Taiwan Church News 3258 Edition August 4 - August 10, 2014 Headline News PCT Responds To Kaohsiung Big Blast With Care and Shelter Reported from Kaohsiung by Chen Yi-hsaun and Song Cheng-yo The unprecedented ever chemical big blast in the July 31 deep night at Kaohsiung, due to a great leakage of propene resulted from a suspected inappropriate hasty operation, claimed at least 30 lives, injured 309 people and devastated thousands of buildings and households. At 200 thousands Kaohsiung residents are seriously affected in their traffics and daily lives by this accident. Rev. Hwang Zhe-hong, Director of PCT Church and Society Committee, together with his secretary Rev. Lin Wei-lien and the related pastors at So-shan presbytery, immediately set up an emergency accommodation contact center at San-duo Presbyterian Church at 12:00 am on August 1. And this emergency center is established to accumulate the human resources, material supplies and offer the necessary accommodations and pastoral care. Many PCT pastors from Kaohsiung So-shan Presbytery convenes at San-duo Presbyterian Church to pray for the victims and their families around 3:00 pm on August 1. Then, they go to visit the injured patients at 802 Navy Hospital and Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital. As some patients need more rest to restore from this drastic blast shocks, many pastors could only gather at the hospital's prayer rooms to expres their concern and care. Rev. Lee Zhi-ling, Moderator of Kaohsiung Presbytery, while blessing for the PCT co-workers serving at the prayer rooms at each hospital to gain more strength from the Lord during their service,praying for the victims of the big blast to gain the healing and peace from God. In the afternoon of August 3, about 120 PCT church youths, from Kaohsiung College Student Center, Kaohsiung Aboriginal College Student Center and different local congregations from Fon-san Si-men Church, Chien-gin Church, Nan-tze Church, Kao-nan Church, San-duo Church, Zuo-dong Church, Shin-seng Church and etc., assemble at the emergency accommodation contact center. They go to visit the inflicted residents in the neighboring communities and sing the hymns to show their care and concern. In the annual ministry meeting of Pine Life University hold at Kaohsiung on August 5, Rev. Lou Zen-quei, PCT Moderator of General Assembly and General Headmaster of Pine Life University, together with Mr. Chou Tse-ching, President of Board of Directors for Pine Life University, jointly go to emergency accommodation contact center at San-duo Presbyterian Church to give their utmost concern and donations to the victims and their families. Translated by Peter Wolfe |