I was born on September I4, I928 in Shanghai. My father, Chi Wang (志宏), while he was at a young age, accompanying his older uncle, left their native village Zhongshan (中山) for education in Japan, returned to Shanghai where he worked as an editor at The Commercial Press LTD (商務印書館) and attended evening classes at the Shanghai University(滬江大學) and Chi Zhi University (持志大學).My father took part in many YMCA activities and as a result, he joined the Baptist Church. My mother, Lau Su Sam (劉素心) was born in Kobe (神戶), Japan. Her father, my maternal grandfather, accompanied his uncle and did business in Japan at a young age. He was a member of the Revolutionary Alliance [Tong Meng Hui] (同盟會) led by Dr. Sun Yat Sen (孫中山). He frequently provided the necessary revolutionary army ordnance. Upon returning from Japan, my maternal grandfather started his business in Shanghai. On September 9, I926, my parents were married in the Shanghai Baptist Church. I have three brothers and a sister.

When I was three and a half years old, because of the “January 28 Incident,” the Shanghai War of 1932 exploded. Japanese planes bombed and destroyed The Commercial Press LTD, and my father lost his job. We relocated from Shanghai to Yantai (煙台), Shandong Province, where my father started an import and export business, thus affording me five years of happy childhood there. When, the Lugou Qiao (Marco Polo) Bridge Incident (蘆溝橋事變) of July 7, 1937 happened, we started fleeing from the war again. By this time, my second and third brothers had been born, and together with our grandmother who was living with us at that time, we, a family of six moved back to my mother’s home village, Qianshan Village (前山鄕) of Zhongshan County (中山縣).However, within a year of our arrival in Zhongshan, the Japanese air force bombed Gongbeiguan (拱北關)several times. Finally, we had to move to Macao in I938. But after three and a half years, Macao began to experience food shortages caused by the Pacific War, and we decided to move to Guangzhou, which was then under Japanese occupation, and lived there until Japan surrendered in 1945.

Throughout I944 and I945 there was food shortage in Guangzhou too and up to three hundred corpses could be seen on the street each day. My father was unemployed for many years, and we were extremely poor. I had to stop schooling after the first half year of my first year of senior high school so I could begin working to supplement the family income. It was in 1946 while my mother was trying to sell our family’s Shandong Artex weaved bed sheets (山東抽紗床布) that she met a Seventh-day Adventist Church member named Kwok Yee Gu(郭二姑), who introduced her to Pastor Chung Wai Poh (鍾惠波), who was not ordained then, for Bible study. After attending the evangelistic meetings conducted by Pastor C. I. Meng (孟昭義), my mother became the first baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in our family. 

At that time I was planning to apply for admission at Zhongshan University (中山大學), Sun Yat-sen University. Meanwhile the South China Training Institute (華南三育硏究社) was in the process of moving back from Laolung (老隆), Guangdong province, to Hong Kong,but the Hong Kong Clear Water Bay campus was still occupied by the British soldiers. A decision was then made to delay the campus relocation plan, and moved the college to Guangzhou, where it would remain for one school year (1946-1947). I was given a strong reference by Pastor Ho Wai Yue (何韋如), who was not ordained yet. I took the admission test and was admitted to South China Training Institute, where for the first time I heard the essence of the prophecies ofDanielandRevelation.

During the winter of that year, Pastor Lei Tat Ming (李達明), who returned from the United States, conducted a week of prayer for the students in the Institute. During that week of prayer, I stood and dedicated myself to the Lord and have not changed my mind since that time, just like the apostle Paul had declared before King Agrippa, “I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.”Over the years, although I suffered a variety of attacks, strife, gossip, and slander from fellow workers, the breadth and depth of God’s abundant grace was sufficient for me, a little lamb of His, to seek refuge and shelter in Him so I could have the opportunity to labor diligently in His vineyard. The Lord is gracious in granting me an open and forgiving heart by following His example in forgetting the past, forgiving those who had at one time misunderstood me, melting the hearts of enemies to become friends, and working together in glorifying our Lord.

After my baptism in Namkuan [South Gate] Church (南關堂) in the summer of 1947, I traveled north to Jiangsu Province (江蘇) to continue my education at China TrainingInstitute (中華三育研究社) in the town of Qiaotouzhen (橋頭鎭). During my two years at CTI, I did not learn much knowledge wise, but had known and cultivated meaningful friendship with many of my fellow students, some of whom have remained life-long bosom friends up till today. Since the China civil war was approaching, the school had to move back to Hong Kong once again, and it was my seventh flight from war. In early 1948, I was elected leader of the CTI’s Missionary Volunteer Society. As the leader, my achievements were modest, but the position had enabled me to learn to recognize the dynamics (interactions) and complexities in interpersonal relationships.  I also had the opportunity to lead the young people to attend the last National Youth Congress that was held in Hangzhou (杭州), where I toured the West Lake (西湖), Ling Yin Temple (靈隱寺), royal tomb of Yue Fei (岳王墳) and other attractions. My next visit to Hangzhou would be thirty- one years later.

