Thirty years may be only a brief moment from the perspective of eternity, but for a church it is a journey filled with grace, faith, tears and testimony. I thank our heavenly Father for the opportunity, as EFCCA celebrates its 30th anniversary, to look back on His wonderful leading and count His abundant grace.
I first came to know EFCCA in October 2017. Through the introduction of Pastor Wong Leong Yu, President of Care Ministries International, we were invited to serve as speakers at the New Zealand EFC Missions Conference and share about mission work in Africa. At that time the church still worshipped at Epsom Normal Primary School. After the service, Pastor Michael Chen, the elders and co-workers packed up the equipment and travelled to 101 Great South Road—the present church site—to make final preparations for the new meeting place. Looking back, I realise this was not accidental. By God’s wonderful arrangement, I was privileged to witness the church’s important transition from a rented school hall to its own place of worship.
In 2019, my husband, Ah Che, needed chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant, so we had to remain in Auckland for more than six months. During that season I knew that our deepest need was not merely stable circumstances, but a closer relationship with God and the support of a spiritual community. We began searching for a church where we could commit ourselves, belong to a spiritual family, and worship, study Scripture and pray with brothers and sisters as we walked the heavenly road together.
While we were seeking, Pastor Kung Wai-hung sent us a church bulletin. We noticed that EFCCA had the Four Seas Bible Study, a ministry we had heard missionaries mention in Africa, so we called immediately. Evangelist Jingrong answered with a warm invitation: “Come, come! You are very welcome to join the small-group leaders’ Friday preview.” That simple and enthusiastic welcome led us into EFCCA and began a new spiritual journey.
After only two weeks in the Bible study, we heard that it would pause for two weeks because the church was making room for a seminary. I casually asked which one. When Evangelist Jingrong replied, “Logos Evangelical Seminary,” I immediately said, “I want to enrol!” While serving in Africa, I had told co-workers that I hoped to receive further theological training during our time in Auckland. God now placed Logos before me through EFCCA. I knew this was not coincidence, but a road prepared in advance by our Father. I thank Pastor Dong, the elders and co-workers for receiving us as members of the EFCCA family.
Through study at Logos Evangelical Seminary in Taiwan, I was grounded more deeply in biblical truth. Through the teaching of President Chen Minqin and other lecturers, I also gained a fuller understanding of the history and vision of the Evangelical Formosan Church. I came to see that the movement’s long-standing commitment to mission and church planting is a concrete response to Christ’s Great Commission.
Years of missionary service and church planting in Africa helped me appreciate the kingdom vision of our spiritual forebears. They were not merely establishing one church, but building a mission base; not merely caring for believers, but equipping disciples; not merely looking locally, but looking toward all nations. The vision of mission and church planting joins points, lines and whole regions into a living picture. It has become deeply rooted in the church and has profoundly shaped the direction of my own ministry.
I thank God that EFCCA has become not only our spiritual home but also a strong support for our missionary journey. The care, prayers and practical support of pastors, elders, co-workers and church members have enabled us to serve with confidence in Tanzania, Ethiopia and other cross-cultural fields. Every return to EFCCA feels like coming home; every departure carries the blessing of brothers and sisters. “The share of the one who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of the one who went down to the battle” (1 Samuel 30:24). May the Lord remember and bless every member who watches and supports.
I still remember the first EFCCA Missions Conference in 2022. During the Sunday service, Sister Wenling prayed, “EFCCA will become an aircraft carrier for mission.” Those words touched me deeply. A church is not merely a place to meet, but a base that sends workers; not only a place that builds believers, but a platform that blesses the nations. God has placed EFCCA in an important central part of Auckland, and I believe He has entrusted the church with a greater kingdom mission.
The church did not leave this vision as a slogan. In 2023 EFCCA began overseas mission and church planting in Fiji. Early-morning prayer, church prayer meetings, RPG prayer groups and the prayers of brothers and sisters upheld the work. Many stepped beyond their comfort zones to worship, visit and share the gospel in Lautoka and Suva. Today the Suva church joins the mother church online each Sunday to worship the Lord together across distance. What grace!
EFCCA continues to move forward: supporting overseas mission, participating in gospel work in Fiji and Africa, caring for cross-cultural missionaries, and helping establish Grace Light Church on Auckland’s North Shore. I have seen God enlarge the church’s territory step by step and lead EFCCA to share the grace it has received. When Grace Light was planted, the pastors, elders and co-workers supported the new church in unity. Overseas planting and local planting face different challenges, but both are filled with God’s wonderful grace. It is all His work.
When we faithfully offer ourselves and take part in the Great Commission, we leave the results in our Father’s hands and watch how the Lord acts. Mission has never been the task of a small minority; it is the calling of the whole church. God is continuing His wonderful work among us, raising up brothers and sisters to respond to His call, receive theological training and prepare as soldiers of His kingdom.
For thirty years God’s gracious hand has never left EFCCA. He has led the church through different seasons and raised generation after generation of faithful pastors, elders, co-workers and members to build the body of Christ. May EFCCA’s next thirty years continue to be shaped by a kingdom heart, grounded in truth and committed to mission. May the church become a channel of blessing to the nations. May God raise up a new generation who love the Lord, love people and love the lost; who receive truth, learn from spiritual forebears, live beautiful lives, and courageously bear witness to Christ to the ends of the earth.
Our 30th anniversary is not only a remembrance of grace, but a renewed response to God’s call. We do not stop at thanksgiving; we continue toward the nations. May the Lord make EFCCA an even greater blessing in the years ahead, until Christ returns. May all glory belong to Jesus Christ, who establishes, leads and preserves His church. Amen.
Jessica Teng
30 June 2026, Auckland
