Taiwan Church News

3345 Edition

April 4 - 10, 2016

Headline News

The 61st PCT Annual Meeting Makes A Perfect Ending

Reported by Simon Lin

From March 29 to 31, the 61st PCT annual meeting was held at Dr. Landsborough Memorial Hall of ChanghuaChristian Hospital. With newly elected officers, this PCT annual meeting also passed 29 resolutions including a missionary cooperative agreement with the Borneo Evangelical Mission(BEM) and Gereja Kemah Injil Indonesia (GKI). Delegates of ecumenical churches, from overseas Taiwanese, Korea, Japan, US, Indonesia, India and many others, were specially introduced by Rev. Lyim Hong-tiong in the opening service of this annual meeting.

Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of WCC, sent his congratulations and messages on behalf of WCC tothis PCT annual meeting in the opening service. Read by Rev. Cheng Yang-en, a member of WCC's Central Committee, Rev. Tveit congratulated all Taiwanese people on having elected the first female President - Ms Tsai Ing-wen, who was deeply appreciated of what PCT had contributed for human rights on Taiwan. Rev. Tveit believed PCT, while carrying on her pastoral role taking care of the spiritual needs of Taiwanese people, would also deliver the prophetic voices for human rights in Taiwan society.

Newly elected Vice-President of Taiwan, Dr. Chen Chien-jen, gave his warm and greetings in peace(ping-an,shalom) to about 500 PCT representatives in the opening service. Chen pointed out the missionary journey of PCT had always been closely connected with every social progress of Taiwan, evidenced in the introduction of western medicine and care, establishment of modern schools, publication of news paper and promotion of social services. "PCT's love is not empty in words, but a participatory justice working with the oppressed and the marginalized", Chen highly affirmed what PCT had contributed for Taiwan in the past one and a half centuries.

Rev. Nagazaki Tetsuo, General Secretary of The United Church Of Christ in Japan(UCCJ), expressed his ineffablethanksgiving for PCT's hospitality coordinating the "Lamb Camping" around Taiwan from 2014. Many children, affected by the radioactive threats from Fukushima nuclear disaster after Japan's 311 event, did receive a tremendous relief, when they were arranged to have a short period camping travels around Taiwan through a big help from PCT, remarked Rev. Nagazaki.

Rev. Sudu Tada, the newly elected Moderator of the 61st PCT General Assembly, emphasized the importance of aconsolidated PCT by following Christ as it would help overcome our complex differences from the multi-dimensions within the fields of culture, ethnicity, value and ideology. He encouraged each presbytery or district humbly complying with PCT's orders and stipulations, accommodating each other and moving forward kinds of ministries in order to make PCT as a sign of hope among different peoples.

Translated by Peter Wolfe