Our father, Rev. Peter Shih-Ying Sun, was called home by the Lord on the morning of Sept. 23, 2024. He was 80 years old.

Cantonese by ancestry, Dad was born in the Chinese city of Guilin on February 21, 1944, to Burke Liang Sun, an American-educated lawyer, and Lily Ting Sun, a language teacher. As the oldest of four children, he received both his mother’s doting devotion and his father’s expectations of duty and responsibility. The family left China in 1949 as the country fell to the Communist Party, moving first to Hong Kong and eventually immigrating to the United States in 1962, when Dad was 18. Settling in Silver Spring, Md., he would often get up early to scrape snow off the car and driveway in advance of Yehyeh’s commute to the Pentagon in the mornings. A few years later, Yehyeh was assigned to serve as a senior analyst and consultant for the U.S. government in Taiwan, but Dad and his next oldest sibling, Paul, remained Stateside for their studies. Although Yehyeh left him funds for tuition and fees, Dad never used the money in that account. Instead, he supported himself with jobs that included working at a Hot Shoppes diner in Langley Park and serving as an engineer aide for Prince George’s County while completing his studies in electrical engineering and math on a part-time basis.

After graduating from the University of Maryland in 1972, Dad followed both of his parents’ example in entering the U.S. civil service, working as an engineer, mathematician and computer scientist for various government agencies, including the National Bureau of Standards in D.C. (where he once received recognition for outstanding performance), the Defense Language Institute and West Point. As a single young professional, he enjoyed driving his red MG MGA sports car, which he always boasted was identical to the model Elvis Presley drove in the 1960 film Blue Hawaii, and riding motorcycles along the Eastern Seaboard with Paul, who had enrolled in the Marine Corps. Dad and Uncle Paul loved to go to their favorite Chinese restaurant, Seven Seas in D.C., for shrimp and scrambled eggs for two, which they would each polish off with several free bowls of rice. But Dad’s chief passion was serving in the church. He used his God-given gift of translation to serve as an English/Mandarin/Cantonese interpreter at Christian student retreats along the East Coast, and he also became the youngest deacon at his Rockville, Md. church, where his main responsibility was cleaning the windows and mowing the lawn every Saturday. He did this every weekend without complaint, despite the runny nose and watery eyes his allergies gave him.

In 1979, Dad was granted by the U.S. Department of Defense a transfer to California, where our grandparents had settled after Yehyeh’s retirement. Just a few months after moving to Oakland, where he was working as an operations research analyst at the Naval Supply Center, his aunt Gloria introduced him to Chiang Yow-Lan (Julie), a lovely woman who was a member of her church. Our parents met for the first time on July 23, 1979 and were married a year later, on May 10, 1980, in Millbrae, Calif.

They welcomed Rebecca in 1981 and then Daniel in 1984. From the very beginning, Dad was thinking about our futures. When we were babies, every two weeks he would purchase a $100 U.S. savings bond in our names, and when Mom was still pregnant he even brought home an upright piano in anticipation of the music lessons we would later take. Dad always found opportunities to enrich our understanding and appreciation of life and culture, subscribing us to children’s magazines, buying us educational computer games and taking us on weekend outings to museums, bookstores and Target (where toys were for browsing, not buying). He delighted in surprising us with special excursions like the Nutcracker ballet at Christmas and road trips, where we would always look forward to a pit stop at the Nut Tree Plaza in Vacaville. Ever the filial son, Dad also packed up the family in his blue Oldsmobile every other weekend to stay at Yehyeh and Nainai’s house in Marina. It’s because of Dad that we have documentation of these precious memories, because he took the time to snap rolls of film and record home videos of both milestone moments like recitals and graduations as well as everyday family life. And only now do we more fully realize, in looking back at our childhood through his lens, how precious those days were to him.

In the 1980s Dad was working in the private sector, taking a job at Ford Aerospace in the South Bay, but toward the end of the decade he began to feel a call from the Lord. At that time, he was serving at Home of Christ (founded by Rev. Kou Shiyuan, one of his mentors) as a lay preacher and interpreter. Full-time ministry would be a massive potential life change, one that many suggested postponing until retirement age. “But I am currently in the prime of my health,” he told my mom. “If I don’t answer the call and get on board right now, I’m afraid I will miss the last train.” Our parents prayed over the decision, and with our mother’s blessing he enrolled in Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in 1988, earning his master’s degree in divinity three years later.

As an ordained minister, Dad continued to serve Chinese immigrant congregations, starting with Chinese Christian Church in Houston, where we spent four years. In 1995 another mentor, Rev. Moody Yap, asked Dad to succeed him as pastor of Christ Church of the Bay Area, so we moved back to Northern California. Other famous preachers, including Billy Graham and Stephen Tong, asked Dad to serve as an interpreter at their evangelistic missions whenever they came to town. He later accepted a position with Charlotte Chinese Baptist Church (commuting cross-country between North Carolina and the Golden State, where we remained with Mom in order to finish high school), then returned to the West Coast to serve as interim pastor of Chinese for Christ Church of San Jose. In 2002, Dad became pastor of First Chinese Southern Baptist Church of San Diego, where he expressed a heart for the least of these: helping translate paperwork for undocumented minors detained at the border, visiting critically ill patients as a hospital chaplain, and baptizing local Burmese refugees. Throughout his ministry he would also routinely bring home students, new immigrants and others in need for dinner, unannounced. Whenever Mom despaired of having nothing but frozen dumplings to feed them, Dad would reassure her: “It’s ok. As Paul says, ‘Practice hospitality,’” he would joke, quoting Romans 12:13. “One dish is enough.”

