Our Story

A Seed of Faith

Amidst the chaos of the second Sino-Japanese War, a seed of faith was planted as devoted men prayed. In 1942, Reverend Timothy Dzao founded the Ling Liang World-Wide Evangelistic Mission, establishing its first church in Shanghai. The name Ling Liang comes from John 6:34, meaning Bread of Life — “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Born into a Buddhist family, Rev. Dzao came to Christ at 13 years old when his cousin led him to faith. He was baptised at 16, and at 17 was expelled from his home for nearly a month for his belief in the Lord. This was the beginning of a serious and costly commitment to live for Jesus.

A Gospel That Reached the World

Known as the first local Chinese preacher to preach overseas and the most widely travelled Chinese evangelist, Rev. Dzao had an enormous heart and an extraordinary faith. His ministry of over 45 years spanned five continents, breaking down cultural barriers and leading tens of thousands of souls to Christ.

Over more than 80 years, the Ling Liang mission established over 500 churches worldwide — across South-East Asia, India, North America, and Oceania — along with schools, orphanages, seminaries, and hospices. It was the first self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating church from China.

Rev. Dzao’s legacy is a golden page in the history of the Christian church.

From Hong Kong to Sydney

In 1987, Elder Po Chuen Yeung and his family migrated to Sydney, Australia. Before leaving Hong Kong, Elder Yeung had already been prompted by the Holy Spirit to start a Ling Liang Church in Australia. Upon arriving, he connected with former Ling Liang Church members who had come to Australia in earlier years. After several meetings of discussion and prayer, the Ling Liang Fellowship was born on 1 August 1987 — with just 11 people attending.

Their vision was clear: to preach the gospel to Chinese-speaking people in Sydney, and to serve the new migrants and students arriving from Hong Kong and mainland China — many of whom faced financial difficulties and hardship.

A Church Is Born

As the fellowship grew to around 40 people, Elder Yeung felt it was time to formally establish a church — one that could nurture spiritual growth and reach even more people. After earnest prayer, Australia Ling Liang Church was founded on 3 February 1991, holding its first Sunday service at 3pm. Without the means to purchase a building, the young congregation rented the Hornsby Uniting Church for their weekly gatherings.

God provided faithfully. From time to time, financial support arrived from Ling Liang churches around the world, especially Hong Kong. By His grace, in 1994 the church was able to acquire its own property at 8 Wall Avenue, Asquith — a place to call home.

Growing Into a Wider Community

In 1997, the English ministry was started so that those who wanted to worship God and learn the Bible in a more Australian context could do so. In the early years, the attendees were mainly from the youth group, but it steadily grew into a congregation of its own.

What began as a small fellowship of 11 Chinese-speaking believers had become a church serving people across languages and generations — rooted in the Ling Liang heritage, but growing to embrace the wider community around it.