Some
Personal History of Steve Amato
The Originator of the Berean
Christian
Bible Study Resources
I was born in the late 1950's, grew up in Rhode Island being raised
as a Catholic and went to college at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in
Massachusetts where I became a Christian at the end of my freshman year
through the Navigators. After obtaining a degree in Physics I worked
for
10 years at Polaroid Corporation as a research engineer. I left
Polaroid
to move to western Massachusetts where I married, soon after which my
wife
and I moved back to the Boston area where I obtained employment at the
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. There I've been working ever
since,
about 20 years now, as a computer engineer developing electronic
cameras
for the government's large ground-based telescopes.
Influential Individuals
To mention some individuals who influenced me, first to Brad
Sargent
I
owe the most in that he led me to Christ and took a good deal of time
discipling
me personally in college for a couple of years, and he got me seriously
into scripture memory. He later went overseas to start a lay ministry
to
Muslims which he continued in this country. I met him again briefly
after
over a decade and he was still ministering to Muslims. After him Mike
Coates discipled me giving me a vision for China as it was just
opening
up at the time. A former marine I'll never forget his saying to be hard
on yourself and easy on others. Then after college was Mike Fair,
an
Airforce Officer, who gave me a vision for the importance of personal
discipleship and lay ministry and the downside of institutional
ministry.
He also taught me Bible study getting me seriously into the Greek. Much
of the depth of my studies I attribute to his influence. Then there was
the Reverend Tom Eynon who at the time was the Navigator
representative
to international students in the Boston area. Formerly a missionary in
Hong Kong and later to the Soviet Union, he was a gifted teacher and
preacher,
and from whom I absorbed some giftedness. He helped a fellow worker in
the Lord Andrew Wo and myself to start a ministry to mainland
Chinese
at MIT. It developed into the MIT Chinese Student and Scholar Bible
Study
Group primarily through Andrew and his wife's efforts. I left to be
involved
with the BCBSG among other things, but after Andrew went back to Taiwan
I got reinvolved in that study in the last years of its life through
which
Lin
San for example came to Christ and developed a web site for that
group,
and who is now laboring in the Lord to translate much of the BCBSR site
into Chinese and who has been a faithful coworker in the Lord's work to
this day. The Reverend John Tan was the next major influence in
my life also about this time period, who was also the minister at my
wedding.
He was a representative of Ambassadors for Christ, a para-church
organization
like Navigators but focussed on Chinese in North America. He of course
himself was Chinese, being from Singapore. Though it was more of a
horizontal
relationship with John as a colaborer rather than a vertical one of
personally
being discipled, John was a rare example to follow of one gifted in
teaching,
preaching, and discipling and he gave me an "in" with the Chinese
Christian
community. John was also the one to start CCIM, the Chinese Christian
Internet
Mission http://www.ccim.org, which Lin San also worked on. John
discipled
Lin San to a degree. And the vision I had for developing the BCBSR web
site I attribute partially to John Tan.
As for a couple of individuals who influenced my thinking indirectly
I would have to thank Bill Gothard with his unique perspective and
teaching
ability to develop practical applications from the Bible particularly
concerning
sin and relationships and Francis Schaeffer with his apologetical
thinking
which speaks clearly to the philosophical mindset of today.
There are of course many others, but these are the major ones who
come
to mind and which I don't want to water down with an endless list of
names.
The Divorce
After becoming a Christian and having ministered for a number of years
I asked God for a wife. I asked specifically for a mainland Chinese
Christian
as that was my ministry focus. I met such a woman shortly thereafter
who
was interested and who was involved in helping the Chinese Christian
community.
She had come to Christ through an old Scottish preacher who also
discipled
her. He encouraged her to marry me. I sought also permission from her
father
and he agreed as well. We were actually married by my friend, Reverend
John Tan. All went well for a number of years. But she drifted away,
being
influenced by the feminist culture and non-Christian relationships at
her
workplace. She stopped being involved in spiritual activities. She
carried
on affair with her boss, a married man, and left me after seven years
of
marriage. She moved away with him and divorced me a few years later. I
will never marry again, unless my wife sincerely seeks reconciliation.
