Taiwan Church News

3086 Edition

April 18-24, 2011

Headline News

General Secretary focuses on the emotional aspects of relief services during exchange with Japanese pastors

Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan

Written by Lydia Ma

One of the first and lasting impressions PCT General Secretary Andrew Chang got from his tour last week in Sendai, Japan, was the efficiency of rebuilding efforts from the part of the Japanese government.

Chang reported that broken roads had been quickly repaved, but church building clean-up efforts remained slow and passive in contrast. Hence, one of the purposes of his trip to Japan was to share with local pastors about PCT’s rebuilding efforts following the 921 Earthquake and Typhoon Morakot, and show them how churches can help by setting up local outreach and relief centers and minister to the emotional needs of the people.

Chang said that PCT ran various local outreach centers that ministered to the public shortly after the 921 Earthquake and these centers remained open up to 4 years after the earthquake. This experience taught him that such services and centers were essential parts of church mission.

His suggestion to National Council of Churches in Japan (NCCJ) was to create outreach centers and employ full-time staff, including pastors and social workers, to help and counsel victims. “This is also a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with people!” he said.

Chang reported many Christian organizations outside Japan had offered to help Japan rebuild, but concurred with local pastors that the language barrier would be a significant problem.

In view of this problem, Chang suggested the NCCJ to recruit local volunteers to be in the frontlines and have foreign helpers on standby in the background to provide support and resources to these volunteers.

Concerned about the well-being of Japanese pastors who often traded stories of difficult rescues amid tears, Chang encouraged them and invited them to come to Taiwan for a tour and for some time to recharge themselves. “Shepherds who lead the flock mustn’t burn out or break down!”, he said.

PCT pastors give their take on living out the meaning of Easter

Reported by Sam Lee

Written by Lydia Ma

Though churches are approaching Easter season with much celebration, the majority of news headlines in Taiwan in recent weeks have been far from celebratory, including news about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the direction of pending policies such as Eastern Development Act and Kuokuang Petrochemical Plant proposal, nuclear power plant regulations, and the death penalty.

The death penalty eliminates all chances for lawbreakers to repent and start anew, while the two environmental policies only drive a bigger wedge between humans and the environment – neither enhance hope and mutual respect.

At the center of Christianity is the belief that Christ’s resurrection restores the relationship between man and God, man and the environment, and man and man. This is the hope and message of Easter that Taiwanese churches hope to proclaim in Taiwan.

As PCT Church and Society Committee chairman Chen Ching-fa pointed out during a seminar on April 6^th, 2011, there’s more to Christian ministry than declaring the gospel aloud. Instead, Christians must ask themselves what they have actually done in deeds to proclaim the gospel. He urged Christians to get rid of language, racial, and religious barriers or stereotypes and imitate Christ. He alluded to various PCT ministries as illustrations of how to promote peace and justice and live a life of love and righteousness.

Tainan Presbytery Moderator Rev. Sung Hsin-hsi reiterated that a Christian’s response to the recent nuclear energy crisis and their take on issues such as organ donations are instances where Christians can demonstrate the spirit of Easter. He elaborated that his church had been promoting organ donation in recent years and he encouraged fellow church members to sign an organ donation card because through such an act, a donor not only enables others to get a new life, but also shows how life ultimately overshadows death.

The importance of times of solitude

According to McKay Memorial Hospital Suicide Prevention Center’s director, Fang Chun-kai, many diseases afflicting people today, including heart diseases, liver diseases, stroke, obesity, diabetes, depression, etc., are results of living life in the fast-lane for too long.

“People nowadays are too impatient, too accustomed to fast food, don’t know how to observe life, and lack times of solitude,” he said. Having visited people hospitalized for mental diseases many times, he concluded that a great majority of them were ill either because their lives had been too smooth and they were ill prepared to cope with sudden failure, or they were too impatient to wait and thus put too much pressure and stress on themselves.

Fang quoted the book of Ecclesiastes by underscoring that there’s a season for everything under the sun. He encouraged people to have an intimate friendship with God and retreat often to a secret place to be with God. He believed that such instances would help people renew their spirits and lead them to a unique resurrection experience with God’s help.