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 The special guest speaker for the ceremonies will be
Boli Zhang.
Zhang worked as a journalist after graduating from a college in
Heilongjiang Province, China. In 1989, he began a program at Beijing
University and became involved in the Tiananmen Square student
protest movement. Later, he was introduced to Christ by a peasant
Christian woman. His life's journey includes suffering in a Taiwan
hospital with the diagnosis of terminal cancer. He has been healed
and saved by God's amazing grace and is reaching hundreds of Chinese
with the Gospel message. He is a dynamic evangelist and speaker for
the worldwide Chinese churches.
He graduated with a Master of Divinity from Logos Evangelical
Seminary in Los Angeles, Calif., and is currently pursuing his
Doctor of Ministry from Singapore Seminary. He has written a book,
"Escape from China," which has been translated into English. His
story is being pursued by several production companies in an attempt
to win hundreds more people around the world for Christ.
Zhang is currently serving as the president of the North America
Mainland Chinese Mission. He resides in the Washington, D.C., area
with his wife and is pastor of the Harvest Chinese Christian Church
in Fairfax, Va.
Interpreting for Zhang will be Jian Zhu.
Zhu has served as senior pastor at the Albuquerque Chinese
Christian Church, Albuquerque, N.M., for the last 20 years. He was
born in China and grew up in a Christian family. While committed to
the mission of the "Red Guard" in the 1960s to propagate communist
ideology during his youth, he experienced total disillusionment and
became severely depressed and addicted to tobacco and alcohol. Zhu
was introduced to Jesus in 1979 and experienced a dramatic
turnaround after he accepted Christ. With total surrender, he has
committed himself to a lifetime of service to God.
Zhu holds a master's degree and has completed all but his
dissertation for a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. He
served on the faculty at the University of New Mexico for 10 years.
During that time he also served as founding pastor of the local
Chinese church.
Later, Zhu went into full-time ministry, devoting his efforts to
networking churches and organizations across China and North America
to unify efforts in Chinese mission work. During the last 12 years,
Zhu has helped found numerous Chinese mission ministries in arts,
business, culture and education. For the last decade, he has also
served as the executive vice president of North America Mainland
Chinese Mission. This past year, Zhu partnered with Lincoln
Christian University to serve as director of the China Institute at
LCU.
Providing special music for the ceremonies will be Chang Guo,
pastor and international award-winning violinist; Yin Shi, pianist;
and Hao-Fang Chuang, soprano.
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A virtuoso violinist, Chang Guo was born in Nanjing, China. He
won the first prize in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin
Competition at the age of 14 and proceeded to win many other
prestigious international awards, including major prizes from the
international competitions of Carl Flesch in Britain, Ludwig Spohr
in Germany, Rodolfo Lipizer in Italy and Yfrah Neaman in Germany. In
1986, he was the first classical musician to perform in the live
televised annual "Chinese New Year Celebration," with viewers
numbering more than 500 million.
Chang has performed as a soloist and recitalist in numerous
countries in Europe, Asia, and North and South America, performing
as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London and the
Central Symphony Orchestra of China. His performances have been
broadcast in China, the United Kingdom and Germany. He became a
Christian in 1995 and co-founded Proclaim Evangelistic Music
Ministry in 2000.
Internationally known pianist Yin Shi has won many competitions,
including the Penson Young Artist Award in 1993, the Fort Wayne
Young Artist Competition in 1994 and the Irene Tintner International
Competition in 1995. He has appeared in concert throughout the
United States as well as in China, Japan, Brazil and Germany. A
native of China, he graduated with honors from the prestigious
Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 1990, he was a featured
soloist at the opening concert celebrating his alma mater's 40th
anniversary.
Soprano vocalist Hao-Fang Chuang (Haofang) studied under D'Anna
Fortunato and Phyllis Gomda Hsi. She has been recognized with awards
from several nationwide competitions and has earned scholarships,
such as from the National Association of Teachers of Singing, German
Lieder Competition, Association of Vocal Artists New Voices,
Presbyterian Church Taiwan Music Contest and Nan-Hai Rotary Club Art
Talented Scholarship.
Haofang's voice affects the audience with great expression,
especially singing art songs and sacred songs. She was invited to
sing several premieres of Chinese poems by Murong Hsi, Nanchang
Chien. She also performed at concerts such as "Messiah" and "Night
of Opera Aria Duets."
She was raised in a Christian family at Taiwan. She confirmed her
faith in Christ in 2000 and devoted her voice to God since then.
Among the many graduates of the LCU Class of 2013 are Lucianno
and Andreia Rodrigues. This husband and wife came to LCU from Belo
Horizonte, Brazil, with their two children, Gabby, 13, and Junior,
10.
After serving as missionaries in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, for
five years, they felt called by God to go back to school to be
better equipped to serve God's kingdom. After arriving in the United
States with no previous knowledge of the English language (they
speak Portuguese), "by God's grace," both are graduating this
spring.
With their education goals completed, Andreia and Luciano are
planning to return to Guinea-Bissau to establish a Christian school
and Bible institute as a way to evangelize and plant churches.
[Text from file received] |