After completing my two-year pre-medical curriculum, I could not find a school to continue my medical education, so I accepted the call from Tsoi Shi Mun (蔡樹文), director of the Guangxi Mission (廣西區會) tobe a teacher in Nanning (南寧), Guangxi. After teaching a semester at Nanning, I encountered an odd and unexpected experience that had resulted in my returning to Hong Kong. I had been planning to continue my education in the United States all along but the plan could not materialize so I accepted the call to be the head teacher (校務主任)of the Hong Kong Sam Yuk School and worked a term of seven years. The school was transformed from a primary school of 80 students to that of a combined high school and primary school of 450 students and was completely self-supporting with no church subsidies. This Hong Kong Sam Yuk Middle School had set the modus operandi for four other similar Hong Kong Adventist schools in the Mission/Conference today.

In 1957, with the recommendation of Pastor L. E. Smart(司馬德),Far Eastern Division educational secretary, and the support E. L Longway (羅威), president of the South China Island Union, I was able to attend our Atlantic Union College in Massachusetts studying for a degree in Chemistry. I graduated with a BS degree in 1959. I continued my graduate studies at Pacific Union College and completed the Master of Education degree there in 1960. In the summer of 1960, I married Miss Janice Tsao Sui Fong (曹瑞芳),and after our wedding, we drove across America to Washington, D.C. Andrews University had just then been established and was not offering any doctoral program, so I pursued my post graduate studies at the University of Maryland. Meanwhile, my wife, Janice went back to her Columbia Union College (formerly Washington Missionary College and since 2010 Washington Adventist University) to continue her studies.

Throughout the four years when I was studying in the U.S., I was participating in colporteur work every summer. The literature evangelism work afforded me the opportunity to gain deep insight into the populace, broaden my horizons, enrich my travel experience, and also enjoy a good source of income. I cherish those wonderful memories with great and unending fondness. Looking back in life, I could see that there were innumerable people that had bestowed me with kindness. These “benefactors” are all good friends of mine today. Although unable to repay their benevolence individually, I shall live to honor their counsel, “to bestow kindness and share the blessings to others.” It is my second nature to provide help to many, especially the numerous young school and college students that come after my generation.

In August 1961, by the gracious kindness and confidence of Pastor Longway and the school board, I, though unworthy, was invited to return to my alma mater, the South China Training College (華南三育書院), whose president and business manager being D. W. Curry (居義理),as dean and registrar. Six months later I succeeded D. W. Curry as college president, while he remained as business manager. The college was renamed South China Union College. I was then only 33 years old and Samuel S. Young Siu Hong (劭康), our eldest son, was born that same year. There were problems between co-workers of the college, but despite many difficulties, I was fearless like a “new-born calf”, full of courage. By the grace of God, the college grew from a faculty with one master’s degree holder to a teaching staff that had one doctoral and eight master’s degree holders in just a few years. We started the theology department, and we transformed the student body from one of eighty percent non-believers to one that consisted of eighty percent believers in two and a half years. We erected the auditorium, King Huy Hall (景輝堂), a cafeteria, a health food factory, and a laundry building to contract the washing of the linens of Tsuen Wan Sanitarium-Hospital (荃灣療養醫院). 

It was not many years later that the elite college graduates of Clear Water Bay, beneath the Fisherman Peak (釣魚峰), would fill the ministerial needs of the ranks and files of Chinese churches throughout Hong Kong, Macao, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Five former graduates had held the positions of local mission director or union mission secretary, two were appointed college presidents, two became hospital administrators, one became union mission president and one a Division secretary. 

Our two sons, Samuel S. Young Siu Hong (劭康) and Peter Young Siu Yee (劭頤), and daughter, Sylvia Young Siu Ying (劭穎),were born between 1961 and 1964. They brought great joy and happiness to the home.

By 1968, I felt that time was catching up with me, for I was almost 40 years old. I knew that if I did not pursue further studies then, it would be my life-long regret when old age and physical decline set in. Therefore, I decided to bring my whole family with me to the States so I could pursue my advanced studies. The South China Island Union Mission initially refused to sponsor me for advanced studies in the States for they neither promised me an allowance nor appointed a successor to assume my position at the college. Later on, the union mission changed its mind to grant me a stipend after it had realized that my decision to go for further studies was resolute. In fact, whether in the future my decision of returning to serve in the South China Island Union Mission after my advanced studies was not contingent on whether I was granted a stipend or allowance while pursuing my advanced studies in the States. It just meant that without a subsidy my work-study program would delay my degree completion by up to two or three years. I received a merger monthly allowance while studying in the States. After subtracting expenses for church offerings, rent, food, and children's tuition fees, I was left with only seventeen dollars each month for clothing, transportation, medicine, postage stamps, social and other expenses! My wife Janice had to mend the children’s tornclothes almost daily just to make ends meet.