Dad’s health began to decline in his early 60s. He had been living with Type 2 diabetes since his mid-30s but was otherwise able to enjoy a relatively good physical condition that allowed him to eat (mostly) whatever he wanted and to take care of his family and his parishioners. But by 2009 his vision and motor skills were impaired enough to force him into retirement, and he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s later that year. In hindsight, Dad was wise to promptly heed the Lord’s calling to enter the ministry when he did.

Dad had always treasured his autonomy – the ability to come and go as he pleased – and he also took seriously his leadership identity as an eldest son, head of household and shepherd of a congregation. So the progressive loss of these qualities, as well as his literal bodily capabilities, presented a challenging adjustment. Still, we rallied as a family and did our best to adapt to our ever-shifting new normals and enjoy experiences together while we could. In 2011 we visited Beijing as a family of four, the first time our parents had returned to China since they were young children. Over the next decade they would also travel to Taiwan, Canada and even took a cruise to Mexico. After Mom retired in 2014, our parents moved from San Diego to Irvine to be closer to both of us.

Although the final chapter of Dad’s journey on earth was marked by many spiritual trials and medical tribulations, it was also a testament to God’s protection, wisdom and strength. Even as his body grew more rigid and frail and his cognition declined, our Heavenly Father granted him enough tenacity and time to see both of us marry and have kids of our own. (His hair also stayed dark and relatively full to the very end.) Dad once said that one of God’s final acts of mercy in one’s life is the manner in which they are called home: preferably peacefully and painlessly, at home in one’s sleep. This was the setting in which he drew his final breaths with Mom by his side, his body spent, his soul at rest.

When Dad decided to enter the ministry, he pleaded to God, “I will serve you all my heart, all my strength and all my mind. I will take care of your house. Please take care of mine.” God honored that request and indeed has blessed us – his family – abundantly. He now rejoins his beloved Savior as well as his parents and all of his siblings – Paul, Pearl and Fred – in their eternal home in heaven. He is survived by wife Julie, daughter Rebecca, son Daniel, son-in-law Michael, daughter-in-law Victoria and grandchildren Sarah, Emily and Luca.

Dad’s favorite Scripture passage to quote and preach was I Thessalonians 5:16-18, and its instruction is worth taking up as we grieve our momentary separation from him and celebrate our time together: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

我的父親孫世英牧師於2024年9月23日早上在母亲的陪伴下平安归回天家享寿八十。

父亲籍贯广东番禺，1944年2月21日出生在中国桂林，父亲孙亮博士（Burke Liang) 是位留美的法學博士，母親孫惟實女士（Lily Sun）是位中文教師任職於國防部語言學校。父親是四個孩子中的老大自幼就被賦予帶領弟妹成為榜樣的責任，1949年一家人離開了中國移居香港，1962年定居在馬里蘭州。父親事父母極孝，冬天每天早上要負責鏟雪好方便爺爺出門上班，几年后祖父外放到台湾担任美国大使馆和美军顾问团的法律顾问，除了父亲和大叔叔留在美国上大学外举家迁居台湾。父亲就读于玛丽兰州立大学的电机工程系主修数学，他以半工半读的方式完成了大学学业，虽然爷爷提供了所需的学杂费，但是父亲从来没有动用过户头里的钱。

1972年大學畢業後，父親進了政府机關工作，他的早期职业生涯从华盛顿的国家标准局到国防语言研究所，到门罗堡到西点军校再到维吉尼亚州的尤斯提斯堡，担任工程師，数学和电腦工程师。在東岸他加入了马里兰州罗克维尔的华人教会热心的参与侍奉並且在東岸各个学生联合退休会中，神开始使用他装备了他翻译的恩赐。在教会中，他也成了教会最年轻的執事，他最主要的职责是每周六负责擦拭教会门窗玻璃和修剪草坪尽管他因为过敏，带着一把鼻涕一把眼泪的工作他还是乐此不疲。作为一个单身年轻的专业人士，当然他也嚮往户外活动，他喜欢和他的大弟，我们的保罗叔叔一起沿着东岸骑摩托车，然后再去中国餐馆叫一客虾仁炒蛋两个人各吃好几碗饭。

由于我的祖父母退休后定居在加州，1979年父亲也申请调职搬到加州奥克兰任职于海军供应中心担任营运研究电脑分析师，幾個月後，他住在東京的二姨妈丁惟柔和女士（Gloria Ting)介绍了教会中一位留学生姐妹给他，就是我的母亲江幼蘭（Julie），那是一段很美丽的佳话，爸爸1979年7月23日第一次见到妈妈就一见钟情，1980 年 5 月 10 日，我的父母在 北加州米爾布雷市结婚。

