Taiwan Church News

3874 Edition

25 ~ 31 May, 2026

Weekly Topical

Advocating Homeland Resilience, Vice President Hsiao Plants Tree at Haomei Beach

Reported by Dalul from Chiayi

Facing the global challenges of climate change and sea-level rise, yet with a resolve to forge the resilience of homeland security, the Church and Society Committee of the Chiayi Presbytery held the 2026 Thanksgiving Service, entitled as ”Haomei Beach Trees-Planting and Preservation”, at Haomei Beach in Budai Township in the afternoon on May 24.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim attended the event with Dr Peng Chi-ming, Minister of Ministry of Environment, together with many local leaders including Mr Tsai Yi-yu, legislator, Mr Weng Chang-liang, magistrate of Chiayi County, Mr Lin Han-Chian, president of Chiayi University and many other renown guests. They planted 1,000 trees of ephedra with local residents and church members to showcase their resolve to protect the homeland – Taiwan.

The service was hosted by Rev Huang Chu-en, director of Church and Society Committee of Chiayi Presbytery. After Rev Huang opened the service with prayer, the audience sang in chorus of the hymn of “Jehovah’s Blessings Abound”. Feeling the breeze from the sea, with the beautiful images of egrets in the field and lilies on the mountain, the congregation expressed their gratitude to God the creator for such an abundant blessings to all creatures in this amazing world.

Vice President Hsiao shared in her speech that this was the second time she came to visit Haomei beach. In her first encounter with Haomei beach, she recalled, Haomei beach had just been swept across by a big natural disaster – typhoon Danas – and would later engage a very challenging rehabilitation mission.

She especially affirmed Elder Tsai Hsin-der’s inspiring speech, after he was awarded the Environmental Education Award at the Presidential Palace, which urged her to come to see this amazing beach and witness the marvelous rehab success after lots of hard efforts done with resilience.

“In the past, when I was an invoice in the field of politics affairs, I always thought that a single person could always achieve the goal more easy,” said Vice President Hsiao, ”But today the successful rehab story of Haomei beach tells us that nothing good enough can be achieved by fighting alone.”

“From the churches of Chiayi Presbytery to local farmers and fishermen to the professional technology of Chiayi University, coupled with the cross-ministerial cooperations among the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, and Chiayi County Government, all these good services do make this no-man’s-land(i.e. Haomei beach) become a global model for environmental education.”

Quoting the concept of “Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience”, advocated by President Lai Ching-de, Vice President Hsiao stressed the rehab story of Haomei beach was the best model of resilience to follow.

“Facing the critical environmental emergency of sea-level rise caused by climate change, many island countries across the world are experiencing an impending risk of total inundation and disappearance. Haomei beach can stand up from these natural setbacks and protect the home town through a robust task by tree-planting,” indicated VP Hsiao, “the brave and never-give-up spirit of rehab has received high appreciation by international awards, for example from Germany, and the world can learn from Taiwan to build up a resilient homeland.”

At the end of the service, Rev Hung Chi-hsin, moderator of Chiayi Presbytery gave a prayer and blessing. After the service, the participants went to Haomei beach to start planting the ephedra trees. Mr Kang Wen-hsiang, a retired pastor from Hsin-Wen Church, expressed that after more than a decade of efforts Haomei community had gradually restored its windbreak forests and coastal landscape. “In addition to improve the environment along the beach,” he said, “ this rehab ministry also witnesses the PCT’s mission of caring Taiwan in actions for the needy.”

Translated by Peter Wolfe