By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
LAPLACE, La. (LBM) – Guoybing Tang first came to faith as a member of a Chinese underground church in 2023 but only recently did he publicly celebrate his new life in Christ, having been baptized by the First Baptist Church, LaPlace.
Tang, who stirred the baptistry waters Feb. 9, was greeted with thunderous applause from friends gathered for the service.
“It was my happiest day ever,” Tang told the Baptist Message. “Baptism is very important to me, and it represents I’m a true Christian with faith in God.
“Everything in my life has now put me in the right direction with God,” he continued. “I have no pressure or no anxiety. Now I have joy.”
Tang arrived in the United States seven months after he accepted Christ on April 16, 2023, during a Bible study with an underground church (the location is undisclosed for security purposes). After passing by FBC LaPlace in December 2023, he decided to return the next Sunday for a worship service and has been faithfully attending ever since.
During the first “English as a Second Language” class he attended, Tang met church member Nick James and expressed his desire to be baptized. James and Pastor Shane Newton helped disciple him and ensured he was ready to take that important step in his faith journey.
As the months passed, the friendship between Tang and James blossomed.
Every Monday, James has helped Tang improve his grasp of the English language with the lessons presented during ESL classes. Additionally, they attend the same Bible study class on Sundays, where Tang uses an adult learner guide written in Chinese, augmented by a translator.
Pastor Shane Newton baptized Guoybing Tang, Feb. 9. Tang arrived in the United States seven months after he accepted Christ on April 16, 2023, during a Bible study with an underground church in China. After passing by First Baptist Church, LaPlace, in December 2023, he decided to return the next Sunday for a worship service and has been faithfully attending ever since.
“This has been good for the church because we helped him grow more in his walk with the Lord and learn more about the English language,” James said. “He’s a young Christian and very excited about learning all he can about the Lord. But also, this has helped me grow in my own faith and is a reminder that it doesn’t take much to come alongside someone and help them grow; you just have to have the courage to step up and be available.”
Newton commended James for his concern for Tang’s personal walk with Christ.
“One of the best things about Tang coming is seeing Nick modeling life-on-life discipleship at our church,” he said. “Nick has been God’s instrument reminding us that we are called to make disciples, which happens through relationships.
“God continues to show us that He is at work among us at FBC LaPlace,” he continued. “Tang’s presence with us is a reminder that the Lord saw that He could trust our church family with loving him, discipling him, and encouraging Tang in His walk with Christ despite the language barrier. This is just another way that God is showing our church family that He is with us and at work among His people.”
Tang is one of four individuals baptized at FBC LaPlace this year, with an additional three scheduled for baptism soon. One of those new believers was baptized when the worship center reopened Feb. 23, after a three-year closure because of damage caused by Hurricane Ida.
“It has been a huge, answered prayer to be back in our new sanctuary to where God,” he said. “It has been a very long time coming. It was very special our first Sunday, seeing the tears of joy with so many of our church family rejoicing at what God has done. We are praying that God will fill the new sanctuary with people in our community who are without Christ and do not have a church home because we have a place for them among our FBC LaPlace family to join in God’s work.”
