Small, independent church opens Caleb House to house and minister to homeless seniors

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

3096 Edition

June 27-July 3, 2011

Church Ministry News

Small, independent church opens Caleb House to house and minister to homeless 
seniors

Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

Written by Lydia Ma

Despite many financial hardships, Shengshan Church has helped countless of 
homeless and needy people since its inception. Recently, the church reached new 
heights by starting “Caleb House“ – a place designed to house and minister to 
homeless seniors. 

Caleb house will be under the auspices of Shengshan Care Association, an 
association founded by the church and governed by a board of Christians from 
various denominations.

An opening and thanksgiving service was held on June 18, 2011. Shengshan 
Association’s CEO, Liu Yu-hua, who attends a Baptist church, said the main 
ministry of this church is to minister to the poor. 

The church’s minister, Pastor Chen Yanfu, added that after he’d read various 
passages in the Bible detailing God’s care for widows and orphans and God’s 
compassion for poor people, he decided the church should follow suit. “I just 
don’t want to see these old folks sleep on the floor every day,” he said.

But with a deficit totaling more than NT$1 million and a monthly rent of 
NT$10,000 for Caleb House alone, how will Shengshan Church support this new 
ministry? The answer is, a lot of its revenue comes from donations from various 
organizations or individuals who support the church’s mission statement and its 
ministries.

Furthermore, beds, refrigerator, television set, sofa, fans, and other 
household appliances in Caleb House were either bought at second-hand stores or 
donated by supporters of Shengshan Association.

Additionally, many homeless people helped by Shengshan Church donate money they 
make from odd jobs to the church and part of the rent for Caleb House comes 
from a few seniors willing to donate portions of their government allowance. 
The church also generates some income by setting up booths at local bazaars 
that sell items donated by manufacturers.

Who resides at Caleb House? Well, the list is as intriguing as it is 
heart-rending. One example is Lin-liang who used to work in the construction 
industry until he suffered a stroke which also cost him all of his savings. 
Thanks to the care of Shengshan Church this past year, his body has slowly 
recovered. 

Another example is “Mr. Yang”, a 70-year-old who used to be the CEO of a watch 
shop and an advisor to President Ma during the 2008 presidential campaign. 
After a gastrointestinal illness followed by surgery ravaged his health, Yang 
was abandoned by this family. It was his younger sister who later introduced 
him to Shengshan Church.

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