wfn.org | Taiwan Church News: Aboriginal pastor’s pioneering legacy remembered

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

>Taiwan Church News

>2977 Edition

>March 16~22, 2009

Aboriginal pastor’s pioneering legacy remembered

>Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

>Written by Lydia Ma

Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) West Amis Presbytery conducted a  solemn funeral service in memory of retired aboriginal pastor Rev. Yan  Ming-Fu on March 14th. Yan was 80 years old when he passed away and was  the first Amis tribe itinerant pastor. Throughout his life, he had  always been at the forefront of the mission field and church planting  ministries among aboriginal people.

According to reports, Yan was the first pastor commissioned to Orchid  Island to plant aboriginal churches. He was almost executed in Orchid  Island when children who heard the gospel were so drawn to its message  they began singing hymns in place of the national anthem during  flag-raising ceremonies at school. School officials notified local  government officials who charged Yan of being a communist spy and  ordered him to be executed by shooting. Fortunately, Yan was saved by a  Christian head officer who vouched for him.

Not long after this incident, a Department of Health official in Orchid  Island falsely alleged that Yan was encouraging local residents to use  prayer for healing instead of seeking medical attention. This official  also accused Yan of being a rebel and reported him to authorities.

Despite these two incidents and other hardships, Yan did not give up and  continued with his mission of evangelizing to natives in Orchid Island.  People now credit him as an instrumental figure in strengthening Orchid  Island’s Christian roots, including discipling Orchid Island’s  first pastor Dong Shen-yong.

Yan also ministered in northern Taiwan by sharing the gospel with  aboriginals who worked in the city as laborers and also reaching out to  seamen, crew members, and miners. He and his wife led simple lives  centered on spreading the gospel and sometimes they did not have enough  money to get by. Yan would then rely on trading his watch or clothes at  a pawn shop. However, his ministry to aboriginals contributed greatly to  urban aboriginal church planting in Taiwan.

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