Overseas Taiwanese Christians return en masse for upcoming elections

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

3123 Edition

January 1-8, 2012

Headline News

Overseas Taiwanese Christians return en masse for upcoming elections

Reported by Sam Lee, Lin Yi-ying

Written by Lydia Ma 

Overseas Taiwanese Christians have returned en masse in recent days either to 
vote in the upcoming elections or to lend moral support. Among those who have 
returned are members from Southern California Taiwanese Presbyterian Church 
(TPC) choir and members from Greater New York Taiwanese Pen Association. The 
two organizations co-hosted a series of concerts called Prayer for Taiwan 
Concert and invited PCT General Assembly Moderator Chiohh Lyiam Syian to 
deliver a short message and lead people in prayer.

A delegation of 38 TPC members landed on December 27, 2011 and visited PCT 
General Assembly Office shortly after their arrival. Following this visit, they 
travelled south to Taichung and Kaohsiung to hold Prayer for Taiwan Concert in 
these areas before heading back north to Taipei to do the same. TPC members 
paid for this trip out of their own pockets because they wanted to express 
their concern for Taiwan through church music.

According to TPC leader Hong Mao-tse, Taiwan has reached a critical point in 
time and overseas Taiwanese are deeply concerned about this legislative and 
presidential election. The organization’s hope is that this series of concerts 
would create opportunities for Taiwanese Americans to reach out to local 
churches and convey greetings and concern on behalf of Taiwanese Americans 
living in the USA.

The TPC choir also performed at a Fengshan Presbyterian Church near Kaohsiung 
on the night of December 29, 2011 as the PCT marked the 40th anniversary of the 
publication of Statement On Our National Fate.

Besides the return of many overseas Taiwanese in time for elections, a small 
delegation of Canadians, including church officials and former government 
officials, are also coming to Taiwan to observe the upcoming elections. 

Invited to come as observers by the Independent Committee for a Fair Election 
in Taiwan, members of this delegation include former Member of Parliament and 
Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Hon. Bill Blaikie, Deputy 
General-Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches Dr. Peter Noteboom, and 
former Senator Rev. Dr. Lois Wilson among others.

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