Pastor Tjaijo Tresno

Saya dan istri berkesempatan untuk mengenai Pendeta Tjaijo Tresno, yang kita panggil dengan panggilan akrab, Ko Tjai, semenjak saya dalam residensi kebidanan saya di kota Henstedt Ulzburg dan istri di kota Pinneberg, di pinggiran kota Hamburg.

Pendeta Tjaijo Tresno adalah seorang hamba Tuhan yang hidupnya dipersembahkan sepenuhnya bagi pelayanan. Di Hamburg, beliau bukan hanya hadir sebagai seorang gembala jemaat, tetapi juga sebagai sahabat, ayah, dan teladan bagi banyak orang. Kehadirannya membawa kehangatan, rasa aman, serta semangat kebersamaan dalam persekutuan.

Kita mengenang beliau sebagai pribadi yang penuh kasih, rendah hati, humoris dan selalu mendahulukan kebutuhan orang lain di atas kepentingan diri sendiri. Pendeta Tjaijo memberi penghiburan bagi yang berduka dan yang sedang dalam kesusahan, serta menguatkan yang goyah imannya. Khotbah-khotbahnya sederhana, namun sarat dengan makna hidup, karena lahir dari pengalaman iman yang nyata. Beliau selalu mengajarkan bahwa kasih Tuhan bukan hanya untuk diucapkan, tetapi untuk diwujudkan dalam tindakan sehari-hari.

Kini Pendeta Tjaijo Tresno telah berpulang ke pangkuan Bapa di surga. Walau raganya telah tiada, warisan imannya tetap hidup dalam hati kami. Jejak kasih, teladan pengabdian, serta doa-doanya akan terus menjadi sumber inspirasi.

Terima kasih, Pendeta Tjaijo Tresno. Kenangan indah tentangmu akan selalu kami simpan, dan doa kami menyertai perjalananmu menuju rumah Bapa yang kekal.

Für meinen geliebten Mann
Mein Mann war ein grosszügiger Mensch. Fehler - ob gross oder klein - waren für ihn da, um vergeben zu werden. Auch mit Geld war er grosszügig. Er hatte einen Charakter wie Christus.

Romantisch war er nicht, das stimmt. Aber er war etwas anderes: ein Mann von unerschütterlicher Stärke und Ausdauer. Wenn etwas getan werden musste, tat er es mit Schnelligkeit und vollem Verantwortungsbewusstsein. Er ging bewusst durchs Leben und gab bei Schwierigkeiten niemals auf.

Er war kräftig im Geist und duldete keine Schwäche - vor allem nicht bei sich selbst. Seine grösste Gabe war seine Ausdauer: Was er sich vornahm, das führte er zu Ende. Was zu ertragen war, das ertrug er.

Ein Mann, auf den man sich verlassen konnte. Ein Mann, der durchhielt.

So werde ich ihn in Erinnerung behalten.

Selamat jalan Ko Tjai, sampai bertemu lagi di rumah Bapa di surga. Salam dari Muljady - Lina

Ko tjai buat saya koko yang baik, perhatian, suka bercanda.... Dan kita bisa saling cerita, curhat.. Walau kita ketemu nya tidak sering.

Gak berasa sudah 28 th kita kenalan
Juga ci sandra dan felix, lisa dan Vincent.

Saya melihat iman ko tjai kepada Tuhan Yesus dan contoh yang diberikan oleh hidup ko tjai sangat jadi berkat.

Saya kangen ketemu
Bahkan sudah planning utk datang di bl september.

Sebenarnya kami, saya dan Muljady sudah plan datang april lalu utk bertemu ko tjai dan ci sandra. Tapi kami gak bisa krn gak keuber buat visa.

