wfn.org | Catholics and Protestants proclaim Christ during Lantern Festival

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

>Taiwan Church News

>3027 Edition

>March 1~7, 2010

Catholics and Protestants proclaim Christ during Lantern Festival

>Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan

>Written by Lydia Ma

This year’s government-sponsored Lantern Festival Exhibition was  held in 
Chiayi and Catholic

Bishops Office participated in this event by displaying lights in the  
exhibition’s religion section.

Catholics and Protestants came together on the evening of February 28,  the day 
of the Lantern

Festival, to host a united choir performance and do some outreach.  Members of 
Chiayi

Christian Prayer Alliance, PCT Chiayi Presbytery, and other local  churches 
could be seen

>distributing gospel tracts to the crowds.

One of the main performers on that night was famous Christian  saxophonist Sam 
Hsiao who

also shared his testimony at the end of his performance. The message on  that 
night was

delivered by Archbishop John Hong who also blessed the crowds coming to  see 
the festival.

“If you take GOD out of GOOD, all you’re left with is a  zero,” Archbishop Hong 
pointed out

during his message. He said God’s presence in people’s lives  is crucial for 
their lives to be

filled with happiness and goodness. Though people believe the year of  the 
tiger is supposed to

bring good luck, real blessings can only come from God.

Volunteers handed out blessing cards and eagerly used this opportunity  to 
share the gospel

>and the true meaning of happiness.

Archbishop Hong said he was very happy to see Protestants participating  and 
helping out as it

shows the world that Christians are united in love and evangelism.

As for decorations and lights, Catholics decided to use white as the  main 
theme and install a

makeshift bell tower adorned with a cross at the top. The white lights  that 
illuminated the tower

were a stark contrast to the neighboring yellow and red lights used by  other 
religions to light up

>their temples.

Inside of the tower, visitors could find Bibles, crosses, and brief  
introductions on the history and

ministries of the Catholic Church in Taiwan. They could also try the  
make-a-wish bell installed

inside the tower. Outside of the tower, some volunteers distributed  cards with 
Bible verses on

one side, while others taught how to make do-it-yourself couplets on the  other 
side. These

couplets are usually written on red banners and posted on door frames  during 
Lantern Festival

>holidays.

Chiayi Christian Prayer Alliance chairman, Rev. Lin Chia-song, said  Protestant 
churches were

assisting Catholic churches this year during the government-sponsored  Lantern 
Festival

exhibition held in Chiayi. Hence, churches such as PCT, Bread of Life,  
Lutheran Church,

Holiness Church, etc. were sending members to the festival to help  distribute 
gospel tracts and

offer counseling and prayer for anyone who wanted to accept Christ.

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