Taiwan Church News
3724 Edition
July 10 ~ 16, 2023
Weekly Topical
Peace as the Sign of I Love Taiwan Mission in 2023
Reported by Intern reporter Hsu Chia-wei from New Taipei City
Translated by Peter Wolfe
On July 5th, the “I Love Taiwan Mission” (ILT), hosted by the PCT Youth Ministry Committee, held a three-day pre-assembly meeting at Our Lady of Providence High School in New Taipei City. This theme of 2023 ILT is “Peace”, hoping to find peace and strength in the current turbulent times. The ILT has been suspended nearly four years since the covid-19 pandemic erupted. Many foreign youths came to join the ILT again, including one youth from Germany, one from Hungary, six from South Korea, four from Japan, two from Canada, seven from India, one from Thailand, and one from New Zealand. There are 25 foreign youths in total, 31 youths rom Taiwan, and about 70 co-workers as ILT staff.
The opening film, “Untold Herstory”, adapted from an oral archives of Taiwan political events, was played in the ILT on July 5th, inviting the young people to have a preliminary understanding of Taiwan history under authoritarian KMT rulings in 1950s.
In the afternoon on July 6th, along Hsin-Tien River all ILT members launched a bicycle tour from Bitan to National Human Rights Museum, one youth group was specially guided by Mr Chen Chin-sheng, a victim and prisoner under KMT political oppression. He led the youth to visit the cell where he was jailed, and shared his experiences of being tortured, in order to let the young generation born in current democratic and free society can better understand the past Taiwan history in darkness. In the evening, the ILT youth carried on to ride the bikes to Southern Airport Night Market, where they tasted traditional Taiwanese snacks and learned about local cultures.
In the opening service of the ILT pre-assembly meeting, Rev Cho Ha Young, a Korean missionary, quoted 1 John 4:18 to deliver the messages about the theme of the ILT conference – “Peace”. Rev Cho took part in ILT five years ago, and now he is a pastor serving his ministry in Taiwan.
“Everything is led by God”, said Rev Cho, when he gave his thanks-giving to God. Explicating the scriptural verses quoted, he cited children’s ego-centered behavior as an example to show that if our state of faith is like a child sticking to his favorite toy, we cannot move forward. He encouraged the audience to let go of their ego, grasp and trust the Word of God, and march forward on the path led by God. “The peace brought by holding God’s hand is just like the children hold by their parents” Rev Ho said. He also blessed all youth participants to seek and find the peace step by step in their pilgrimage of faith.
Rev Park Keun Young, also a Korean missionary, shared with the audience that while he first arrived in Taiwan more than three years ago, an uneasy time when the covid-19 pandemic just broke out, he learned to calm down and surrender before God when he was deeply frustrated. In the meantime, he started to made Korean Kimchi and “candles” to share with his Taiwanese friends and neighbors, in order to convey the peace and joy in our faith.
During the service of sending on July 7th, the indigenous Paiwan nasal flute was used to call and send. Rev Rii Taljimaraw, the PCT education secretary of the Indigenous Mission Committee, preached a sermon entitled as “Go! Let’s Walk Humbly with God!”. She quoted Luke 4:18-19 to invite everyone to think about his or her own calling. In her messages, the audience were urged to imitate Jesus humbly, face the missions and challenges bravely, and reflect their own expectations of ministry with a service mindset in Christ. She sincerely hoped that every participant would have a rich harvest in church ministry, just like the indigenous weaving artworks labored step by step and completed with an amazing beauty.
The youth of 2023 ILT will proceed a ten-day summer mission among ten PCT local churches, covering Hsin-Yi Church of Eastern Presbytery; Shi-Lin Church of Taipei Presbytery; Tamsui Church; Liu-Yuan Church and Fu-Hsing Church of Taichung Presbytery; Hsiang-Ho Church of Chiayi Presbytery; Ciwkangan Church of Sawalian ‘Amis Presbytery; Vakaba (hurch of Payuan Presbytery; General Mission Department of Bunun Presbytery; Kabalelradhan Church of Ngudradrekai Presbytery. It is expected that on July 17th, ILT youths will assemble at the Presbyterian Bible College to hold a final meeting to exchange and communicate their diverse yet unique experiences of serving ministries in local churches across Taiwan.
