[3159] Taiwanese couple in Japan donates money to help pastor build accessible parsonage in Taiwan

Taiwanese couple in Japan donates money to help pastor build accessible parsonage in Taiwan

Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan

Written by Lydia Ma

One Taiwanese Christian couple living in Tokyo who subscribes to Taiwan Church News recently learned about Rev. Chen Yi-ren’s story through a news story published in mid-August and donated NT$38,000 to Chen to help him remodel his parsonage and make it accessible for his wheelchair-bound son. The Christian couple sought out PCT minister in Japan, Rev. Lee Meng-Che, to help them pass on this money to Chen.

Taiwan Church News recently reported the story of Rev. Chen Yi-ren, a pastor at Kaoshu Presbyterian Church in Pingtung, who has been carrying his son up and down the stairs of his parsonage and church for many years. Chen’s son, Chen Ping, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a disease that results in muscle degeneration and eventual death. Chen Ping began to use a wheelchair when he was 10-years-old. From that time onward, his father began to carry him up and down the stairs of the church and parsonage where they live.

Chen Ping is now 24 years old and his weight has increased to a point where his father can no longer carry him up and down the stairs. When Pingtung Presbytery leaders heard about this problem, they decided to help the Chen family renovate the church and the parsonage so as to make the whole building accessible to people with disabilities. The presbytery hopes to soon raise NT$1.2 million to pay for this project.

According to Lee, this Taiwanese Christian couple who donated the money has lived in Japan for more than 40 years and they are very active in church ministries. Though they are Japanese citizens now, they continue to care very much about everything happening in Taiwan. The couple also donated money in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot in 2009. They were very touched by the story of Rev. Chen Yi-ren and decided to contribute their part to help him.

Lee added that many Taiwanese churches in Japan regularly receive Taiwan Church News and Taiwanese congregations in Japan read it often as a means of staying updated on the latest church ministries and news happenings in Taiwan. Though Japanese churches and Taiwanese churches differ a great deal, they serve the same God and they can learn a lot from each other’s experiences. The donation from this Japanese couple is a great example of how Christians can support one another within the body of Christ.