Taiwan Church News 3876 Edition 8 ~ 14 June, 2026 Weekly Topical Setting New Frontier of Mission, Guei-Shan Church Launches Scout Group Ministry Reported by Lin Yi-ying After more than two years of planning and groundworks, Guei-Shan Church of Hsinchu Presbytery held the opening ceremony of Taoyuan Gueishan 115 Scout Group on May 30. Besides inviting children from the community to participate, Rev Hsiao Wen-chieh, pastor of Guei-Shan Church, also encouraged parents to take time and accompany these new scouts. He found many primary school teachers were very much enthusiastic to promote scout group activities and was willing to encourage their students to attend. According to Rev Hsiao, about three years ago, the church started to engage in scout group ministry amid the children’s summer camp from an initiative campaigned by Mr Wu Chieh-ying, director of Church and Society Committee and elder of Guei-Shan Church. Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of Guei-Shan Church in 2025 to build up a whole-of-church consensus, the church carried on to promote the scout group ministry in every available occasion, from session to board of elders and deacons to the assembly and even in Sunday service. Finally in 2026, the scout ministry starts to recruit primary school children to attend once every two weeks in Saturday afternoon, and showcases their trainings and services in community events. At present, there are about 15 members of scout group. Most of them come from the neighboring churches or local communities. “In the future, we will strengthen the public services and recruit more members scouts. I hope that the children will participate with their parents and learn their family’s faith in God,” said Elder Wu. In fact, the establishment of Guei-Shan Scout Group under Hsinchu Presbytery is also greatly supported by both Mr Ho Yi-fan, Scoutmaster of Hsinchu Scout Group, and Rev Hong Yao-chang, pastor of Tah-Nan Church of Taichung Presbytery. Rev Hsiao Wen-chieh, who is also the director of Church and Society Committee of Hsinchu Presbytery, said that if local church wants to establish a scout group, it is recommended for the advisor (i.e. training provider) to take up the course of “Wood Badge Basic Training” sponsored by the Taoyuan Scout Group. “If any church wants to know more in details, please contact me,” he said. Elder Wu Jie-ying introduced to the audience a brief history of scout movement in Taiwan, originated from the Scottish church, then greatly promoted by the church during the Japanese ruling period, and finally absorbed by KMT regime. He believed that the core values of scout group in various events were not too much different from the faith of the church, lyrics of hymns and prayer in worship. Therefore, he called local churches to restore scout group events in church ministry to bring in vitality and creativity into Sunday school education. Rev Ng Tiet-gan, secretary of PCT Church and Society Committee, was also invited to attend the opening ceremony of Guei-Shan Scout Group. “The training goals of scout group and the disaster prevention are two major ministries closely related to each other promoted by the PCT and Taiwan society. And these young scouts can act as qualified cadres of disaster prevention after they become adolescents in the future,” he said. “If these young scouts passed the basic Wood Badge Training, it could be also certified by PCT Church and Society Committee with a wood-badge engraved with PCT emblem – “Burning yet not consumed.” He also remarked that the scout group’s healthy and positive influence among children and parents to come to the church is also one of the evangelical maneuvers actively promoted by PCT. Translated by Peter Wolfe |