1981年他们迎来了女儿孫洪美(Rebecca)，又於1984 年迎來了兒子孫洪德（Daniel）。從我们开始有记忆以来最记得的是周末父親总是带我们去公园，图书馆、书店、博物馆还有每年一次圣诞节的时候去看胡桃钳子芭蕾舞剧还有交响乐，虽然当时我们一点都听不懂，但是爸爸觉得从小应该给我们一点艺术的培养。

1983年爸爸从政府机构转入在南湾的福特航空航天公司工作, 但他真正的熱情始終是在教會。當時他在基督之家（由他的導師之一寇世遠牧師創辦）擔任平信徒傳道人和翻譯，忠心事奉。（爸爸能說流利的普通話、粵語和英語，並且能夠完全没有外国口音的同步翻译。）1988年，他覺得有必要考慮全職事奉。這是一個巨大的轉變，將影響我們全家人的生活，有些人建议他退休以后再全时间奉献，但是她对我妈妈说：“我现在正是壮年，健康状态还很好，神对我的呼召，就像是最后的一班火车，我恐怕错过了就再也没有机会了。”他们同心为这件事祷告，最终在母亲的支持下，他于1988年进入金门浸信会神学院就读，三年后获得神学硕士学位，

父亲在休斯顿华人基督教会事奉了四年，1995年，另一位導師Moody Yap牧師請爸爸接替他擔任灣區基督教會的牧師。幾年後爸爸接受了夏洛特華人浸信會的牧会工作往返於北卡羅來納州和灣區之間，我和弟弟跟着媽媽仍舊住在加州以便我完成高中最後一年的学業，后来父亲回到加州聖何西中华归主教会牧会。2002年，父亲成為聖地牙哥第一華人美南浸信會的牧師，在那裡他致力於將外展工作擴展到當地來自緬甸的克倫族難民社區，拜訪他們，传福音并为他们受洗。他也関心在美墨边境一个收容所里的中国未成年非法移民，除了定期探訪向他们传福音外也实际的帮他们翻译文件寻求幫助。父亲生性熱情好客、他经常带学生、新移民和其他有需要的人回家吃晚餐，妈妈在措手不及之下，只能非常不好意思的以冷冻饺子待客，父亲会很幽默的笑著說：“不要紧不要紧保罗说，「客要一味款待，」（羅馬書12章13節)一个菜就够了”。

父親的健康狀況在 60 歲出頭開始变化。他從30 多歲起就患有2 型糖尿病，除此之外，他的身體狀況相對还好，他可以牧养教会和教區居民。但到 2009 年，他的視力和行動能力嚴重受損，迫使他65岁不到就必须退休，同年晚些時候，他被診斷出患有帕金森氏症。事後看來，父親明智地在中年時聽從主的呼召，全時間奉獻是正確的決定，感謝神。

父親一直珍惜自己的自主權——可以隨心所欲地來去——而且他也認真對待自己作為長子、一家之主和會眾牧人的領導身份。因此，這些特質以及他身體能力的逐漸喪失，帶來了具有挑戰性的調整。儘管如此，我們還是一家人團結起來，盡最大努力適應不斷變化的新常態，並一同經歷所有的遭遇。 2009年父親退休後我們一家四口去了北京，這是我的父母自離開中國後第一次回到中國。在接下來的十年裡，我們全家去過台灣、加拿大探親，也搭乘郵輪短程的前往墨西哥灣旅行，2014年媽媽退休後他們從聖地亞哥搬到了爾灣，以便離我和弟弟住的更近。

父亲在人間旅程的最後一章雖然充滿了許多精神考驗和醫療磨難，但這也證明了上帝的保守、智慧和力量。即使他的身體變得更加僵硬、虛弱，我們的天父卻給了他足夠的毅力和時間來見證我和弟弟結婚生子。 爸爸曾經說過，上帝對一個人生命中最後的祝福之一就是在家睡夢中平安地、無痛苦的回到天家。這正是他嚥下最後一口氣時神给他的祝福。他的身體疲憊不堪，他的靈魂得到安息。

當父亲決定全時間奉獻時，他向上帝懇求；「我將全心全意的事奉祢，照顧祢的家也求你施恩憐憫祝福我的家。」上帝垂聰了這個懇求，確實極大地祝福了我們──他的家人。現在，他與他心愛的救主以及他的父母和兄弟姐妹 Paul, Pearl 和 Fred 已经在天堂的永恆家園重聚。他身後留下了妻子Julie, 女兒Rebecca, 兒子Daniel、女婿Michael, 兒媳Victoria, 以及孫女Sarah, Emily, 外孫Luca。

父親最喜欢引用的經文是《帖撒羅尼迦前書》5:16-18。当我们在这里纪念他的一生時，虽然短暂的分离使我们悲伤，但是他的囑咐值得我們學習：“要常常喜樂，不住禱告，凡事謝恩；因為這是神在基督耶穌裡向你們所定的旨意。

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