The world-wide General Conference Session was held in Atlantic City in the summer of 1970. It was a time when American youth were marching against the Vietnam War and the black fighting for civil rights. A day before the closing of the General Assembly Session, the General Conference adopted a “Declaration of Interpersonal Relationship (人際關係宣言)” that was beautifully composed, elegantly worded, and full of rhetoric. At the end of business and procedural meeting the next morning, the Nominating Committee caught everyone by surprise in presenting a list of the Far Eastern Division officials that was made up of completely North American whites. Upon reading the list, I was furious and full of righteous indignation, and I stood up and questioned the rational of the candidates’ selection. My questioning greatly embarrassed the Nominating Committee Chairman and the session host on the platform, many of whom were my friends, and it led to more non-white representatives voicing their collaborating demands. The session dragged on to 3 p.m., and the discussion became heated and unmanageable.  In order not to let the overall situation deteriorate further, I withdrew my proposal, and with that ended the stormy session. After the meeting more than 100 delegates shook my hands and congratulated me for my courage to speak up. They also told me of the danger of being blacklisted.  A positive outcome of my questioning in that GC session is that, henceforth, it broke the white monopoly on the Far Easter Division positions. 

Three years went by quickly, I completed my doctoral studies in 1971. Janice, my wife, completed her Bachelor degree in 1970. In June of 1971, our family returned to South China Island Union Mission via Europe and the Middle East. I was concurrently appointed the Union Mission secretary and the educational secretary. A year and a half later, for various reasons, I had to resign from the post of union mission secretary and took on my former position as the president of the Taiwan and Hong Kong Adventist Colleges. 

In early 1973, Taiwan Adventist College (TAC) had only four students whereas Hong Kong Adventist College (HKAC) had fifteen! I had to start nurturing the two colleges from ground zero again. With respect to TAC, I had the great satisfactionthat during my tenure we purchased the land in Yu Chih (魚池) as the future campusand elected several of the basic buildings in the campus. By the time I passed on the baton, both HKAC and TAC had rebuilt the needed faculty strength and returned to normal operation.

Meanwhile the Chan Shun Foundation(陳俊基金會), initially known as the Gospel  Foundation (佳普基金會) was set up in 1974 by Dr. Chan Shun (陳俊博士), abusiness man and a lay Adventist in Hong Kong. The foundation has since been donating large sums of money each year to support the work of the church.

On January 1, 1977, I was appointed the President of the Hong Kong-Macao Mission(港澳區會). With the approval of the General Conference, I organized the “China Ministry Commission (中華聖工委員會) and I serving as its first chairman. My immediate goals were: gospel broadcasting to Mainland China, and facilitating and strengthening the communication between Adventists inside and outside of China. It was the time when Mao Zedong(毛澤東), Zhou Enlai (周恩來) and Zhu De (朱德), the three Chinese leaders, had just passed away. TheChinese people wanted a change, and it was a window of opportunity afforded us to begin the gospel broadcasting work to China. 

On January 1 of the same year, with the passing away of Dr. H. W. Miller (米勒耳) in California, the era of foreign Adventist missionaries and preachers working in China had come to an end. During my tenure of four and a half year as mission president, I spared no effort and energy in the training and upgrading of the local church workers and ministers, increasing the number of full-time ministers, raising the tithe income significantly, with a yearly growth rate of 25% to 29%, purchasing new church sites, formulating plans to bring the gospel to the public housing estates, and promoting health education. Four years later, the Hong Kong-Macao Mission became the Hong-Macao Conference, the first self-supporting conference within the Far Eastern Division.

In mid 1981 Larry R. Colburn (葛培恩), president of the South China Island Union Mission, decided to retire. After extensive search for alternate candidates and consultation, the high-ranking Division church officials chose me as president to succeed Pastor Colburn. By then my children had reached college-age, and I had also previously accepted Andrews University's invitation to join its faculty. Only two more documents were needed before the whole family would make the trip to the USA. These concurrent and competing calls presented me a dilemma that I found extremely difficult to resolve. Finally, after hearing the sincere advice and pleading of all fellow workers for me to remain and serve the homeland, coupled with our children’s promise that they would be diligent and take good care of themselves while studying abroad, I decided to turn down the call from Andrews University and stay back and became the first Chinese president of the South China Island Union Mission.

