A symphony orchestra and 400 voice choir help lead worship
15,000 Presbyterians gathered together on 復活節 Easter Sunday April 5, 2015 to praise our risen Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We filled the Lin-kou sports stadium with the sounds of a symphonic orchestra, a combined church choir of 400 singers, and our own voices raised in adoration to the living God. In Taiwanese, Mandarin, Hakka, indigenous languages and English, we declared in song: “I’m not ashamed to own my Lord, or to defend His cause, maintain the honour of His Word, the glory of His cross.” Hearts united as we sang Psalm 95:1-5 to a favourite Taiwanese tune well known throughout the PCT. General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, preached on Matthew 28:1-10 and encouraged the PCT in its mission with Jesus’ words, “Do not be afraid.” We stood and professed our faith using the PCT’s deeply meaningful Confession of Faith (http://www.pct.org.tw/english/enWho_con.htm). We shared in the Lord’s Supper and prayed that our crucified and risen Lord Jesus would fill us with his Spirit and enable us through love and suffering to be his faithful servants and the sign of hope in Taiwan.
15,000 people attended the PCT’s 150th Mission Anniversary service
Indigenous women and children lead worship
On a large screen above the choir we were reminded through historic photographs and recent interviews of God’s steadfast leading and blessing over the past 150 years of mission in Taiwan. In 1865 the Presbyterian Church of England (PCE) sent medical missionary Dr James Maxwell (馬雅各) to the south of Taiwan where he served 1865-1871, 1883-1885. He was soon followed by other PCE missionaries such as Rev Hugh Ritchie (李庥, 1867-1879), Rev William Campbell (甘為霖, 1871-1917), and Rev Thomas Barclay (巴克禮, 1874-1935) famous for his translation of the Bible into Romanized Taiwanese. The Canada Presbyterian Church sent pioneer missionary Rev George Leslie Mackay (馬偕) to the north of Taiwan where from 1872 to 1901 he planted 60 churches, started schools for boys and girls, and laid the foundations for today’s Aletheia University, Mackay Memorial Hospital and Taiwan Theological Seminary. He was followed by his son George William Mackay (偕叡廉, b. 1882, d. 1963), Rev William Gauld (吳威廉, 1892-1923) and others. In 1912 the English and Canadian Presbyterian missions in south and north Taiwan along with first and second generation Taiwanese Christians combined to form the Presbyterian Synod of Formosa. They were tested through years of Japanese rule and militarism then the arrival of the Chinese Nationalist regime and the 2-28 massacre in 1947, until the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (台灣基督長老教會) was officially formed in 1951.
PCT 150th Mission Anniversary Burning Bush
Since then, through different crises and a rapidly changing society, God has continued to bless and use the PCT in manifold ways through its holistic mission of compassionate love and social action among all people in every region of Taiwan. Today the PCT consists of over 1250 churches with 240,000 members; 40% come from Taiwan’s indigenous tribes. Finally, we were reminded of the PCT’s ongoing mission directives: to proclaim the gospel, nurture God’s children, serve with love, transform society, care for God’s creation, and promote gospel and culture among all of Taiwan’s people.
The joyful 3-hour worship service ended after we sang these words to an indigenous Bunun tune:
Walking as those who’ve gone before, spreading God’s message to these shores,
Modern disciples in our day, call thousands to Jesus the living Way.
Come Holy Spirit to Taiwan, renew our social mission long,
Justice, peace and human rights, harmony for each ethnic group in your sight.
Times change and crises come and go, renew our spirits here below,
Salt of the earth that flavours all, light of the world in every place fall.
Lord, here you find us, send us now, salvation and truth to spread around,
On earth as heaven God’s will be done, may Christ’s gospel save Taiwan.
After the service we enjoyed simple lunch boxes, mingled with old friends and greeted new ones. Along with Taiwanese friends, these included: 35 former and current PCT missionaries from England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, the USA, New Zealand, Japan and Germany; plus moderators, official representatives and visitors from over 60 partner churches and organizations. Our own Presbyterian Church in Canada was present through the Moderator of the 140th General Assembly Rev Dr Stephen Farris and his wife Patty, Associate Secretary for International Ministries Rev Dr Glynis Williams, plus past and present missionaries: Mary Helen Garvin, Diane (Petrie) Osborn, Joy Randall, Wilma Welsh, Louise Gamble, Rev Dr Michael Tai, my wife Mary Beth McLean and myself. We also met fellow Canadians from the UCC: Dr Albert Lin, Rev Michael Stainton, Rev Maggie McLeod, Rev Dr Samson Cho and his wife Iris. (Samson is the brother of Rev Dr Steven Cho whose wife Joan is editor of the Atlantic Mission Society’s monthly, The Presbyterian Message.)
PCC Moderator Rev. Dr. Stephen Farris and his wife Patty
Rev Dr Samson Cho and Mrs Iris Cho
Paul and Mary Beth McLean at the PCT’s 150th mission anniversary celebrations
Mary Beth and I were delighted to accept the PCT’s generous invitation to attend this wonderful service of worship and praise, and meet with friends old and new. (We also attended the PCT’s 60th General Assembly, April 7-10.) We pray that our Risen Saviour will continue to inspire and enliven us all to be His faithful servants and witnesses.
The General Secretary of the PCT, Rev Lyim Hong-tiong, wrote in the PCT 150th Mission Anniversary English Handbook: “The PCT gives thanks to God for the continuing prayers and support of the PCT’s ecumenical partners. Please pray that the PCT will discern and remain faithful to God’s many challenges and live out its life and witness in humility, walking humbly with God. The Confession of Faith of the PCT states that the PCT’s role in the world is ‘to make our Church the sign of hope through love and suffering’. The PCT and all its members are called by God to work diligently and strive to become the genuine sign of hope in Taiwan by being faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
May God bless and use all His faithful servants in the PCT to share the love and gospel of Jesus Christ for the extension of God’s Kingdom throughout Taiwan and beyond.
Note: You can watch the official PCT recording of the entire worship service at:
http://mediashare.pct.org.tw/MNews.aspx?strBlockid=B00305&strCTID=CT0405&strContentid=C2011092200002&strDesc=Y&strASP=
Introductions of foreign visitors starts around 2:00:00.
For related news of this historic event reported in the PCT’s weekly Taiwan Church Press newspaper, please see:
http://weekly-pctpress.org/2015/3293/3293_02.pdf
http://weekly-pctpress.org/2015/3293/3293_03.pdf
http://weekly-pctpress.org/2015/3294/3294_04.pdf
http://weekly-pctpress.org/2015/3294/3294_05.pdf
For a brief report in Mandarin with some live footage made by one of Taiwan’s national TV broadcasters, please see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV35HNQLe3Y&sns=fb
