November 21-27, 2011
Church Ministry News
Church leaders start off Christmas season by reaching out to “the least of these”
Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong, Chen Yi-hsuan
Written by Lydia Ma
Yung-hsin Law Firm director Lin Yung-song once said, “Christmas and Advent are times when churches celebrate the birth Jesus. There are many people who need Jesus but don’t know him yet because nobody has shared the gospel with them.” He added that Christians should heed Jesus’ parable regarding goats and sheep, which admonishes Christians to reach out to the poor and the needy.
As one of the proponents of the Legal Aid Act, Lin believes that it’s imperative Christians step out of walled churches and get to know marginalized groups who need to hear the gospel preached to them. One of these groups that come to his mind are those burdened by credit card debt. He knows from experience that credit card debt is a serious problem in Taiwan. “There are many reasons why people get into credit card debt and the most prominent reason is poverty.”
As a Christian, Lin believes that God gives every person spiritual gifts. His gift enabled him to excel as a lawyer, which in turn led him to many manual workers struggling with work-related injury claims or credit card debtors struggling with massive debt. He feels called to assist them using his expertise and he also feels very strongly about changing an unjust legal system when he sees one.
Prompted by such convictions, he has helped many people who would have otherwise been unable to obtain legal counsel and he has assisted them to manage and get rid of their debts through debt clearance regulations.
“Why should people who don’t have credit card debt care about credit card debt?” asked Lin. “Well, it’s because an unjust economic system is a destabilizing factor in society. We don’t want a society where a booming economy perpetuates poverty and widens the gap between the rich and the poor.”
With that in mind, he went on to ask, “Are churches speaking out on behalf of those who are marginalized financially? Have Christians spoken out against an economic system gone haywire?” Lin believes that though the gospel cannot magically get rid of financial debt, it offers hope and strength to those so burdened by credit card debt that they feel hopeless and unable to go on.
Lin hopes that the Statute for Consumer Debt Clearance will be successfully amended before the end of this year so that credit card debtors can receive better assistance in paying their debts. He also hopes that churches can do more to reach out to those who are struggling financially so that these people can enjoy peace, hope, and joy, as well as hear the gospel.
In related news, on the other side of Taipei is an organization that takes seriously Jesus’ command that Christians ought to feed the hungry and care for strangers as doing it unto him and as a means to share the gospel. Christian Homeless Shelter was founded by an architect in 2004 to help homeless people. It has now expanded to 11 different locations around Taiwan, offering 2 meals a day to homeless people.
This shelter has planted 16 churches since 2004 and 11 of them have continued the shelter’s mission by running a soup kitchen of their own. Additionally, about 8 churches also offer rooms for homeless people to spend the night. Last year, Christian Homeless Shelter set up a free clinic near Taipei Train Station. An organization was created shortly after this clinic’s founding where more than 70 physicians take turns volunteering and offering basic medical services to those who can’t afford to pay their monthly national health insurance fees.
In the span of a few years, Christian Homeless Shelter has grown tremendously and has even planted new churches. However, when interviewed by Taiwan Church News, Lee Cheng-lung revealed his mixed feelings about this phenomenon. He said though he is pleased that his ministry has grown tremendously, such rapid growth reveals disturbing national trends, including Taiwan’s ever-increasing level of poverty.
