Editorial: Helping disadvantaged seminarians fulfill their calling
Translated by Lydia Ma
Due to the ailing Taiwanese economy in recent years, financial aid programs for seminarians in Taiwan have all but dried up. The dearth of financial aid is especially evident among seminarians toward the end of every semester when we see some of them struggle to pay for tuition, accommodation, and other school-related fees.
The reason why more and more seminarians have been struggling financially in recent years can be attributed to the following reasons: First, a significant number of seminarians in recent years come from either remote and poor areas or financially poor families. They cannot expect much financial support from their parents and must fend for themselves.
Second, a significant number of seminarians nowadays are first-generation Christians whose parents most likely aren’t overjoyed at the prospect of having their child devote the rest of his or her life to Christ and preaching the gospel. These seminarians won’t get the kind of moral or financial support from their family or extended family as their second or third generation Christian peers enjoy.
Third, many seminarians today come from rural churches or small churches and the scope of financial support they are able to receive from their home church, if any, cannot begin to compare with a classmate who hails from a mega-church and is able to study with the support of a full or partial scholarship.
In the past, there have been reported cases of seminarians who couldn’t afford to buy a meal plan, skipped meals to save money, and later fainted from malnutrition. Though the price of meals is no longer a problem nowadays, it’s still not uncommon to see seminarians struggling to make ends meet.
We know from biblical examples that God often calls people from underprivileged backgrounds into his service to show that his calling isn’t based on one’s family connections or bank accounts – Jesus’ disciples were mostly fishermen, Paul’s faithful co-worker, Onesimus, was a slave, and Gideon’s family was the smallest in his tribe, just to name a few examples.
I often see many young seminarians from underprivileged backgrounds whose dedication, work, and passion touch my heart. I know that the only thing they need is our support – moral and financial support.
So, as we mark Taiwan Seminary Sunday on November 3rd of this year, it is my hope that all Taiwanese Christians can support our seminarians through prayer and financial support. I hope that you will give these young people – especially those struggling financially – your support on this arduous road to full-time ministry.
