wfn.org | Prayer Rally Calls Taiwan's People to "Pray With Your Lives"

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Title: Prayer Rally Calls Taiwan's People to "Pray With Your Lives"
Taiwan Church News 2740, 30 August - 5 September 2004
Reported by Li Hsin-ren.  Translated and Rewritten by David Alexander

"As Taiwan encounters suffering and confusion the thing we most need is
prayer." The Rev. Dr. C. M. Kao, former general secretary of the Presbyterian
Church in Taiwan, used these words to encourage people gathered in Taipei on
29th August for a Prayer Rally. He said that Christians facing Taiwan's
situation must use their lives as living prayers of repentance and hope.
The rally was held as a follow up activity to the 4th annual National Prayer
Breakfast which took place the previous day. Christians were urged to justly
and mercifully offer crucial prayers for these crucial times. Both events were
ecumenically sponsored and attended. Prayers were offered for Taiwan's
political and ethnic reconciliation, for economic, family and ecclesiastical
stability. Since the event closely followed a typhoon that had flooded central
and northern regions of the country, special intercessions were made for those
who had suffered as well.
Dr. Kao made his remarks in the Taiwanese language, which is his mother
tongue. He emphasized that prayer is not something done merely with the lips,
but involves a person's life. He pointed to the supreme sacrifice made by
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of the sin of the world and called on his
hearers to repentantly pray that their redeemer watch over Taiwan, leading
this nation to be a place of justice, peace and love.
The Rev. Chou Sin-cho, pastor of Taipei's independent Bread of Life Church,
spoke on Taiwan's destiny. He said that whether a "Greater China Economic
Integration" or a "Greater China Political Integration" becomes a reality or
not is a matter of divine prerogative. What is needed now is for Taiwan's
churches to join with those of Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and other regional
nations to put their strength into mission.
In his remarks Rev. Chou took issue with those who say that Taiwan has no
ethnic problem but one of recognition of the nation's identity.  He feels that
the problems are indeed ethnic, and need to be addressed in prayer.
The choir of the Mountain Children's Home from Kaohsiung County sang, "We Pray
for this Land" and choirs of many other churches offered anthems.  The
assembly then engaged in corporate prayer for those injured by the typhoons.
The meeting closed with remarks by the Rev. James Hsia of the Chinese
Christian Evangelistic Association, who said, "No matter what kind of disaster
Taiwan meets, belief in the justice and benevolence of God will not depart
from this land."

For More Information: C. M. Kao  FAX +886 6 2995075
                   Chou Sin-cho manage@mail.llc.org.tw
                   James Hsia  FAX +886 2 27721090
Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Taiwan's local languages.
Visit our web site: www.pctpress.com.tw