While as president, I identified and appointed high-caliber people to fill positions in: the two Colleges (HKAC and TAC), the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital (港安醫院), the Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital(荃灣療養醫院) the union secretary and treasurer. Shortly thereafter, I established the Provident Fund (retirement fund) for the denominational workers in Hong Kong. In retrospect, I could have achieved even greater success in the Lord's work had I not limited by the time consuming commuting work schedule between Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the short tenure that allowed me little time dedicated to actively assisting the local missions in the preaching of God’s Word.

In 1985, at a year-end meeting of the General Conference, I was appointed as the GC Associate Executive Secretary in charge of affairs related to the Southern Asia Division (南亞分會) and the South Pacific Division (南太平洋分會), and concurrently, the GC ExecutiveSecretary of the China Ministry Commission (中華聖工執行秘書). Although I was the first Chinese or Asian to be promoted to the GC executive circle, an outstanding honor, executive position wise, what motivated and attracted me most was the responsibility and challenge of the China evangelism work under the direction of the China Ministry Commission. I soon discovered unexpectedly, the GC Secretariat was a total bureaucracy. Its inability to execute plan and drive significant improvements in policy greatly disappointed me, so I decided to resign in 1990. With regard to the China evangelism work, there was little progress made and nothing worth mentioning due to a disinterested and ignorant chairman of the China Ministry Commission, who refused to learn, and its treasurer that allocated no time for planning and consultation on major programs. Therefore, under the circumstances of no systematic funding, no workers, and no cooperating co-workers, precious time passed, and the China evangelism work suffered.

In 1989, Dr. Chan Shun donated ten million U.S. dollars to set up the Chan Shun International Foundation (陳俊國際基金會). In its first decade of establishment, Dr. Chan had donated 22 million dollars mostly for university campus buildings construction purposes. In 1990, I was appointed Special Assistant to the GC President (會長特別助理), and on behalf of GC, I attended the non-governmental organizations meetings which were sponsored by the United Nations. Later on, I became the Chan Shun International Foundation Executive Secretary, and concurrently, the Associate Director of the Department of Religious Freedom and the Executive Secretary of the Spirit of Prophecy Commission until my retirement on December 1, 1995. My wife Janice also retired the same time.

Looking back from August 1949, when I first started teaching in Nanning, to December 1995, I had spent a total of 46 years in denominational service. I had fully dedicated myself to every task that I worked on, always moving forward, knowing that the great blessings of our heavenly Father were with me. Having attained a few achievements as a result of my work, I had small merit with modest success. I had served as church pastor, teacher, principal of primary and high schools, and college president, educational secretary of local mission and union mission, president of local mission and union mission, chairman of the China Evangelism Commission, and associate executive secretary of the GC. I had worked a total of 11 years in South China Hong Kong Adventist College (華南三育書院) in Clear Water Bay, starting as a student, then teacher, dean, principal, member of the college board of directors, and then chairman of the board. Among my fellow students and peers, my career record may be repeatable, but definitely unprecedented. The Apostle Paul said, “What anyone else dares to boast about—–I am speaking as a fool—–I also dare to boast about…. But he [Christ] said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will I boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that  Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 11:21, 12: 8-10. NIV)I thank the Lord and give praises to Him for my life-long accomplishment.

God’s abundant grace is far reaching unto our future generations. Our eldest son, Samuel Siu Hong (劭康) has an MBA degree with a major in Information Technology, who was the Director of the La Sierra University IT department. He is a church elder, and his wife, Helen Chan (陳麗偉), is a home school teacher, and they have four sons. Our second son, Peter Siu Yee (劭頤), is a dentist, and a church elder. His wife, Anne Cheng (曾安妮), is a nursing director, and they have one son and a daughter. Our daughter, Sylvia Siu Ying (劭穎), has an MBA degree with a major in computer science. Her husband, Wally Lighthouse (明華理),is a lawyer and accountant, and they have a son and a daughter. We thank God for His Blessings. All our children and their spouses love the Lord, hold firm in their faith, and are active in the church work.

Now in my retirement, I volunteered my time for the following projects: Chief Editor of the Chinese SDA History(中華聖工史), Executive Secretary of the Chan Shun International Foundation (陳俊國際基金會), and Chairman of its three affiliated University's respective Graduate School Scholarship Committee. I funded the publication of the Christ’s Life in Color Art Collections (基督傳彩色畫集) in China, served as President of the Longway Foundation (羅威基金會), Chairman and was a member of the North American Chinese Churches Advisory Council (北美華人教會咨議會) for four years, taking time to assist in the development of new church work and the establishment of churches. As long as my health permits, I shall humbly do my utmost and spare no efforts to do God's work until the Lord comes. The English edition of the Chinese SDA History would be published in 2013. The Young Foundation would be set up in 2013 to promote the worldwide work of the church.

Date of rest: Oct. 14, 2018 with survived wife of 58 years, three children, and 8 grandchildren.

Translated by Swee-Gin Leong