wfn.org | Another Taiwan Church Steps Up to Serve Foreign Brides

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Taiwan Church News 2731, 28 June - 4 July 2004
Reported by Hsiao Shiuh-ching. Translated and Rewritten by David Alexander

As the number of foreign women marrying into Taiwan increases the need for
social services aimed at this new population cohort rises.  The Christian
Family Counseling Centre in Kaohsiung City has contracted with a municipal
government to provide transition and training courses. Now the Tainan
Christian Family Counseling Center and Jia-li Presbyterian Church in Tainan
County have begun to provide services, too.

Jia-li's morning worship on June 27th included the graduation of the first
class of a "Foreign Brides Life Guidance" course. Graduates and their family
members were in attendance.

The Rev. Dong Tsong-lin said, "The gospel is not something that once believed
solves all problems and answers all questions.	When this church began to
reach out to the foreign brides in our parish we found that each had a faith
background from her home country. Not only that, the families into which they
had married mainly follow Taiwan's folk religions. We made no religious
stipulations on their participation in the course, only asking if they were
willing to enter the church building. After that the congregation and I have
used opportunities to explain and exemplify the gospel to them. The help we
offer is motivated by our faith."

Tainan County Government Social Development Department Director Yang Shiow-bi
presided over the "graduation" ceremony. She encouraged participants to
continue to study, adapt and help new arrivals to smoothly transition to life
in Taiwan. She sympathized with those who have endured their husband's
shouting about attending and suggested that they inform their spouses that
the
class is helpful in building better marriages. This, she thinks, might
encourage other men of Jia-li who have married women from overseas to send
their spouses to future courses.

This term there were only six graduates, three of whom were coached to the
point of obtaining driving licenses. Currently there are twenty enrolled in
continuing courses. Rev. Dong said that the church plans to establish a
special fellowship group for the women so they can continue to enjoy the
congregation's concern and care.

The Rev. Tan Chong-jin, former director of Tainan's Christian Family
Counseling Centre, expects that in the future more husbands who have brought
brides from South East Asia will attend classes with their wives to learn how
better to understand the cultural and language riches of the women they have
wed. In this way all can overcome barriers of culture and race and Taiwan can
become a multicultural island of peace.

For More Information: Jia Li Presbyterian Church FAX +886 6 721 0599
Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Taiwan's local languages.
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