Taiwan Church News 3887 Edition 24 ~ 30 August, 2026 Weekly Topical Bunun X Iban :Writing Next Chapter for Taiwan-Malaysia Mission Reported by Lin Yi-ying Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the mission, the Lay Missionary Training Centre (now name-changed as Chuan Shuo Cheh Iban Methodist Training Centre), which was established by Rev Biaz Takihunang on August 28, 2006 at Ng. Matop, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia, held a thanksgiving service on August 21. An envoy group of 50 PCT representatives, including Rev Chen Che-yin, director of PCT Mission Ministry Committee, Rev Talum Ispalidav, moderator of Bunun Ciubu Presbytery, and many PCT church leaders, attended the historical ceremony with blessings to the Iban people and good wills to carry on the missionary cooperation and fellowship between PCT and the Christian Churches in Malaysia. The thanksgiving service was hosted by Rev Bonnie Sedau, moderator of Sarawak Iban Annual Conference (SIAC) of Methodist Church in Malaysia (MCM), with the hymns sung by the choir of PCT Bunun Ciubu Presbytery. Remarkably, Rev Bonnie Sedau said that he was baptized in 1969 by Rev Chen Rong-fu, an Amis missionary from Taiwan, so he was especially grateful to PCT for its long-term commitment to the Iban mission. He hoped that one day the Iban churches could send more of their lay missionaries to carry on the mission and preach the good news to more Long House across Sarawak. On behalf of Rev Wang Chong-ren, moderator of the 71st PCT General Assembly, and Rev Chen Hsin-liang, general secretary of PCT, Rev Chen Che-yin congratulated the 20th anniversary of Chuan Shuo Cheh Iban Methodist Training Centre, and thanked MCM to sign the missionary cooperative contract at the 6th Steering Convention of the 61st PCT General Assembly on March 21, 2017. Rev Chen added that the missionary cooperative contract allowed the Iban Methodist Missionary Center founded by Bunun Ciubu Presbytery to play an important role in the mission to Iban people. The Iban mission is actually originated from Missionary Lillian Dickson. In 1967, she convened some PCT pastors to establish a missionary group named “Burning Bush Mission”, among whom Rev Biaz Takihunang was invited as a member then. After ten years of missionary works in eastern Sarawak, Buring Bush Mission’s contract with the Malaysia government came to an end and those working missionaries returned to their home countries one after another. In 1978, Rev Biaz Takihunang was supported by Bunun Ciubu Presbytery to return Sarawak and launched the Iban mission. In 1998, Rev Biaz Takihunang got ill, his second son Rev Tiban Taki-Hunang carried on the mission. On March 8, 2002, after his father’s death, Rev Tiban Taki-Hunang donated all of his inheritance and bought the land for church use in Sarawak. Ms Chaun Chih Hsin, daughter of Rev Biaz Takihunang, also donated her husband’s insurance claims due to an car accident to facilitate building the Lay Missionary Training Centre in 2006. On August 22nd and 23rd, Rev Tiban Taki-Hunang and Elder Wen Wen-her led church fellows to sail on seven boats along the rivers to various “Long House” amid the mountains. They held services of praise and worship in Brayan Long House, Jalak Long House and Rantau Pitak Long House respectively to proclaim the good news from the kingdom of God. Translated by Peter Wolfe |