Father’s Day outreach helps many fathers go to church for the first time

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

      Taiwan Church News

      3050 Edition

      August 9~15, 2010

                                   

       

      Father’s Day outreach helps many fathers go to church for the 
first time

       

      Reported by Chen Wei-chien

      Written by Lydia Ma

       

       



      Tsao-Kang Presbyterian Church in Changhua County has a 
reputation for providing great 

      after-school study programs for local children. This year’s 
Father’s Day gave the church an 

      opportunity to get to know their students’ parents better. The 
church invited these children’s 

      fathers to church for a Father’s Day celebration.

       



      On August 8, also known as Father’s Day in Taiwan, many fathers 
darkened church doors for 

      the first time in their lives. For quite a few of them, it was 
also the first time they received a gift 

      from their children straight from their children’s hands.

       



      Through fun activities, fathers learned they could be gentle 
and kind role models. Celebrations 

      culminated with the lighting of a few “Happiness Candles” by 
church staff and fathers. 

      According to Tsao-Kang’s Pastor Yang Shan-hsiung, the candles 
are a reminder of Jesus as 

      the light of the world. 

       



      Yang reported that many of the fathers present at the 
celebration had never stepped into a 

      church before, but they’d come to thank the church for reaching 
out and helping their children. 

      He hoped the gospel would continue to be proclaimed in Changhua 
County through such programs.

       



      However, Yang underscored that about 40% of the children came 
with their grandfathers 

      because they were being raised by their grand-parents instead 
of their parents. This 

      percentage is reflective of the national trend in Taiwan as a 
significant number of children are 

      raised by grandparents because their parents are either too 
busy working or divorced.

       



      Yang indicated that fathers from rural areas tend to be strict, 
traditional, and distant when 

      raising their children. As result, it’s difficult for many 
children to bond with their fathers or feel 

      close to them. This outreach sought to break down these 
barriers and show fathers how to be 

      mellower when interacting with their children.

       



      The success of Tsao-Kang’s after-school study program has 
prompted the church to consider 

      expanding it to include junior high school students. Lukang 
Magistrate Wang Hui-mei was 

      present at the celebration and welcomed the church to visit her 
office to discuss a possible 

      partnership between the township and the church on an 
after-school program for high school 

      students. This invitation is another indication of the warm 
reception the church’s after-school 

      study program has generated in the community.

       



      ********************

      Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Taiwan's local 
languages. 

      You may translate and re-use our articles online only if you 
acknowledge the source as 

      "Taiwan Church News" and list the names of the reporter and 
writer. 

      Contact us before reprinting any of our articles for print 
publications. 

      Direct comments and questions about this article to: 
enews@pctpress.org

      Visit our website for more news at: http://enews.pctpress.org/ 
(English) 

      http://www.pctpress.org (Chinese) 

      ********************