wfn.org | TTCS Holds Christmas Carnival in Tainan to Help the Marginalized

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

>Taiwan Church News

>2965 Edition

>December 22-28, 2008

TTCS Holds Christmas Carnival to Help the Marginalized

>Reported by Chen Yi-shuan

>Written by Lydia Ma

Tainan Theological College and Seminary (TTCS) held a Christmas carnival  on campus on December 18th to spread the spirit of Christmas to its  neighbors in the community. Proceeds from the carnival were given to  Garden of Hope Foundation, an organization helping disadvantaged girls  and women. The biggest highlight of the Christmas carnival was  celebrating Christmas in a uniquely Taiwanese fashion. Students adorned  the campus and its entrances with wooden signs and lighted candles.

Events kicked off at 5:00 p.m. as seminary students set up booths  featuring food and games. At 7:30 p.m., TTCS President Wu Fu-ya tugged  the campus bell and lighted sparklers to signal the start of the  carnival. During her speech, Wu encouraged everyone to become like a  lighted candle during Christmas, warming people and sharing the peace  and hope brought by Christ.

This Christmas carnival was co-hosted by TTCS Student Council and Taiwan  Church Press’ music department. TTCS Student Council leaders said  that the spirit of the carnival was to share love with those who are in  need. Therefore, the event was highly publicized in the neighborhood  before hand and all proceeds will be donated to Garden of Hope  Foundation. In order to promote the event and draw a large crowd, TTCS  set up streetlamps to light up the campus. Candles were used to light up  the nativity scene made of hay to differentiate the way Christmas was  being celebrated at TTCS from department stores so that people who came  would learn about the true meaning of Christmas.

Organizers went all out in planning this Christmas carnival in hopes  that those who came would leave with a sense of excitement and a heart  warmed by what they had witnessed that evening. Besides food and games,  the carnival also included music performances from campus bands and  dance performances. Performers also showered the crowd with candies to  the delight of children. Southern Taiwan University’s Lily Student  Fellowship performed a skit entitled “A New You”, detailing  the story of a family plagued by worries and internal division. At the  end of the skit, the fellowship’s pastor encouraged the crowd,  saying, “We all need help. So, let us allow Jesus to become our  strength. When we are filled love and hope from God, we must pass these  blessings to those around us so that they can be blessed as well. This  is the true meaning and spirit of Christmas.”

Toward the end of the evening, TTCS director Wu Fu-ya unveiled the name  of the winner in a raffle who was awarded a bicycle as the grand prize.  She then invited the crowd to join hands in a closing prayer as she  thanked God and blessed the crowd.

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