpages.com/hub/Elder-Holy-Mount-100-years

http://einron.hubpages.com/hub/evergreenservice_jan82011

Less than two weeks before Elder Huang died, four members, Daniel Lau, Amy Lau, Tuck Lee Wong and Dns. Nornie Wong visited him at the nursing home. We found him at the dining room and he greeted and shook hands with all calling us by name. in fact, he shook hands three times which was rather remarkable. The Youth Group also visited that day and he was well enough to have his food at the dining hall. What a remarkable man!