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[E-mail] [Print] [PDF] Taiwan Church News 3233 Edition February 10 - February 16, 2014 Editorial Editorial: Here am I. Send me! When the Indigenous Ministry Committee just achieved her 60th anniversary, this moment made us felt hopeful and appreciated. Theoretically, we should be jubilant with enthusiasm to expect a more wonderful future; yet, under a dazzlingly volatile and disappointed Taiwan society replete with so much injustice, cheating and oppression, there are kind of bitterness and sigh behind the hilarious celebration of the 60th anniversary's evangelical ministry. So, how to carry on our indigenous ministry? Retrieving the struggling history of the indigenous people in the last two years, many compelling issues related to land, community and human rights started to emerge more speedily in a complicated outlook: the development case of A-Lan-I ancient path in the Paiwan tribe; the BOT invasion into the traditional preserving territory of the Tsou tribe; the Anti Miramar Resort event at Taitung; the event of graveyards removing of Katibu village in the Puyuma tribe; the prosecution the aboriginal hunter bringing his shot-gun; the event of protecting log at Knkreygan/Dumung village in Hwalien; the storage of nuclear waste in the aboriginal land and etc. Evidenced from such biased government policy and her corruptive performance, the living conditions of the indigenous people would have no chance to be better off in the future. From a demographic point of view, the indigenous population registered their living places at the non-indigenous areas has reached around 220,000 people. It means 43% of the indigenous are living in the city or town, not their aboriginal tribe or villages. If the emigrating indigenous workforce, not registered officially in the city or town, are included, then it is estimated that in fact over 50% of the indigenous had emigrated into the city! Let's have a second thought and raise some questions for these indigenous people: Who are their neighbors? Who are their spiritual pastors? Not to mention the indigenous students who desperately need the pastoral care from church. PCT only has 4 indigenous college student center caring about only 540 aboriginal students in 23 college campus. But the whole Taiwan island have 20,000 more indigenous students with 162 campus. Especially when the indigenous student ministry's evangelists and pastors are destitute of the financial and personnel support from each tribal presbytery or district, who would come to take care those indigenous students exiled on the wilderness? In the same time, confronting the emergence and challenge of the urban aboriginal ministry, we also found that lots of task force and resources have to be invested to care and maintain the daily ministry of tribal churches. There are many social problems we have to engage: the education of single parent family or the family with grandparent bringing grandchildren, the unemployment problem in the far off country, the shortage of the education resources, inferior environment for living and health, the decline of local church attendance and etc. How should we carry on our indigenous ministry? The problems seem so complicated and beyond our capability to handle. Who will be our partners in this indigenous ministry? Though there are lots of uneasiness and challenges, let us carry on sticking to our faith and stand firm to be friend and partner of the poor and the oppressed. We still want to respond to God who call us to serve Him: Here I am. Send me!
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Taiwan Church News 3233 Edition February 10 - February 16, 2014 Headline News Main Theme As "Line of Light - Would Add God As Your Good Friend?", A Sunny Juvenile Winter Camp Kicks Off! Reported by Hwang Yi-lek During the lunar new year, February 3rd to 6th, a sunny juvenile winter camp organized by PCT Youth Ministry Committee was held at William Sha Memorial Youth Camp in Puli Township. About 160 juvenile youth, covering from middle school to high school students, accompanied by dozens of working staffs and teachers, went through an experiential education with spiritual exercise. The main purpose of this convention is to encourage PCT juvenile youth to add God on their "Line" app, a very fashionable smartphone application familiar to youth, encouraging them to seek and know God as their best friend. Four days activities of winter camp started from an action drama, inspired from the Hollywood movie - Iron Man. Working staffs played kinds of movie roles, Iron Man, American Captain and Spider Man etc, alluding to different personal bad habits could be overcome by God's grace and love after 4 days experiential education. A night of camp fire was also held in the first day to break the ice and let the youth to know each other. From the second day, the winter camp delivered the major programs for each team to learn and experience. According to Rev. Cheng Chun-peng, PCT Youth Committee Secretary, the characteristics of this winter camp course was tailor-made to suit different needs and youth backgrounds. In addition, most