wfn.org | U.K Synod and Taiwan Presbytery Forge Partnership and Learn from Each Other's Ministries

["Lydia Ma" <enews@pctpress.org>]

----- Original Message ----- From: Hui-Jen Lydia Ma To: enews@pctpress.org Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2008 6:18 PM
Subject: [!! SPAM] article 5

>Taiwan Church News

>2961 Edition

>November 24~30, 2008

U.K Synod and Taiwan Presbytery Forge Partnership and Learn from Each  Other's Ministries

>Reported by Chen Wei-jian

>Written by Lydia Ma

Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) Chiayi Presbytery signed a  partnership agreement with the Northwest Synod of the United Reform  Church (URC) in the U.K. last year. This November, leaders from Chiayi  Presbytery traveled to the U.K. to visit the Northwest Synod. Besides  visiting the general assembly, the delegation also had a chance to visit  local churches, get to know church ministries in the U.K., and meet with  URC members in the U.K. The delegates were also invited to share during  the closing ceremony of Northwest Synod's assembly meeting. They gave a  presentation about Taiwan and the PCT devotional guide "Reading the  Bible with New Eyes" published by the Taiwan Church Press.

The main purpose of this partnership is to increase dialogue between the  two organizations and further cooperation in the mission field.  Taiwanese pastors on this trip noted that the URC paid close attention  to regular church members and their participation in church ministries.  Furthermore, the URC welcomed community members ¨C even those from  other faiths ¨C as members of the church. Dialogue between different  religious faiths was excellent. The URC was also devoted to  ecumenicalism. Though church membership is not high, church members care  a great deal about social issues. These examples from the URC are good  models for Taiwanese churches to follow. Overall, Taiwanese churches can  learn a great deal from the URC's spirit of unity (the denomination is  made up of Baptists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans) while the URC can  glean a lot from Presbyterian Church in Taiwan's domestic missions and  devotional publication "Reading the Bible with New Eyes". The URC was  impressed with this devotional booklet and plans to begin one of its  own.

One Taiwanese pastor on the trip was impressed with the scope of  community outreach ministries of URC churches. On a trip to URC's Saint  Mark Church, he noted that the church's Tree of Life center offered  community classes such as aerobics, Tai Chi, and a few classes helping  new immigrants settle in. Furthermore, Saint Mark had a center for  second-hand goods where many churches in the region could drop off used  goods or recyclable goods. After collecting and cleaning these items,  church members would give them away to the needy in the community.

During this visit pastors also had a chance to discuss faith issues,  religious trends, women in ministry, the economy, and recent  developments in Taiwanese society. The Northwest Synod had received a  prayer letter from the PCT two days prior their meeting, urging partner  churches to pray for Taiwan's deteriorating human rights.

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-- Hui-Jen Lydia Ma

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the  moments that take our breath away."