Taiwan Church News 3804 ~ 3805 Edition Jan 20 ~ Feb 2, 2025 Weekly Topical Celebrating the 1700th Anniversary of the Nicene Creed, NCCT holds an Unity Prayer Service Reported by Lin Yi-ying from Taipei Celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed in 2025, leaders from major Taiwanese Christian denominations, including the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT), Catholic Church, Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, Lutheran Church and other member churches of the National Council of Churches of Taiwan (NCCT), gathered at the Grace Lutheran Church on January 18 to hold an unity prayer service. Rev Keith Lee, president of NCCT and pastor of Taiwan Episcopal Church, said “the theme of 2025 ecumenical prayer service as ‘Do you believe this?’, quoted John 11:26, is to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed.” As January 18 is also commemorated as “St. Peter’s Confession Day”, Rev Lee prayed that brothers and sisters from different denominations could reach out to care the needy with the mercy of Christ. The “2025 Prayer Manual for Christian Unity” was prepared by the Monastic Community of Bose in northern Italy to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The Catholic Church’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity(DPCU) and the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC) jointly organized a task force to meet at the Monastery of Bose from September 11 to 15, 2023 to edit the liturgical contents of the prayer manual. The unity prayer service in Taiwan began with the entrance of church leaders of various denominations, then followed the invitation of the congregation, the confession of sin, the declaration of forgiveness and the calling of the congregation. In the hymnPleading for the Holy Spirit to Give Grace, Rev Fuyan Suda, moderator of the PCT, Fr Chen Ke, representative of the Catholic Church, Rt Rev Pang Jun-hua, former governor of the Methodist Church, Rev Keith Lee, and Rev Kao Tang-en, supervisor of the Taiwan Lutheran Church, held white candles lighted up on the altar to symbolize the unity of the Christians. Then, Rev Keith Lee delivered a welcome speech and prayed. Brother Chang Jun-wei of the Catholic Church, Sister Wen Hsin-way of the Episcopal Church, Rev Chiang Chi-gang, pastor of the PCT, read three paragraphs of Bible scriptures respectively. Three church choirs gave their praise in the prayer service, they were the St. Trinity Catholic Church Choir from Tapingling of Hsindien Township, the Muh-Ai Episcopal Church Choir, Huse Church Choir of the PCT Payuan presbytery. Rev Kao Tang-en, delivered a sermon, entitled with “Lord’s Will and His Ability”, Rt Rev Pang Jun-hua preached with the title of “Do Not Doubt But Believe”, and then followed two hymns sang by the church choir of Grace Lutheran Church and the Cheng-Chon diocese choir of the Methodist Church. After the assembly read the Nicene Creed, Fr Chen Ke, Rev Fuyan Suda, Rev Keith Lee and Rev Kao Tang-en distributed the candlelight on the altar to the congregation, thus showing that church leaders from each denomination were “called with one same hope: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all”. The 2025 Christian Unity Prayer was completed in the prayer of sending forth, praise and blessings. Translated by Peter Wolfe |