teaching lecturers had been trained through this winter camp, some were even church deacons or ordained pastors. There were programs to encourage the group works: The objective of "the Night of Domino" at the second day is to experience the power of solidarity, juvenile youth are challenged to complete a puzzle map with 16,000 pieces domino; "Group Dynamics" at the fourth day, learning to practice the action of Good Samaritan, the youth members were requested to find the ways out sending the injured up to the hill, where the medicare station was located. In fact, from the perspective of PCT Youth Ministry Committee, this sunny winter camp is not just an outdoor activity for the church youth. It is the first part of a trilogy program. The final part is to equip local churches get ready to summon their community youths in the summer camp to learn their past histories and invite God as their best friend. After this winter camp, the intermediary step will transfer to each presbytery to hold their own youth camp within the usual semester terms. At this intermediary step, hosted by each each presbytery or district, either they can use their own resources to assemble their local youth, or they can ask PCT Youth Committee to support the teaching equipment, training lecturer or finance coverage. Some pastors express that the sunny juvenile camp is worthy to promote as it help the poor church to empower their juvenile youth. Translated by Peter Wolfe Juvenile youth placed the burning candles, representing their dedication with prayer, upon the water surface for God's mission. Photo by PCT Youth Ministry Committee enews
[E-mail] [Print] [PDF] Taiwan Church News 3233 Edition February 10 - February 16, 2014 Church Ministry News One Year After The Protest Of Lying On Rail,Laid Off Workers Vow to Keep Fighting For Their Rights and Dignity Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong On February 5th 2013, in order to fight for the personal rights and dignity, lots of laid off workers lied down on the rails at Taipei Railway Station. This event sent a big shock across the Taiwan island, and it let the public know in what the miserable despairs the laid off workers were caught and how arrogantly oppressive the Ma administration used to be. After one year had passed, at the very beginning of the lunar new year, these same laid off workers rallied again at Taipei Railway Station. They mimicked the "greeting rituals of early spring" and played the reminiscent action drama of "Lying On Rail" event, telling Taiwan society that their strong complaint toward the oppressive Ma administration. On the other hand, this assembly also meant they have no other choice but keep fighting for their rights and dignity in the 2014. Not only there were about 120 laid off workers rallied at Taipei Railway Station, but also 10 self-help employees, including Yuan-li Anti-Windmill Association, Shin-li Paper Self-Help Employees Network and Hwa-Lon Textile Self-Help Employees Netwrok, rounded up and opened a press conference at the Ju-nan Railway Station.Except demonstrating their determination to claim their rights and dignity, the laid off workers jointly requested all their related law suits be transferred to the administration court, because there had already been over 180 law suits transferred to administrative courts and the responsibility of these cases is deemed appropriate to be taken by the administrative legal person. They also urged the government to drop all the law suits which prosecuted the laid off workers to pay back the subragation money. As these money should not be deemed as the government loans to the laid off workers, then asked the laid off workers to pay back. Government should turn to the capitalist or company owners to get back the money. Otherwise, this could only raise up the bitter conflict and unnecessary tension to the miserably laid off workers. Translated by Peter Wolfe Playing a reminiscent action drama, laid off workers lying at Taipei Railway Station wished to remind the Taiwan public that the heart-breaking demonstration one year before still does not end... Photo from Taiwan People News
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Taiwan Church News 3233 Edition February 10 - February 16, 2014 Church Ministry News Micro-Adjustment Of Course Outlines For High School In The Fields Of Language And Society Stirs Waves Of Protests Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong On January 27th, the Ministry of Education(MoE) approved and announced her administration code which is commonly called the "Micro-Adjustment of Course Outlines" for high school in the fields of language and society. This administrative action promptly incurred a strong criticism from the native citizen groups and historians, condemning the procedure of micro-adjustment is against the principles of democracy and justice and the content hiding a Big-China nostalgia. February 5th, the citizen group of Action Council of Citizen Teacher(ACCT), leading by Mr. Chou Wei-Yo who is a teacher of Taitung Girls' Senior High School, made a protest before the MoE, complaining the opaque, closed and unjust