The Calvinist tradition in Taiwan began with the first two Presbyterian missionaries. In 1865, Dr. James Laidlaw Maxwell (1836-1921) was sent by the British Presbyterian Church to Taiwan as a medical missionary. On June 16th, he rented a house and set up a clinic in Tainan, and then started his missionary endeavor. It was the beginning of the ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. On March 9th, 1872, Dr. George Leslie MacKay (1844-1901), a missionary from the Presbyterian Church in Canada, landed in Tamsui, and began missionary work in northern Taiwan. After much efforts and long process, the Synods of the South and the North joined to form the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. The first General Assembly meeting was held at Suang-lian Presbyterian Church in Taipei on March 7th, 1951.

John Calvin (1509-1564) was a prominent reformer and the founder of Calvinism. July 10th, 2009, will mark the 500th anniversary of his birth. The churches of the Reformed tradition, which includes the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, are planning commemorative activities to celebrate the occasion. The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan has set the opening worship of the 54th (2009) General Assembly meeting as the beginning of “John Calvin Commemorative Year.”

We have translated and published Calvin’s letters, prayers and devotion to be distributed among our members. Books on Calvin, such as The legacy of John Calvin: Some actions for the Church in 21st Century, by WARC, and Christopher Elwood’s Calvin for Armchair Theologian, are being translated and will be published soon. In addition, there are two groups of study tour, with 32 members in each group, leaving in June and September, to “trace the footsteps of John Calvin.” They will travel to Noyon, France, where Calvin was born, then to Geneva, Switzerland, where he spent most of his ministry years, and to Scotland, where John Knox put Calvinism into practice and formed the Presbyterian Church. There will also be a symposium on “Calvin and Church Today” in Hsinchu in August. Special services on the General Assembly, Presbyteries or Districts, as well as local churches levels are as follows:

1. The General Assembly:
   Date: 2 – 4 p.m., April 14th, 2009. The opening worship of the 54th General Assembly meeting.
   Place: MacKay Memorial Hospital Auditorium (9th Floor), in Taipei.
   
2. Presbytery and District:
   Each Presbytery and District is encouraged to hold their own commemorative service before June 30th, 2009, or, at their fall regular meeting. Other than the members of the Presbytery or District, invitations should also be extended to the leaders and members of other denominations to attend.
   
3. Sunday, July 5th, 2009, has been set as the Sunday to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of Calvin’s birth. Each congregation is urged to hold a special service to observe the occasion.

For more information, please contact:
The Rev. Lyim Hong-tiong (Executive Secretary) at (02)-2362-5282 ex. 362
Ms. Lee Hong-chu (Assistant to the Executive Secretary) at (02)-2362-5282 ex. 363

Or, go onto www.pct.org.tw/calvin500/.