Church History – 70 Anniversary (5)
V. Discipleship (2020-2025) 门徒操练期
From 2020 to 2025, Newton Life Church entered its fifth spiritual milestone: the Discipleship Period. Under the mentorship of Rev Joshua Ting—who became our pastoral mentor during this time—we were led to clarify our church’s core values: Faith, Life, and Mission. In 2020, our theme was “Listen to the God of Love, Listen to Others with Love”(Mark 12:29–31), which guided us through the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Despite severe disruptions, God realigned our journey, leading us to adapt and thrive. Online platforms became vital as Sunday Services, small groups, and classes moved online. On March 29, 2020, we held our first online service, transforming homes into places of worship. In 2021, we renewed our vision: “Building generations of a Christ-like family. Faith is realized through Life empowered by the Mission.” Ministry resumed physically in 2022 with the theme “Experiencing God’s Presence”, followed in 2023 by “Serving God with a Servant’s Heart”.In 2024, we embraced “Shaping the Next Generation”. Through these years, God faithfully shaped our church into a disciple-making family church, rooted in Faith, expressed in Life, and committed to Mission.
2020年至2025年，纽顿生命堂迈入第五个属灵阶段：门徒操练期。在陈世钦牧师的督导下，教会重新厘清核心价值观：信仰、生活、使命。2020年主题为“静听神慈声、细听人心声”（马可福音12:29–31），引领教会度过疫情危机。尽管遭遇重重波折，神却重整了我们的道路，带领我们在适应中茁壮成长。线上平台成为关键，主日崇拜、小组与课程全面转为线上。2020年3月29日，教会举行首次线上崇拜，家庭成为敬拜场所。2021年更新异象：“共建效法基督的跨代家庭，落实信仰就是生活，生活就是使命”。2022年，教会主题为“经历上帝的同在”，实体崇拜恢复。2023年为“以仆人的心态服事”，2024年主题为“培育塑造下一代”。这些年来，祂始终信实地塑造我们，使教会成为一个以门徒训练为核心的属灵之家——扎根于信仰，践行于生活，并忠于使命。
Rekindle the Fire – NLC 70th Anniversary Year (2025)
重燃薪火 – 纽顿生命堂七十周年纪念 (2025)
As Newton Life Church stepped into the year 2025, our 70th Anniversary year, we began with a simple but earnest prayer: “Lord, rekindle the fire within us.” At the very first service of the year, we were reminded that while hopes for the new year may look different for children, youth, adults, and seniors, there is one shared hope for all of us. We long for God Himself to reignite our love for Him, our joy in living for Him, and our compassion for others.
This call to rekindle the fire was not about doing more programs, making bigger plans, or relying on our own strength. Instead, it was a return to our first love, the love we first experienced when we encountered Christ’s forgiveness, when our hearts burned with passion for His Word, His mission, and His people. Like the fire on the altar in Leviticus that was never to go out, we are called to keep alive the flame of faith and love that God has placed in us.
As we celebrate seventy years of Newton Life Church, we give thanks to the Lord who has sustained the fire through generations. Yet we also look ahead, knowing that this flame must continue to burn brightly for Christ. May the fire on the altar of our hearts never go out, but keep burning for the glory of God – today and for the generations to come!
当纽顿生命堂迈入 2025 年——本堂七十周年的禧年，我们以一个单纯却炽热的祷告开启这一年：“主啊，求祢重燃我们心中的爱火”。在新年的第一场崇拜中，我们得到提醒：尽管儿童、青少、成年和乐龄弟兄姐妹对新的一年怀有不同的盼望，但我们心中都有一个共同的渴望。我们渴望上帝亲自复兴我们对祂的爱，重燃我们为祂而活的喜乐，并更新我们对他人的怜悯之心。
这“重燃薪火”的呼召，并非要我们举办更多活动、制定更宏大的计划，或倚靠自己的力量；而是呼唤我们回到那起初的爱——当我们经历基督赦罪之恩时，心中那燃烧的热情，对祂的话语、祂的使命、祂的子民的火热。正如《利未记》中坛上的火不可熄灭一样，我们蒙召守护那由上帝亲自点燃的信心与爱心之火，使它持续燃烧。
当我们庆祝纽顿生命堂七十年的恩典历程，我们同心感谢主——是祂让这团火历经岁月，传承不息。同时，我们也展望未来，深知这火焰必须继续为基督而炽烈地燃烧。愿我们心中祭坛的火永不熄灭，发光发热来荣耀神，从今日直到未来的世世代代！