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Taiwan Church News 3044 Edition June 28~July 4, 2010
Churches celebrate anniversaries with evangelism in mind
Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan, Chen Wei-chien Written by Lydia Ma
Besides holding a thanksgiving service to celebrate a church’s anniversary, church leaders can now consider adding training seminars and revival meetings to the list and make this milestone even more meaningful by equipping their members.
That’s what one church in Hsinchu is doing. On June 28, Neili Presbyterian Church held a revival meeting in the morning followed by a training seminar in the afternoon to celebrate its 40th anniversary. It hopes to promote PCT General Assembly’s “One-leads-One, New Doubling Movement”.
About 200 people participated in these two events combined, or nearly every member of the church. Neilichurch also held a thanksgiving service on July 4 and is planning another revival meeting on August 22.
According to Neili Church’s pastor, Rev. Peng Chih-hung, it’s not enough for Christians to celebrate their church’s 40th anniversary behind closed doors inside a church. Christians should be reaching out instead and bringing people who aren’t Christians into their churches during such a special occasion.
Peng added that crusades or evangelical rallies are no longer as fashionable nowadays because most people prefer intimate, one-on-one interaction, and genuine relationships with Christians as a means of getting to know Christ.
He underscored the importance of Christians being prepared to witness in their everyday lives because the seminar only lasts one day and mainly teaches a few techniques but witnessing must be continuous. ForNeili Church members, such witnessing often takes place during house visitations on Tuesday mornings.
In related news, Taroko Presbytery celebrated its 50th anniversary on June 26th with a basketball match. During a match, Taroko Presbytery General Secretary Rev. Nangan Tadaw said his presbytery faces similar crises and challenges as other Taiwanese churches.
Nangan Tadaw underscored that even though the number of families attending church services remains unchanged, the number of people attending weekly church meetings is steadily declining.
The presbytery hopes that activities planned for its 50th anniversary will reignite passion in the hearts of many Christians. It will hold a thanksgiving service, baptismal service, and communion service on July 11 and about 1300 people are expected to attend. There will also be dance performances, choir performances, a short play, and a few exhibitions.
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