Untungnya saya dah bicara di telp bahwa kami akan datang temui ko tjai dan ci Sandra di bl. Sept... Dia ketawa dan bilang, gak usah lah.. Kamu keluar uang banyak utk ke Jerman. Saya bilang gak apa, kangen, paling gak. Bisa peluk nih... Ko tjai bilang, belum tentu keburu..... Saya jawab keburu lah. Sebentar lagi... Aku gak kepikir ttg ko tjai akan meninggal, Wah ternyata bener gak keburu nih
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Ci Sandra, we love you.. Hope to see you on September.

Felix, lisa, leann, Vincent... Kehilangan yang mendadak, membuat hati berbagai rasa... Biar kalian tetap. Kuat, dan mencontoh papa dan mama, tetap hidup dlm iman dan percaya pada Tuhan Yesus. Karena hanya Tuhan sumber hidup dan pengharapan kepadaNya tidak akan sia sia.

Kita tetap hubungan baik ya... Love you all

Ko Tjai adalah salah satu orang yg berpengaruh dalam hidupku.
Seperti apa Ko Tjai dalam pandanganku?
Seorang pengusaha sukses yg mau
menyerahkan dirinya menjadi hamba Tuhan sepenuh hati dan membuat orang dapat melihat Yesus yg hidup dalam hatinya.
Seorang hamba Tuhan yg berusaha
menyediakan waktu untuk anak2 rohaninya baik dalam kesulitan, maupun dalam sukacita.
Seorang yg rendah hati yg tidak takut
kotor ataupu jatuh reputasinya karena memperbaiki kakus mampet ataupun keran bocor.
Seorang yang hebat dalam menghafal
firman Tuhan dan menjadikannya bukan sekedar hafalan tetapi berusaha menghidupinya dalam keseharian.

Seorang yg diubahkan.
Memang aku gk kenal masa mudanya Ko Tjai dan sepak terjangnya di dunia bisnis, tetapi aku dengar banyak hal yg buruk, tetapi aku sendiri tidak pernah lihat hal itu sejak mengenalnya.
Justru dari dari cerita2 itu, aku bisa lihat pertobatan seorang Ko Tjai yg sungguh2 berbalik dari hidup yg lama ke hidup yg baru yg menuju Terang yang Ajaib yg membebaskannya dari ikatan dosa.

Itu semua terpatri dalam hatiku, sehingga ketika aku melalui masa sulit, tertekan, jenuh, capek dan bosan, maka teladan Ko Tjai yg aku lihat, yg aku kenal & ketika bersama2 melayani, yg mendampingi selama saya di Jerman, menjadi penyemangat untuk tetap percaya, bahwa Tuhan itu baik, walaupun keadaan dlm pandangan manusia gk baik.
Terima kasih pada Tuhan, bahwa aku boleh mengenal Ko Tjai sbg gembala, mentor, orang tua rohani dan sahabat yg tidak kenal lelah mengingatkan, bahwa Tuhan itu baik dan rencana-Nya selalu indah dlm. hidup kita.
Aku tentu sedih kehilangan Ko Tjai, tetapi bersukacita karena percaya, bahwa Ko Tjai pasti senang sekarang bersama Tuhan Yesus di sorga. 🙏

Saya sangat bersyukur pernah mengenal Suk Tjai.
Suk Tjai adalah gembala pertama saya sejak saya bertobat. Dan terlebih dari seorang gembala, Suk Tjai adalah seorang bapa rohani pertama buat saya, bapa rohani yang mengerjakan visi Tuhan dengan hidupnya dan tidak dengan kata-kata saja. Tanpa Suk Tjai, juga tidak ada saya hari ini. Saya selalu ingat apa yang Suk Tjai pesan ke saya dan salah satunya adalah selalu buka alkitab dan bangun hubungan sama Tuhan.
Bersyukur sekali dulu ada moment-moment di mana saya dan Suk Tjai berdua meng-edit logo FICG dan membuat kartu-kartu anggota FICG yang di moment itu saya juga melihat Suk Tjai adalah seorang pemimpin yang juga ikut mengerjakan segala sesuatunya dan semakin memahami kepribadian dia.
Thank you, Suk Tjai sudah menjadi bagian dari hidup saya.
We will meet again in heaven.

