March 21-27, 2011
General Assembly News
PCT leaders travel to USA to visit partner churches and Taiwanese churches
Reported by Sam Lee
Written by Lydia Ma
A delegation of PCT leaders including General Secretary Andrew Chang and General Assembly Moderator Lai Hsien-chang traveled to the US from February 20, 2011 to March 11, 2011 to visit Taiwanese churches, PCUSA, and US Congress. They also made brief stops in Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Houston, Austin, etc. to host various Taiwan Association meetings and introduce PCT’s “One-leads-one New Doubling Movement”.
During meetings with several Taiwanese churches in the US, talks revolved around the dearth of clergy within Taiwanese churches in the U.S. and the challenges and problems they face in instilling a sense of Taiwanese identity in the hearts of rising numbers of second-generation Taiwanese-Americans.
Chang suggested that American-Taiwanese churches encourage their youths to come to Taiwan for theological formation at Tainan, Taiwan, or Yushan seminaries. He added that another option worth exploring was to study at a seminary approved by Presbyterian churches and return to Taiwan during summers to take elective courses.
During their U.S. tour, the PCT delegation also met with leading members of two major church organizations – Presbyterian Church of the USA and the United Methodist Church. Both churches have offices in Washington DC that deal with international issues and then relay these concerns to members of Congress.
On March 2, 2011, the delegation first went to the headquarters of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), where they were warmly welcomed by its staff members. Then it went to a briefing for members of the Senate Taiwan Caucus. The Caucus is a grouping of senators supportive of Taiwan and currently has 19 members.
