wfn.org | PCUSA moderator visits Taiwan to strengthen ties

["Lydia Ma" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>Taiwan Church News

>2973 Edition

>February 16~22, 2009

PCUSA moderator visits Taiwan to strengthen ties

>Reported by Chen Yi-shuan

>Written by Lydia Ma

Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow visited  Taiwan last week and paid a visit to Tainan city on February 14~15,  2009. Reyes-Chow visited Dong-ning Church in Tainan and preached Sunday  sermon there.

Reyes-Chow was elected to become the 218th moderator of PCUSA last year.  According to him, his Philippine and Chinese ancestry and his concern  for Taiwan and Taiwanese-American relations were factors that prompted  him to choose to visit Philippines and Taiwan on this trip.

During an interview with Taiwan Church News, Reyes-Chow said that having  an Asian moderator in PCUSA would enable churches across the USA to see  that people from different ethnic backgrounds could become leaders as  well. However, he also acknowledged that his Asian background may not  always have an influence on Asian ministries.

As a third-generation Asian-American, Reyes-Chow admitted that when he  visited the Philippines, the country seemed both familiar and foreign to  him.

Reyes-Chow currently ministers in San Francisco area and was chosen by  the city’s presbytery to start a new church for young people. He  said that though San Francisco has many churches, young people in the  area are rarely interested in going to church. At 39, Reyes-Chow is  fairly young and has had past experience interacting with many youths.  These factors explain why area leaders chose him to begin a youth  ministry.

According to PCT Ecumenical Relations Program Secretary Rev. Stephen  Hsu, it is a custom for PCUSA moderators to visit partner churches  around the world when in office.

Reyes-Chow was accompanied by PCUSA Asia-Pacific Secretary David Hudson  during this trip and they visited Taiwan Theological College and  Seminary, local churches in Central Taiwan, Sinlau Hospital, and 228  memorial parks. Both individuals preached Sunday sermons at different  churches in South Taiwan on Sunday, February 15th. They also had  meetings with PCT program secretaries at PCT headquarters before  returning to the USA.

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