Every Sommer, when we came to HH, Tjay almost always prepared for us our favorite food MabuTofu & Ketoprak. With his big smile, laughter also joke ManuTofu with no meat jaaa Iwan? And his very famous dish among his best friends & family: Ketoprak for Rita; Tjay much later released his secret to us why his Ketoprak Schmeckt soooo good. Well, we keep his secret as promise for our self 🙏

Kenangan Tercinta untuk Papa Tjai

Papa bukan hanya gembala bagi saya, tetapi juga ayah mertua saya — dan bagi saya, beliau seperti ayah kandung sendiri. Seorang yang penuh dedikasi, bekerja tanpa lelah, baik sebagai kepala keluarga maupun sebagai gembala jemaat, selalu memikirkan segala sesuatu — dari hal-hal kecil hingga perkara besar.

Kebaikan hati dan keteguhannya lahir dari latar belakang yang sederhana serta perjalanan hidup yang penuh perjuangan, ketika pertama kali datang ke Jerman tanpa sepeser pun di saku. Sejak saat itu, beliau selalu memiliki hati yang siap menolong siapa saja yang membutuhkan — murah hati, tulus, dan tak pernah menghitung untung rugi.

Sebagai ayah mertua, beliau menerima saya seperti putrinya sendiri — penuh perhatian dan kasih. Setiap kali kami berkunjung ke Hamburg atau beliau datang ke London, Papa selalu memasak untuk kami, menyajikan hidangan istimewa di rumah, memastikan kami selalu kenyang. Dalam hal itu,saya bisa lihat nyata beliau mencerminkan gambaran Bapa di surga yang selalu menyediakan bagi anak-anak-Nya. Kami akan merindukan bukan hanya kasih sayangnya, tetapi juga kehangatan dari masakan yang lezat-lezat; sop buntut, kuping babi, tito dan bebek a la Papa.. semua ini adalah favorit keluarga termasuk saya sendiri.

Yang paling saya kagumi adalah cintanya yang tak tergoyahkan kepada istri tercinta, yang beliau rawat dengan setia hingga hari-hari terakhirnya. Hidupnya juga ditandai oleh pengabdian yang tak pernah pudar kepada pelayanannya. Saya masih teringat jelas ucapannya, “Selagi Papa masih kuat, Papa akan terus melayani Tuhan.” Kini, setiap kali mengingat kata-kata itu, air mata saya jatuh.

Papa, Engkau benar-benar telah mengakhiri pertandingan ini dengan baik. Kini Engkau berada di tempat yang jauh lebih indah, beristirahat di hadirat Tuhan yang Engkau layani dengan setia. Sampai kita bertemu kembali — Ich habe Dich Lieb...

He was a very special person to me. He was a pastor, but also my big brother. I am very...very grateful that I grew as a Christian through him and his wife Ci Sandra.

In Loving Memory of My Father (1948-2025)

As children, we sometimes take the closest people to us for granted, focusing on their flaws while missing the extraordinary nature of their journey. Today, I want to step back and share the remarkable story of my father—not just as the man who raised me, but as the extraordinary human being he was.

My father was born in Java, Indonesia in 1948. In 1969, at the age of 20, he made a decision that would define the rest of his life: he migrated to Germany with nothing but 100 German marks (about 50 euros today) and an unshakeable determination to build something better. This wasn't a comfortable exchange program or a well-planned career move—this was survival. A young Chinese-Indonesian man in 1960s Germany, unable to speak the language, limited education, with no family support and no safety net.

50 years later, he told me stories that still bring tears to my eyes. Stories of counting every mark, of buying only bread because it would fill his stomach the best, even though he didn't like it. Of portioning it carefully throughout the day. Of drinking tap water to feel full when the bread ran out. Of being so exhausted from 16-hour shifts that his head would hit the pillow and only an alarm could wake him. There was no internet to find jobs, no instant connections. Just slow, patient networking, meeting contacts who might have work "next week," while his money dwindled and time moved painfully slowly.

