3177 Edition
January 14-20, 2013
Church Ministry News
Renowned Christian pastor, columnist, and radio host publishes new book
Reported by Lin Yi-ying
Written by Lydia Ma
Rev. Cheng Lien-te, a PCT pastor for more than 61 years and a renowned radio host, will be publishing an autobiography soon. Cheng plans to devote a large section of this book writing about his experiences while growing up and his experiences as a marriage counselor. Cheng has been a lecturer at Taiwan Theological College and Seminary for more than 29 years. He also became a beacon of hope in 1969 when he co-founded the “Mackay Life Hotline” to help people struggling with suicide. His efforts in this arena earned him the title of “the father of hotline” in Taiwan.
Born on November 8, 1926 in Taichung during the Japanese colonization of Taiwan, Cheng passed an exam that enabled him to join the Japanese army and air force. He travelled to Japan in July of 1944 to study at an army flight school and become a member of a special army force. Because of the war, he thought that he would probably not live for long, but the atomic bomb that the US dropped on Hiroshima changed everything and ended the war. After returning to Taiwan, Cheng became a pastor and dedicated the rest of his life to full time ministry.
Besides pastoring local churches, Cheng has also served at various local organizations such as the Taipei Family Court and the Taipei Family Counseling Center. He was even nominated as the top coordinator of the Taipei Family Counseling Center. He also served as a column writer for an evening paper for 5 years before becoming the host of a family program in the Broadcasting Corporation of China for 13 years. In 1983, Cheng was awarded the “Social Education Achievement Award” by the Ministry of Education for his efforts.
The new book, “Life at Twenty”, will be published by Vanguard Publishing and it will chronicle Cheng’s experience in the field of marital counseling.
