Taiwan Church News 3250 Edition June 9 - June 15, 2014 Headline News Pentecost At Pingtung, Church Prays For City Transformation On Global Day Of Prayer Reported by Simon Lin Since 2005, when Taiwan churches started to join the movement of Global Day of Prayer, which is an evangelical movement originated from South African, many Pentecostal prayer assembly across denominations and ethnics were held annually. This year, 2014, over 1,000 Christians attend the Pentecost prayer assembly in Pingtung, including the PCT presbyteries of Pingtung, Rukai and Paiwan, Methodists Church and Life of Bread Church. All churches are encouraged to be united in evangelicalism and pray for the government for recent eruption of series of corruption cases. Rev. Wang Da-chin, Methodist pastor of Lower Pingtung, warns Christians to transform church first before talking about transforming city. He reminds the audience about the Old Testament story on the Israelite worship of Bali, a god of abundance, criticizing the temptations into which modern churches are so easy to be trapped: fame, money, personal well-being, family happiness and business prosperity. "Could we transform the world, if these secular values are our faith? Or, we have been transformed by the world.", exclaimed Wang. On the issues of denominational fragmentation, Wang lamented: God want us to be in unity, yet we would prefer to distance our selves with kinds of barriers and theologies. Rev. Su Song-rong, PCT Moderator of Pingtung presbytery, remarks that Taiwan people are too easily attracted by short term profits to overlook the justice from God. And that is why we build the most expensive Wu-Yang high way in the globe, in terms of its unit cost per kilometers: NTD 2.2 billions; the most dangerous and also expensive nuclear power plant at Gong-liao. In order to function like salt to prevent corruption, Su plead for God's forgiveness on Taiwan and ask Christians to help church "act justly and in love of mercy". He also urge church to speak out for the oppressed and the marginalized, bring care, love and healing to those who fall in the sadness and low self-esteem. Rev. Takanaw, General Secretary of Paiwan presbytery, lead the audience to repent for the idol worship and value orientation toward money. He plead God to enlighten Taiwan, lead Christians to live after Christ, and liberate our public servants free from the greed bondage, as reverence for God bring bring down the glory of life. "Covenant in salt" is the most characteristic activity of Pentecost Prayer Assembly in 2014. Church representatives from 33 town and villages across Pingtung county pour 8 colors of salt into the bucket, symbolizing God's blessing to us will never fail and the evil can never prevail. In the meantime, the assembly refresh their covenants with God in these salts, swearing oath to act as salt and light proclaiming the good news to the end of the world! Translated by Peter Wolfe |