Aborigine leaders speak out on challenges facing their churches

      Taiwan Church News

      3048 Edition

      July 26~August 1, 2010

                                   

       

      Aborigine leaders speak out on challenges facing their churches

       

      Reported by Lin Yi-ying

      Written by Lydia Ma

       

       

      “The greatest problem we’re facing when it comes to evangelism is 
population loss. Our 

      youths are moving to urban areas en masse in search for employment. 
That’s why we must 

      work harder toward building churches in urban areas to help Aborigine 
Christians come back 

      to church. That’s our goal,” said Taroko Presbytery General Secretary 
Rev. Nangan Tadaw.

       



      Taroko Presbytery serves Taroko Aborigines living in Hualien County, but 
many Aborigines 

      have moved to urban places such as Hualien City, Tamsui Township in 
Taipei, Taoyuan, 

      Jungli, Hsinchu, and Taichung in recent years. The presbytery currently 
has one “city church” in 

      Hualien City, but it hopes to open another city church in Hualien City 
next year, said Rev. 

      Nangan Tadaw.

       



      He pointed out that starting an Aborigine church in a city required a lot 
of financial offerings 

      and prayers. But he also reported that his presbytery continued to 
struggle with preserving 

      mother languages, providing pastoral salaries, providing adequate 
spiritual training for church 

      members and lack of employment opportunities for Aborigines near 
Aborigine reservations.

       



      To help Taroko Aborigines survive, the presbytery created its very own 
“Production 

      Development Department”, which has facilitated the marketing of produce 
and crafts made 

      from recycled materials produced by Aborigines. The presbytery will also 
partner with Hualien 

      County in the near future to provide training for Aborigines interested 
in become tour guides.

       



      These concerted efforts are all geared at alleviating the high rate of 
unemployment among 

      Aborigines living in reservations, which has prompted many to immigrate 
to urban areas in 

      search for survival. Unfortunately, many Aborigines also stop attending 
church once they move 

      away from home.

       



      According to PCT Indigenous Ministry Committee Secretary Rev. Omi Wilang, 
about one-third 

      of Aborigines leave their homes to study or find employment. As result, 
tithing within churches 

      in Aborigine reservations dwindles and the number of people that work on 
the land also decreases. 

       



      Under such circumstances, it’s difficult for Aborigine churches to 
maintain ministries and even 

      afford their pastors’ salaries. The signing of an ECFA with China only 
makes matters worse 

      because Aborigine produce will inevitably be replaced by cheaper Chinese 
imports.

       



      Rev. Omi Wilang further highlighted that many Aborigine churches in the 
city struggle with 

      securing good mortgage deals to build their own church or renting a 
church facility. 

       



      In addition, many young Aborigines also struggle with understanding 
church services in 

      Taiwanese language, the common language in PCT churches, and leave for 
other 

      denominations or stop going to church altogether.

       



      However, Rev. Omi Wilang felt that the greatest challenge of all was that 
Aborigines who’ve 

      migrated also live scattered in many cities and this phenomenon has 
greatly hampered them 

      from meeting up on a regular basis. 

       



      As for the few cities that have Aborigine churches, many of them include 
Aborigines from at 

      least two different tribes. This trend makes holding services in one 
Aborigine language that 

      everyone can understand very difficult.

       



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