wfn.org | Looking back: 2009 news in review

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3018 Edition

>December 28, 2009~January 3, 2009

>Looking back: 2009 news in review

>Reported by staff

>Written by Lydia Ma

In no particular order, here are the top 10 church news of 2009:

>1.          Penghu says no to casinos

Penghu held a referendum on September 26 on whether or not to  build casinos on the

island after the Legislative Yuan passed the Offshore Islands  Development Act, thereby

legalizing casinos in Taiwan’s offshore islands.

At the beginning of the campaign season, the odds were stacked  high against casino

opponents because government officials had already poured  resources into ensuring that

the referendum would pass. But with the help of religious and  anti-gambling organizations

that worked hard to send out emails, short clips, and flyers to  educate the public, the “no”

>side steadily gained momentum.

On voting day, both camps were equally likely to win the  referendum, according to some

surveys. In the end, the “no” side received 17,369 votes  and the “yes” side received

13,397 votes. The referendum was a classic example of David vs.  Goliath, but some

experts also believe the lack of concrete policies dealing with  the social fallouts of

casinos and the fair distribution of profits had made residents  wary of voting in support of

>building casinos.

>2.          Remembering Campbell Moody

To honor Rev. Campbell N. Moody’s (1865-1940) legacy and  contribution to Taiwan,

Changhua and Taichung presbyteries partnered with Changhua  Christian Hospital in

organizing a series of events including academic forums, cycling  excursions, pulpit

exchanges, essay competitions, song-writing competitions and choir  seminars.

Celebrations culminated with a thanksgiving service celebrating  the 114th anniversary of

Moody’s arrival to Taiwan, which was attended by nearly 5,000  people from across

>Taiwan.

Moody arrived to Taiwan in 1895 and later founded Changhua  Christian Hospital and 18

churches in Taichung, Changhua, and Nantou areas.

3.          Pingpu Aborigines fight for recognition as natives

Are Pingpu (Plains) Aborigines (aka aborigines from lowland  regions) really Aborigines?

On April 29, 2009, the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP)  announced that the answer

was negative based on guidelines laid down by the Aboriginal  Identity Act.

This announcement sparked anger among Pingpu Aborigines as most  Pingpu tribes lost

their status as Aborigines in official records once the Chinese  Nationalist Party (KMT)

regime took over Taiwan after World War II because of a database  error.

On May 2nd, many Aborigines took the streets in protest and called  for the restoration of

their Aborigine names and identity. PCT Associate General  Secretary Rev. Sing ‘Olam

was also at this event. He commented that CIP’s handling of  this matter merely

demonstrated its contempt toward Aborigines. In spite of this  setback, CIP can never

erase the fact that Pingpu Aborigines have always inhabited  Taiwan.

As a church deeply rooted in Taiwan and whose mission is to  identify with the people and

their suffering, the PCT opposed the way in which the Ma  administration handled

petitions from Pingpu Aborigines for restoration of their  Aborigine status.

4.          Taiwanese churches celebrate Calvin’s 500th  anniversary

PCT celebrated Calvin’s legacy through forums across the  island and Mandarin churches

did the same. On August 14-20, PCT held a national forum on Calvin  at Presbyterian

Bible College (PBC). Mandarin churches also held an academic forum  in July at the

>National Library.

Former WARC General Secretary C.S. Song emphasized during a forum  held at PBC

that Calvin lived before the advent of multiculturalism.  Therefore, if today’s PCT churches

don’t set aside their obsession with Western theology and  recognize that they must

minister differently, they their membership will never grow.  Similarly power struggles

within churches must be dealt with if churches want to attract  people to Christ.

5.          Churches spring to action after Typhoon Morakot

Typhoon Morakot ravaged southern Taiwan during Father’s Day  weekend, or August 6-8,

and pummeled Taitung, Pingtung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Chiayi,  resulting in the worst

flooding in 50 years. According to media reports, regions such as  Taichung and Tainan

received the highest recorded amount of rainfall per day.

During the typhoon, several hundreds of people in Siaolin Village  near Kaohsiung County

were buried alive when landslides triggered by the typhoon  decimated the entire town.

