Taiwan Church News
3424 Edition
October 9 – 15, 2017
Church Ministry
Rev Dr Thomas Barclay’s Vision And Legacy Still Remembered On His 83rd Anniversary Memorial Service
Reported by Chen Yi-fan
As the date of October 5 is remembered as the 83rd memorial anniversary of Rev Dr Thomas Barclay’s death, many church institutes and civilian groups led by Deputy Tainan City Mayor Mr Lee Meng-yen holding a memorial service at Rev Barclay’s cemetery to commemorate his extraordinary contribution and influential legacy left for the church
and Taiwan society.
Those participating institutes and groups include Tainan City Government, Culture and Art Foundation of Tainan Enterprise, Chang-Jung Girl High School, Tainan Theological College and Seminary, Taiwan Church Press, Barclay Memorial Church and etc.
Mr Lee Meng-yen, Deputy Tainan City Mayor, expressed that Rev Barclay symbolized a very important heritage and great significance for Tainan and even for Taiwan. “Any person, be her a foreigner or native, deserves our respect and commemoration if he had done ever-lasting contribution for Tainan”.
Rev Fang Lan-ting, President of Taiwan Church Press, urged the audience to treasure those great spiritual and visible legacies left by Rev Barclay, and carry on his pioneering evangelical spirit bringing good news into our community and society.
To remind the assembly about the solid faith and deep commitment of Rev Barclay, Rev Lin Wen-tzer, General Secretary of Tainan Theological College and Seminary, recite Rev Barclay’s youth statement of dedication, which was written in his 16-year-old in 1865 and miraculously returned back by his descendants to Taiwan in 2013.
The last few lines of Rev Barclay’s dedication read, “And if any surviving friend should, when I am in the dust, meet with this memorial of my solemn transactions with Thee, may he make the engagement his own: and do Thou graciously admit him to partake in all the blessings of Thy covenant through Jesus the great Mediator of it; to Whom with Thee, O Father, and Thy Holy Spirit, be everlasting praises ascribed, by all the millions who are thus saved by Thee, by all those other celestial spirits in whose work and blessedness Thou shalt call them to share.
Amen.”
Translated by Peter Wolfe