operations of such micro-adjustment of course outlines. ACCT asked the MoE to publicize the concrete administrative contents of micro-adjustment codes, re-start the procedures of public hearing, and return the decision of the course adjustment back to the professional teachers. If MoE continued to ignore their voices, ACCT would not exclude the option to file the law suit. Lee Shiau-fon, who is a famous historian teaching in Taipei Education University, see this event directed by Ma Ying-jeou President as a "total surrender of Taiwan's subjectivity" and a "kowtow to Beijing regime". Lee confirms the educational progress and optimistic spirit, when Taiwan engaged in the democracy process in late 1980s, as the dictator's languages and myth started to melt away. But, Ma's intolerance of Taiwan's Subjective Consciousness, picking the China-inclined Professor Wang Shiao-po as the head of this course adjustment, actually plays the word-games of micro-adjustment to cover up his radical orientation to brainwash the Taiwanese. Therefore, Lee urges the public should wake up! Translated by Peter Wolfe
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Taiwan Church News 3233 Edition February 10 - February 16, 2014 Church Ministry News "Taiwan People News", A New Media Online To Fully Express The Voice Of The Folks Reported by Chen Yi-shuan A new media, Taiwan People News at www.peoplenews.tw, was officially launched to operate on the internet from mid-December 2013. It is jointly established by Dr. Chen Yong-shin, President of Saint Mary's Hospital at Luodong, Lee Yua-tseh - former President of Academia Sinica, Wu Wen-ching - the famous movie director and several other people. The main reason, that this new media is started among current polarized and diverse media environment, is the low quality of Taiwan's mainstream media makes the public feel wary. Instead of both the tabloid paper filled with sensational coverage and partisan media manipulating by political powers, Taiwan People News wish to build up a true quality platform to express the true voice of the folks with rational, objective and in-depth analysis. As stated in the public statement by the joint leading members, "We understand it is a hard job to run a news media, especially that the literature reading habit and paper media publication isunder a declining trend. But, we won't overlook the power of the pen, and in addition, the influence of the media effects to cultural communication and the public thoughts. Therefore, we would like to face the reality honestly in fear and tremble. We hope the birth of this media could bring a delicate candle light to Taiwan society inside the darkness, rekindling the cooled down passion and hope, enlightening the future direction for the suffered." In order not to be dominated by the China-affiliated capital, Dr. Chen Yong-shin urged the public who are capable to donate to become their shareholders. In addition, articles, writings or report from general readers are also very welcome to post to their editors in their different categories: Real Time News, Column, People, Opinion, Voice and Books. Translated by Peter Wolfe Website page of Taiwan People News (photo from TPN website)
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Taiwan Church News 3233 Edition February 10 - February 16, 2014 Church Ministry News Church Youth Are Recruited To Join The Ecumenical Movement Reported by Lin Yi-ying From February 6 to 8, a Basic Training Camp For Ecumenical Movement, organised by the Ecumenical Committee of PCT, was heldat Sinchu's Presbyterian Bible College. About 80 youths from the local churches across the island had attended the training courses. Rev. Hsu Rong-fong, the Moderator of PCT General Assembly, was invited to deliver the sermon. Many professional co-workers in related ecumenical institutes were also invited to share their ecumenical experiences, including Cheng Min-ming - former member of WCC Central Committee, Dr. Hsu Victor Wan-Chi - Associate PCT Genreal Secretary, Lin Min-chu - Executive member of CCA, Cheng Yang-en - Church History Professor of TTCS, Lu Yueh-wen - Vice President of WCRC and etc. Cheng Min-ming, based on her observation in WCC, confidently stressed that PCT is the most examplar member church allowingthe youth to participate in the ecumenical movement. For example, WCC expected that the youth ratio within each church member's total representative should reach 25% at least, and PCT is the only qualified member in the whole WCC with 345 member churches in 110 countries. Rev. Lyim Hong-tiong, PCT General Secretary, was also invited to address in this traning camp. He gave a straight criticismof China Christian Council(CCC) about her brutal gesture of exclusion and intolerance toward PCT after CCC had been accepted to join WCC recently. Rev. Lyim seriously challenged that, since the major point of ecumenical movement is to confess "Jesus Christ is the Lord, the Saviour", can CCC which is an affiliated institute of the atheistically communist regime really accept to believe in it? This should be the big problem that WCC has to face and consider. Translated by Peter Wolfe |