Rev. John Shanliang Sun

Reverend John Shanliang Sun was born August 1,1931 in Tokyo Japan to Sun Cheong Wing and Wu Hang Tsui. He was the second of six children. At three months old, his parents and the family moved back to China, where he grew up in Shanghai. When he was ten, his parents dedicated him as a godson to Buddha. In 1949, due to civil war and political turmoil in China, Rev. Sun fled to Taiwan at the insistence of his parents for his own safety. While in Taiwan he started to conduct business with the US Navy fleet, providing goods and tailoring services to sailors. He was a savvy and successful businessman who had charisma and a great ability to engage with people. But he also fell into the worldly lifestyle during this time.

While in Kaohsiung doing business, Rev. Sun reconnected with a childhood friend, Rev. Hermann Wang, who invited him to his church, Kaohsiung Holiness Church. It was there in December 1951 that he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord, was baptized, and shortly thereafter, dedicated his life to serve Christ.

He attended Taiwan Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated in 1956. In this fourth year of seminary, Rev. Sun met his future wife, Beatrice, who was an incoming student there. On August 16, 1956, they were married in Taipei in the presence of a few family and friends. A year later they welcomed their first daughter, Carol, into the world.

After graduating from seminary, he ministered to small churches in Fengyuen and Hsinchu and then later was invited by Rev. Paul Shen to pastor at Grace Church in Taichung from 1958 to 1964. During his years at Grace Church, Rev. Sun was ordained (December 1962) and grew the church as their shepherding pastor. In 1961, Rev. and Mrs. Sun welcomed James, their second born, into their family.

To further his Christian education, Rev. Sun attended Warner Pacific University in Portland, OR in 1964. After completing his year of study, Rev. Shen once again invited Rev. Sun to pastor the Hong Kong Holy Word Church in Kowloon. As he faithfully served in Hong Kong, many came to know the Lord and dedicated their lives to following Jesus.

Two years later, in light of impending political takeover, Rev. Sun moved his family to the United States under the advisement of Rev. Shen to shepherd the Evangelical Chinese Church in Seattle, WA. While there, Rev. Sun was the first installed pastor, helping to grow the church from a small group of overseas graduate students and a few families to a congregation of over 150; the church was able to purchase their first building. After helping ECC became more firmly established, Rev. Sun ministered at Evangelize Chinese Fellowship, working alongside Dr. Andrew Gih.

In 1972, Rev. Sun felt called to Vancouver, BC due to the influx of Chinese immigrants and lack of a Mandarin speaking church. That same year, his third child, Angela, was added to their family. He founded Evangelical Chinese Bible Church starting with only two families, commuting between Seattle and Vancouver weekly for three years. God blessed the ministry, growing it into the largest Mandarin speaking church in the region. During his 30 years of pastoring at ECBC, God used him to bring many to know Jesus and be baptized.

In 2002 at the age of 71, Rev. Sun retired as the senior pastor but continued to travel as an itinerant preacher to several countries and continents. Even as frequent as three times a month he was speaking at conferences, leading revival and gospel meetings and training pastors. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, Rev. Sun had to decline many of the invitations to travel to speak but continued to preach locally.

This past August, Rev. Sun celebrated many blessed milestones – 93 years of a full and meaningful life and 68 wonderful years of marriage. On September 1, 2024, Rev. Sun was called home to be with his beloved Lord.

Throughout his life there were many instances where God had protected and prepared the path for him. He marveled at how each step of the way, God would open the door and provide exactly what he needed at precisely the right time.

Rev. Sun was always fervent in prayer and in immersing himself in studying the Word daily. When sharing the Word, God gifted him with the ability to dig out nuggets of truth and insight. He was passionate about preaching the Gospel and bringing people to Christ. Often, whenever or wherever he heard anyone speaking Mandarin, he would approach them and invite them to church. He was a caring shepherd who loved God’s people and always found joy when people accepted Christ, experienced transformative lives and grew as committed followers of God.

As he reflected on his life, he often expressed his thankfulness for God’s blessings to the ministry, but he was also humbled and amazed at what God had done to save and use such an undeserving soul as himself.