Title: Taiwan's World Vision Makes Partners for Neighborhood Service
Taiwan Church News 2835, 26 June - 2 July 2006
Reported by Gu Hao-jan Written by David Alexander
World Vision/Taiwan (WV/T) has long been involved in ministry to domestic and overseas poor families and students. General Secretary Dwu Ming-han pointed out that the agency hopes to partner with church congregations to do more because all are one in the Kingdom of God. He recognizes, though, that smaller congregations have limited resources, but that does not mean they are weak, because they can unite to be strong in dependence on God.
Mr. Dwu believes that WV/T can help small churches to grow because its resources, mainly gathered from the wider society, can be put to use in church based community service settings. He suggested after school tutoring programmes that might be located in church buildings as one such example. These, he says, bring children and their parents into the church facilities and put them into contact with church members in a natural way without religious fears. The social service need of the participants is twinned with the gospel relationship of the church member providing the service. WV/T's own profile is uplifted as well, so it is a "three sides win" result. He often sees churches with a will to do community service, but without the resources to do much. Many of these services are performed by WV/T local offices. In truth, WV/T is very willing to share its experience and expertise with local churches, that all may grow.
On the way to partnership that he cited a campaign being run this summer from 23 July through August 27. For six Sundays in succession, WV/T is seeking to mobilize Taiwan's churches, agencies and individual Christians to pray for this country's poor, hungry and marginalized people. A local congregation will then designate one day as "Loving Fountain of Courage Sunday," on which all programmes would concentrate on the needs of poor people worldwide. "A church with few resources could pray for the needs of the poor around the world and advertise its concern to the surrounding community. That way the neighbours would be able to see the concern of the church and become positively inclined to it."
For more information: www.worldvision.org.tw
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