[3167] UCCJ Moderator’s visit of PCT office highlights extent of mutual support and PCT-UCCJ partnership

UCCJ Moderator’s visit of PCT office highlights extent of mutual support and PCT-UCCJ partnership

Reported by Lin Yi-ying

Written by Lydia Ma

PCT Associate General Secretary Lyim Hong-tiong recently travelled to Japan to attend the United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ) biennial general assembly convention. The UCCJ has been a close partner church of the PCT for many years, so, it was natural for Lyim to attend its convention held in Tokyo from October 23-25. 2012. Lyim was invited to give a short greeting speech at the convention and he later had a meal and a time of fellowship with UCCJ General Assembly staff, including the General Assembly Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Clerk, and General Secretary.

During their conversations, UCCJ Moderator Isibasi Hideo expressed his gratitude to the PCT for its financial donations in the aftermath of last year’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami. He added that the UCCJ is currently working on a rebuilding project worth $1 billion yen and the PCT is the organization that has donated the most to UCCJ after the earthquake. On the PCT’s part, Lyim replied that the PCT General Secretary Andrew Chang thought highly of this convention and that was the reason he was sent to attend it on behalf of the PCT though he had just returned from a trip to the U.S. and Canada a few days earlier.

“It’s a good thing the General Secretary sent me to attend UCCJ’s annual convention,” said Lyim to Taiwan Church News. He added that the UCCJ had originally planned to send its Rebuilding Project Executive Secretary Iijima Nobu to Taiwan for a meeting with the PCT to discuss rebuilding efforts and schedules. However, Lyim’s trip to Japan enabled him and Rev. Isibasi Hideo to meet each other. As they talked about PCT’s financial offering and the 98 volunteers that the PCT had sent to Japan earlier this year to help out with UCCJ rebuilding efforts, Isibasi decided to personally travel to Taiwan from November 9-10 and visit the PCT General Assembly in the company of Rev. Iijima.

One of the reasons the PCT and the UCCJ have developed a close partnership over the years has been UCCJ’s steady support of the PCT. For example, when the China Christian Council (CCC) became a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1991, it requested that the WCC place the word “China” after the PCT’s name. However, UCCJ delegates stood up and replied that if the PCT were forced to change its name and decided in response to leave the WCC, UCCJ would follow suit. The UCCJ’s stand had an impact on WCC and the CCC and the matter was eventually dropped.

When Isibasi, Iijima and other UCCJ officers arrived to the PCT General Assembly Office on November 9, they were greeted by PCT General Assembly Moderator Pusin Tali, Vice Moderator Hsu Jung-fong, General Secretary Andrew Chang, and Associate General Secretary Lyim Hong-tiong. One of the chief reasons for this visit was for the UCCJ leaders to give a report of how they have been using the donations they have received toward rescue and rebuilding efforts.

Isibasi said that he remembers well PCT’s rapid response and financial donation. He added that he first saw such generosity at work many years ago when the PCT donated NT$8 million in the aftermath of the Choetsu Earthquake in 2004, which enabled the UCCJ to quickly get to work. Isibasi was one of the pastors involved in local rebuilding efforts at the time and the overwhelming support coming all the way from Taiwanese churches left a deep impression on him.

Because it has been over 18 months since the March 11 Earthquake, many local and foreign volunteers have slowly left Fukushima because of funding shortages. However, Isibasi vowed that the UCCJ would not abandon local residents affected by this tragedy and it has already mapped its goals and ministries to the year 2015. For this reason, Isibasi hoped the PCT would continue to give its full support so that the UCCJ could continue its rebuilding efforts and ministries there and use them as a means to win more souls for Christ in Japan.

Pusin Tali replied that PCT and UCCJ are like brothers and the PCT feels the pain of the UCCJ. For this reason the General Assembly officers would take the matter to the General Assembly Executive Committee. Once a resolution has been passed, it will continue to with financial offerings and send human resources to help UCCJ in its ministries to the people in Fukushima.

Photo by Lin Yi-ying.