That paperboy job he finally secured wasn't just employment—it was salvation.

We used to tease him about those enormous American-style refrigerators he'd buy, always keeping them packed full. Only through our conversations during the pandemic did I truly understand: when you've experienced real hunger, it is hard to ever forget the horrors of it.

But here's what makes his story truly extraordinary—he never became bitter. Despite the hardship, despite the loneliness, despite being so far from home, he remained fundamentally caring and helpful to everyone he met. His charm, work ethic, and genuine care for others eventually led him from that struggling young man to owning a restaurant. When he decided to take it over, the bank, suppliers, and even his employees chipped in money because they believed in him. They loved him because he was hard working and treated everyone with dignity and respect.

From someone who had experienced real hunger, he built a life of stability and even wealth. And then—in a move that perfectly captures who he was—he walked away from business success to become a pastor, dedicating himself to helping Indonesian families and students far from home navigate the same challenging journey he had made decades earlier.

My father and I had our differences, and I'm grateful for them. They helped me find my independence and grow into who I am today. But while trying to avoid my parents' mistakes, I sometimes forget to appreciate their gifts. His favorite saying still echoes in my mind: "Vincent, if you don't try, you already know the answer—it's no. If you try, the answer could be yes. So why don't you try?"

He taught me to face uncertainty, to be entrepreneurial, to value consistency and persistence. I never once heard him say "I don't feel like it" or "I don't want to do this." He always rose to the occasion, always did what was necessary, always put others first.

His devotion to my mother was absolute. For nearly 50 years, he cared for her with a dedication that was both beautiful and, ultimately, the cause of his passing. He died in an accident while rushing to help her, his mind focused entirely on her needs even in his final moments. The police officer who investigated said it perfectly: "He really must have loved your mother—this accident happened because he was trying so hard to care for her."

He was so looking forward to their 50th anniversary at the end of this month. He told everybody about it. We worried my mother might not make it due to her battle with atypical Parkinson's and being bedridden, but life had other plans. In those final days, I watched him cry—something he rarely did—as he tracked how much she was eating, worried about every small decline, hopeful for any hint of progress - completely devoted to her wellbeing.

My father wasn't about grand romantic gestures. His love was in the daily acts of service, in putting others first, in eating last, in being a servant to those he cared about. In a world of Tinder swipes and superficial judgments, he embodied something deeper: love as action, commitment as daily choice, devotion as a way of life.

The response to his passing says everything about who he was. Hundreds of people from around the world, all sharing the same theme: how incredibly caring and helpful he had been, no matter how small or difficult the task. He was a pastor who didn't just preach but cleaned toilets, someone who transformed teachings into practice, who showed us how to make much from the little we sometimes were given.

Ten years ago, I read Seneca's "On the Shortness of Life" and it changed how I approach time and relationships. I started calculating how many days, how many summers, how many moments we really have. I began prioritizing friends and family differently. I'm grateful I did, because it gave me the chance to spend more time with family and really see my father—not just as my dad, but as the remarkable man who came from Java with almost nothing and touched thousands of lives with his generosity, persistence, and care.

My feelings about him are complex—good and challenging, inspiring and sometimes frustrating, loving and occasionally maddening. I hold all of this complexity in my heart, refusing to reduce him to simple categories. Each day becomes another day of goodbye, another opportunity to understand him and his legacy more deeply.

He leaves behind lessons in what to emulate and what to learn from. I've seen how unprocessed trauma and relentless self-sacrifice can take their toll, and I'm committed to honoring his memory by taking better care of myself while still caring about others. His teaching—to transform words into actions, to do much with little, to never be too proud for any honest work and to never, never give up—will live on in me and, I hope, in the thousands of others whose lives he touched.

As I saw him the last time at his coffin, I whispered: "Hab dich Lieb, Papa. Bon voyage."