Taiwan Church News
3409 Edition
June 26 – July 2, 2017
Church Ministry
“Be A Conscientious Student of Theology”, Rev Kapi Encouraged Graduated Seminarians In YSTCS Graduation Ceremony
Reported by Simon Lin
On June 15, about 50 aboriginal seminarians were graduated from Yu-Shan Theological College and Seminary(YSTCS) to become evangelists and would be sent to different local aboriginal churches across the island. Mr Kuan Jong-han, representative of the graduated seminarians, expressed his appreciation to all the families behind the graduated students in the ceremony that their support and encouragement were an indispensable drive to keep them holding on the uneasy pledge of service and sacrifice.
As a member from Amis Presbytery, Kuan also gave his thank-givings to the faculty and staff of YSTCS for their wholehearted dedication without preservation to train them as servants of the Kingdom of God. He also pay tributes to the churches, which had accepted in their parish the seminarians to practice pastoral cares, for their persistent trust and unfailing charity. “Please trust us, no matter how hard the challenges would lie ahead in future, we will always keep our first confidence when we decided to serve the church at the very beginning!”, Kuan pledged.
“May God humbles down our minds and hearts to know, it is not due to our talents and hard works but Lord’s grace only, that we are able to graduate and be awarded a diploma”, Rev Kapi, deputy president of YSTCS, prayed in the ceremony and advised each graduated seminarian to be a conscientious student of theology! Retrieving the story of Jesus disciples plucked heads of grain on the Sabbath, Rev Kapi reminded the audience that the core value of Jesus ministry is justice, as he did not rebuke his disciples as the Pharisees did, but invoke scripture’s story of David to stress “the Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.”
Facing tough church questions in the future, Rev Kapi urged all graduated YSTCS seminarians daring to be theologically conscientious enough, just like the respected teacher Gamaliel in the council dared to stand up and convince other people to let go the disciples(Acts 5:33 – 42). To judge things right or wrong in the church is to stick on the criteria, whether the spiritual lives of the concerned people are renewed or not, in order to be free from kinds of human bondage, aggressive utilitarianism and undisciplined teamwork, Rev Kapi admonished.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