The typhoon resulted in 678 deaths, 75 disappearances, and NT$15.8  billion in

>agricultural losses.

PCT churches sprung to action on August 10 and set up rescue  stations near flooded

regions to house flood victims and clean up neighborhoods. Some  churches even

managed recruit volunteers willing to carry supplies and make  their way up stranded

regions on foot to help victims as many roads were destroyed by  landslides and

>inaccessible to vehicles.

6.          German Table Tennis Paralympian Rev. Rainer Schmidt  visits Taiwan

Rev. Rainer Schmidt visited Taiwan on October 16-20, 2009 to share  his testimony with

others and inspire Taiwanese youth. Born without both arms, he  later became a

Paralympic athlete and went on to win several Paralympic Games,  becoming a renowned

>table tennis champion.

Schmidt’s said the most important things in his life were  sharing his experience with

others, playing table tennis, and being involved in church. As a  pastor, he believes God

wants everyone to accept themselves and affirm themselves.

Schmidt’s visit included several interviews with Christian  media, a few table tennis

matches, and speaking at conferences in northern and southern  Taiwan. He repeatedly

highlighted that people can still find fulfillment and reach great  heights despite their

physical limitations – as long as they aren’t discouraged  by their disabilities and

>reconcile with God.

7.          Chang Jung Christian University gets government  accreditation for upcoming School of Theology

Chang Jung’s School of Theology is the first seminary in  Taiwan to be accredited by the

Ministry of Education. This milestone will enable many seminarians  and clergy to finally

have their degrees recognized by government agencies and the  Taiwanese public at

>large.

The university hopes its new programs will lend support to  existing seminaries in Taiwan

while at the same time give local pastors more options to choose  from when considering

further studies. It also plans to offer several program tracks to  satisfy the needs of both

>clergy and laypeople.

>8.          PCT writes to President Obama

PCT wrote an open letter to U.S. President Barack Obama in July to  address some

concerns ahead of Obama’s visit to China. “An Appeal of  the People in Taiwan”

mentioned concern over the Ma administration’s pro-China  policies, ECFA, and threats

to Taiwan’s national sovereignty and democracy.

Just before Obama’s visit to China in November, PCT Moderator  Leonard Lin traveled to

the U.S. to personally deliver this letter to U.S. Congress and  State Department. For the

text of this open letter, refer to:  http://www.pct.org.tw/english/enNews_pct.htm?strBlockID=B00176&strConte ntID=C2009081000008&strCTID=&strDesc=Y&strPub=&strASP=enNews_pc t

9.          PCT responds to China’s crackdown on Tibet and  East Turkestan

China’s violent crackdown in Tibet and demonization of Rebiya  Kadeer, an activist from

Xinjiang, in the name of protecting its territorial integrity  attracted the attention and

concern of PCT, which organized a vigil on February 25 and  participated in a rally on

March 14. For PCT, these incidents were “personal” and  required action not only

because of PCT’s statement of faith, but also because such  persecution could happen in

Taiwan as well if people continue to stick their heads in the  sand.

10.     Ma administration draws ire by lifting ban on risky beef  imports

Without consulting the Legislative Yuan, the Ma administration  unilaterally lifted the ban on

U.S. bone-in beef, innards, and ground beef, sparking anger all  across Taiwan because

of fear of BSE (also known as Mad Cow Disease). The  administration’s recklessness

prompted Taiwan’s Consumer Foundation (TCF) to initiate a  countrywide petition to

make this issue a referendum question and pressure President Ma to  reopen

negotiations. As of December 3, TCF had gathered over 207,000  signatures.

Taiwan Seminary and Taichung Presbytery fully supported TCF’s  initiative and almost all

of its members had signed petitions. In addition, many PCT members  in Tainan

participated in a rally held in Tainan organized by Tainan County  Major Su Huan-Jhih with

>the aim of opposing risky beef imports.

According to PCT Moderator Leonard Lin and General Secretary  Andrew Chang,

Taiwanese people must display unity and solidarity if they want to  save and protect their

>country.

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