I mention my divorce because I know that most Christians don't want
to associate with the divorced, let alone be taught by one, and so I
feel
most would be interested in knowing this fact, else I be accused of
being
evasive.
Activities while developing the Site
Discipleship
I do generally disciple personally everyone who asks. Although I will
not
disciple women unless accompanied by their husbands, and never a single
woman. I've met with many couples and individuals, sometimes for years,
and have developed a systematic discipleship series I generally take
people
through. At this writing I have two such studies I'm carrying on
bi-weekly.
I. The Boston Chinese Bible Study Group
My fondest memories and positives times were with this group,
which
I had the good fortune to have fellowship with since the early 1980's.
It was actually the first Chinese Bible study in the US, and from which
many Chinese churches sprang. Technically it's not a church but a
parachurch
group supporting the local churches. But in reality it's better for
Chinese
students than any Chinese church I've been to.I was involved mostly
with
the English group at the BCBSG for many years and we had a good time
and
did some good Bible study. Students are great to work with being
inquisitive
and open to ideas. And there were many opportunities to share. Much
different
than the purely lecture format utilized in most churches which normally
doesn't even have provision for discussion or feedback. It was for a
welcoming
party one year I wrote the apologetics rap.
And
of course the entire BCBSR site was an outgrowth of my involvement
with the BCBSG.
II. Lexington Chinese Church
I was a foreigner at the Chinese church in Lexington, having been
invited
by John Tan to help teach one of the Sunday Schools but which basically
he let me take over. I spent a year teaching Deuteronomy and Isaiah.
III. CIBC
After Lexington church I was invited to the Chinese International
Baptist
Church by a mainland Chinese Christian who I was discipling at the time
on my own. The church was very young just starting up and I was able to
start a Sunday school class there and continued to teach for about 3
years.
I was perhaps the most busiest time I've had in doing ministry. I would
visit church member's homes weekly to disciple them often having many
Bible
studies a week, as well as being involved in Sunday school and other
church
activities. And whenever the pastor was away I was always available to
preach a Sunday sermon when asked.
IV. Witness Lee's Local Church
I spend a year at the church in Newton. I elaborate upon my experience
there at http://www.bcbsr.com/topics/lc.html
Next I attended the Hope Christian Church in Winchester. Generally a
good
church, perhaps even one of the best around, though relationships are
distant
due typically to the New England culture as you find in most churches
around
here. Best teaching pastor I've heard in the Boston area, Ray Bandi.
Navigator
background. (I guess my bias is showing there). Tom Eynon invited me. I
don't agree with everything, but I've not been particularly verbal
about
areas of dissent. The Lord has not led me to be much involved on
an institutional level until recently. I use to meet with the pastor
and few other guys weekly
though for a brief devotional time and I attend a Bible study. It's
been
refreshing. And lots of time to develop the BCBSR site.
Ray left in 2007 but I've continued with that church up to this
writing
(2011). San and I started the "Hope Chinese Bible Study Group"
there
in 2008. We'll see how that goes. At this point San is preparing to get
involved with an international student ministry as well. I also co-lead
the Men's Bible study at Hope now, and have taught some Sunday School
Classes.
VI. The Wakefield House Church
Along with going to Hope I attended the Wakefield House Church for a
while
until it was disbanded. The atmosphere was not much different from my
days
many years ago meeting with Mike Fair at his home fellowshipping with
his
team of men. Rick Thompson was the leader. It was very informal
atmosphere,
attended mostly by divorced Christian men like myself and Rick and some
others, which of itself doesn't make it too attractive to alot of
Christians
today. But the format of a house church is far superior in terms of
each
person having an opportunity to develop and exercise their gifts.
VII. BCBSR Devotional Email Groups
In 2006 we started the daily devotion email list. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbsr
San has the Chinese one http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbsr-chinese
VIII. Harborlights
Since Jan 2010 I've been assisting Steve Crowell with his Nursing Home
ministry in South Boston. I preach a sermon there once a month. See The
HarborLights Sermons
These have been my activities as I developed the BCBSR site from
1996
to about 2011
Steve Amato
The Berean Christian Bible
Study Resources
Sep 22,2011