Old, off-shore island church gets new life thanks to retired minister

From "Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>
Date Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:32:57 +0800

3077 Edition
February 14-20, 2011

Church Ministry News



Old, off-shore island church gets new life thanks to retired minister



Reported by Sam Lee

Written by Lydia Ma



Ever since its founding in 1965, Chiangjiun Presbyterian Church has served 
young students, foreign spouses, and fishermen from Penghu Island. In time, old 
people aged and passed away while young people left the island in search for 
better employment, leaving the church with only 17 regular attendees by 2008.

Hence, it was quite a remarkable feat for the church and its new minister, Rev. 
Lin Cheng-hong, to hold a Lunar New Year service and pot-luck this past 
January. It’s been 10 years since the last New Year service and pot-luck were 
held. Not only did Lin organize this gathering, he also managed to repaint the 
church building in time for it with help from a few people from his 
congregation.

According to reports, after Chiangjiun Church notified Kaohsiung Presbytery of 
its dwindling membership and its inability to sustain itself, the presbytery 
decided to send Lin to help the struggling congregation. Lin, a retired PCT 
minister who’d previously served as the head of Labor Concern Center in 
Kaohsiung, took over Chiangjiun Church in January 2011.

Not only did this new minister pull off a new year gathering attended by 16 
people (3 families and a few seniors), he also plans for the church to start 
offering afterschool tutorial classes for children beginning February, a 
cooking contest for foreign brides on Mother’s Day, and more.

Chiangchun Church has always been committed to ministering in the off-shore 
island of Penghu and is now urging local PCT churches from all parts of Taiwan 
to support its ministries to people who live in the area. Lin welcomes churches 
to visit his church when considering annual church retreats and enjoy the 
beautiful beaches and islands surrounding Penghu. 



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