wfn.org | Local PCT churches celebrate anniversaries ranging from 60 to 140

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3034 Edition

>April 19~25, 2010

Local PCT churches celebrate anniversaries ranging from 60 to 140

>Reported by Chen Wei-chien, Chen Yi-hsuan

>Written by Lydia Ma

>Juo-Jeng Church celebrates 140

Tainan Presbytery’s Juo-Jeng Church celebrated its 140th  anniversary on April 
18, drawing

about 1,000 members, visitors, and former members into the church  to celebrate.

The worship service was marked by many choir groups taking turns  offering 
praise songs. An

artist gave the church his sketch of the church as gift, which he  had drawn 
earlier that morning.

A Mennonite church from Taipei also brought its congregation of 40  people to 
celebrate this

>joyous occasion with Juo-Jeng members.

After the service, the congregation also marked the opening of a  new Aborigine 
museum next

to the church before ending celebrations with fun sports  activities in the 
afternoon.

According to the church’s pastor, Rev. Tsai Shao-shiung, the  museum will 
feature many

artifacts used by Pingpu Aborigines. It also has the earliest  photographs of 
Taiwan ever taken.

Tsai thanked National Museum of Taiwan History for its support of  Pingpu 
culture and for

sending professionals on several occasions to help preserve  artifacts.

Juo-Jeng Church was built in 1870 in the flat costal plains near  Tainan City 
where Siraya

people lived when James Laidlaw Maxwell, a Presbyterian  missionary, arrived to 
preach the

>gospel.

An exhibition of the church, its history, and some of the  artifacts recovered 
by the National

Museum of Taiwan History will be held until May 30, 2010.

>Tsao-Tun Church celebrates 110

“This is a model church we can look up to. We don’t need  to go to Korea or 
Singapore to find

model churches,” said PCT General Secretary Andrew Chang  referring to Tsao-Tun

>Presbyterian Church.

To prepare for its 110th anniversary, Tsao-Tun Church in Taichung  had laid out 
various

objectives a few years ago. Now, these goals were read out loud  one by one, 
and checked off

with praise and thanksgiving to God for helping Tsao-Tun become an  influential 
and growing

>church.

The church celebrated its anniversary on April 11, where more than  1,000 
people attended the

thanksgiving service. Rev. Chang was invited to deliver the sermon  on this 
joyous occasion.

Following the sermon, church elders read out the church’s  “report card” which 
featured more

than 11% growth in terms of tithing, baptized members, and people  involved in 
the church’s

>various ministries.

According to the church’s pastor, Rev. Pan Hsin-yi, many of  the church’s 
ministries and

special activities were planned in preparation for the next decade  of service 
to God. Not only

are church staff members and leaders humble, committed, and  submissive, more 
than two-

thirds of the congregation volunteers in a ministry. This figure  jumped to 80% 
in the past two

years. Some of the church’s ministries include the Karaoke  cell group, Pine 
Life University (a

>university for seniors), and senior day-care.

Rev. Chang remarked that if only 100 more PCT churches achieved  11% growth in

membership like Tsao-Tun Church had done, then, the goal of  increasing PCT 
membership to

200,000 people, as laid out in New Doubling Movement, would be  easily within 
reach.

>Wu-Jih Church celebrates 100

Wu-Jih Church in Taichung celebrated its centenary through a  series of events 
in the past year

and members used these occasions to attract non-Christian family  and friends 
by inviting

>them to participate in various fun events.

Celebrations culminated with a thanksgiving service on April 18  attended by 
approximately

500 people. The church invited all former pastors who had  ministered at Wu-Jih 
to return and

celebrate together and also presented a touching short clip of the  church’s 
history.

Throughout 2009, Wu-Jih organized a series of events in  preparation for its 
100th anniversary,

including a hand-written Bible movement, New Year’s Eve  prayer meeting, 
bicycle trips,

concerts, and a CD recording by the church’s choir, etc.

According to Elder Pan Chih-ju, who coordinated these events,  church leaders 
were moved by

God to leave a lasting legacy of its centenary by inviting  non-Christians to 
church sponsored

activities designed to stimulate the body, soul, and spirit.

>Lavulang Church celebrates 60

Lavulang Church in Kaohsiung county celebrated its 60th  anniversary on April 
17 by changing

the church’s Chinese name so that it would truly reflect the  church’s 
Aborigine roots. The

church’s pastor, Rev. Lumav, put up a new plaque with the  church’s new name 
during the

>service.

About 400 people attended the thanksgiving service on that day and  Yu-Shan 
Seminary

President, Rev. Pusin Tali, delivered the sermon. After the  sermon, a new 
plaque with the

church’s new name was unveiled and hung at the front entrance  of the church, 
replacing

another plaque with the church’s old name.

According to Rev. Lumav, the church’s goal is to start a  daughter church in 
Kaohsiung area

because there are no Bunun churches there yet. He said many Bunun  Aborigines 
are currently

living in Kaohsiung for work purposes and they need support and  encouragement 
from

>Aborigine churches to strengthen their faith.

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