What does 'being ecumenical' mean? The simple, profound answer is that we as Christians are the body of Christ. Paul, the apostle of Christ, indicates that "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it."
In order to illustrate the ecumenical mission for Presbyteries and Districts in Taiwan, PCT General Assembly organized the annual meeting "2018 One-Leads-One, New Doubling Mission" under the theme "The Ecumenical Mission, One Leads One", which took place from September 3 until 5 at Presbyterian Bible College in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
During the meeting, the speakers who have experiences of conducting several ecumenical missions presented various programs to the participants, such as, Medical Mission in Mongolia, disaster relief and response work in Japan and Taiwan, Indigenous Christian missions in Kuantan, Malaysia, Caring for Migrant Workers in Taiwan, I Love Taiwan Mission Camp (ILT), Ecumenical Youth Exchange Program (EYEP), PCT-Mizoram Women's Ministry...etc.
"For the sake of convenience setting up a latrine seems like a good idea for Indigenous people in Kuantan; however, they do not want to use it because of the unique cultural background. They have been told that the devil under the ground will reach hands and take away their hearts," Rev. Syat Nayuki shared this particular culture shock with the participants of the meeting.
Dr. Chiu Shu-Pin, the assistant professor of Yu-Shan Theological College & Seminary, invited the participants to ponder the meaning of the Lord’s Supper and remembrance (1 Corinthians 11:17-32), the concept of ministry in the context of the Book of Matthew (Matthew 28:16-20) and the embodiment and continuity of Emanuel during the Bible Study section.
With these down-to-earth presentations of the ecumenical mission, "2018 One-Leads-One New Doubling Mission" meeting paves the way for Taiwan Ecumenical Forum (TEF), which will be held from November 28 until 30. The theme of the Forum will be "ASIA PACIFIC KAIROS: A prophetic call to journey together with the PCT in pursuit of justice and peace for the people of Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific."