Church is Family 

We are a part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.  It is an international family of churches.  We believe that Jesus Christ is providing all that we need for life and godliness.

• Christ is our Saviour (He saves us from sin and gives us peace.)
• Christ is our Sanctifier (He lives in us and makes us holy.)
• Christ is our Healer (He heals and restores us.)
• Christ is our Coming King (He is returning soon to be King of the universe.)

Our common beliefs give us connection throughout the world.  Each country in our family of churches has its own leadership.

The C&MA in Taiwan will have its annual business meeting on Saturday, October 17.  Elections will occur for executive leadership positions in the Taiwan denomination. Please pray for Christ to be exalted, the unity of the church to be expressed, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be followed in all that is done.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for Charlie who is in ICU with life-threatening health challenges.
• Thank-you for praying for the regional online meeting last week.  We were encouraged as stories were shared about God healing some coworkers with serious illness.  It was good to hear other important news.
• We will be joining the Taiwan Team of C&MA international workers  for a Prayer Retreat October 6-8.  We are looking forward to being together for prayer and fellowship.

Mid Autumn Festival

Wow!  We excitedly watched as people we had invited came to the Mid Autumn Festival Indoor Korean-style BBQ.  God answered our prayers.

There were 30 adults and 6 children who attended the noontime event.  People laughed.  Many took turns cooking the food.  We ate foods from different cultures, because some people brought special things to share.  After eating, people sat around and talked.  Lorne even set up some stools at the side of the road and talked with some of the men, because they were more comfortable talking there.

Thank-you for praying.  Please don’t stop!  We want to continue to build relationships.  Whether at their homes or at the church building, we want opportunities to talk with people.  We want to invite people to know and follow Jesus.

Praise and Prayer

• Most families will gather and eat together on Wednesday evening.  (Thursday and Friday are national holidays.)  Pray that our Christian friends will carry Christ’s peace into their family reunions.
• Pray that we will have the right words of blessing and hope as we interact with friends during this festive season.
• Please pray for a regional online meeting on Wednesday morning.  Pray that all will be encouraged as they join in from different places.

Helping the Church get Started

Thank-you for partnering with us as we are starting the Baozhong Alliance Church.  Many of you connected with us when the project was only a dream.  Now we have some people and an ongoing witness to Christ happening in our town.  Our prayer is that over the next two years, the church will have enough members to become a self-supporting church that is a member church of the Taiwan Alliance Church Union.

Our efforts over the years have included prayer, short-term team ministry, and financial support for the ministry.

• Prayer is the most important work.   This must go on!  Please continue to pray that:
  • More people will be added to the church.
  • Students and teachers hearing Bible stories will respond to the spiritual truths they are hearing.
  • Believers will experience the fullness of God’s grace and the fullness of the Spirit as described in Scripture.
• Short-term teams cannot be asked to come at this time due to travel restrictions.  But, if God provides the opportunity to you join us for a camp or other ministry, we’d love to see that happen.
• Financial subsidy for the Baozhong Alliance Church has mostly come from the donations to the Hidden in Plain Sight Approved Special.
  • We believe that there are sufficient funds on hand in this fund to provide the needed subsidy for the church for the next two years. Praise the Lord with us!
  • We want to thank each and every person who has prayed for these financial resources.
  • We want to thank each one who has contributed.  May God cause your investment in God’s work to reap an abundant harvest.
  • For those with a desire to continue contribute financially, please consider one of the other ways listed on the giving page to support us and the work in Taiwan.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for our friend Gavin who is being treated for a brain lesion.  The planned six weeks of intensive therapy will be difficult.  His family is still recovering from the shock of hearing the news about his health.
• Please pray that friends being invited to celebrate Moon Festival with us will join the church family for lunch next Sunday.  (Event publicity is pictured above.)  In addition to eating special foods people will hear a story about how God helps individuals to overcome life challenges.

Working Together

The international worker team in Taiwan is a diverse group of people.  Last Tuesday some of us gathered for fellowship and prayer (photo).  Others were unable to join us but are still valuable members of the team.

God is using our team to share about Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission among a variety of people groups:

• the Taiwanese Working Class
• the Vietnamese Diaspora
• the Indonesians working here
• the Thai foreign workers (an Alliance World Fellowship Initiative)
• the Younger Generation with different values and goals

People need to hear the good news about Jesus.  Thank-you for praying that our efforts will lead people to faith in Christ and an increased testimony for Christ in Taiwan.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for an encouraging start as we began English teaching and Bible storytelling last Thursday.  Please pray for creative ways to help the children learn lessons from the stories, while staying true to the emphasis in Scripture.
• Please pray for church members to be able to mutually encourage each other while living in a culture that can at times be hostile toward Christians.
• Helping new contacts sometimes means helping with English homework, visiting people with different accents, and adjusting our schedule so that we can study the Bible with them.  May God help us with the adjustments we are making.

Keep Praying

Thank-you for joining our church people in praying.  We pray:

• for people recovering from illness and surgeries
• for people recovering from addictions
• for people visiting and searching for a church home
• for people who are grieving the loss of loved ones
• for people facing emotional stress as the country fights Covid
• for people feeling insecure because of political situations

There is much to pray for.  Thank-you for praying with us and for us.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for visitors from the community the last two Sundays.
• Please pray for us as we start teaching in the elementary schools on September 10.  Pray for wisdom as we prepare both stories and English lessons for the students.
• Please pray for church members grieving the death of a loved one.
• Please pray that seeds of truth being planted will produce a harvest of faith.

It is Gone!

Driving past a dragon fruit field, we were surprised to see that half of the plants have been uprooted.  A few days before we had seen fruit on the branches of the removed plants.  But now, it is gone.

We are unsure of the reason that made the farmer decide to remove the crops.  The sight did remind me of John 15.  God is the gardner, and plants that do not produce fruit are cut down and removed.

Recently, a missionary with OMF wrote an article reflecting on the definition of success for cross-cultural workers in Taiwan. The observation is made that “there has been no spiritual breakthrough among the working class in Taiwan. For years the missionaries have continued to befriend, witness, and care for them. Many of the missionaries were nearing retirement with little to “show” for their missionary careers.”

The harvest is a measure of success.  But God has additional standards of measurement.  He cares about faithfulness.  God wants “people of varied backgrounds who pray for their local friends without necessarily telling them so, people who display the unity of Christ when working in teams, and people who invite their local friends over to dinner without having an agenda.”

We believe that is true, but it does not satisfy the desire in our hearts to see a spiritual breakthrough among the Taiwanese people.

Please join us in praying for God’s Spirit to work, helping people to hear and respond to God’s invitation of salvation.

Dealing with the Unseen

Walking through the market to buy fruit and other items we need, I can see that  something is different.

Last Wednesday was the beginning of the seventh month (July) on the lunar calendar.  According to Taiwanese tradition, each year the ghosts of those who have passed on freely roam among the living during this month.  Such beliefs have led to a long list of taboos, and the traditional religion adherents have special ceremonies to placate any spirits that might want to create trouble for the living. They believe it is the responsibility of the living to provide for those in the next life.  (Note the paper mansions designed to provide for the spirits in the next life.  People transfer these to the unseen world through burning.)

There is a fear, a worry about the unseen world and how it might affect the overall well-being of individuals and their families.  There is an innate sense that this must be dealt with.

How different for the Christ-followers!  The One Who died and rose again provides grace and mercy for those who are living this mortal life.  Knowing the One Who is sovereign, our lives are not controlled by fear of the unseen. We are able to have a “Peaceful July.”

Please pray that we will have opportunities to help more people discover the extraordinary peace provided by Christ.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for JR who is recovering from surgery performed today.  He was willing to have the surgery at this time because Christ is his Lord and keeps him safe.  Please pray for his recovery.
• Praise the Lord that the discussions with elementary school administrators went well.  We will begin teaching English and telling Bible stories on September 10.  Pray for us as we plan and develop teaching modules.
• Lorne is finalizing the budget projections for next year. Please pray for wisdom as he sets the anticipated exchange rate and includes the different anticipated needs.

Erosion

The wind, rain, sun, and other environmental agents, combine to create some wonderful natural beauty.  On one of the walks we did this past week we were able to reach the lookout to see the two chimneys.

Erosion creates as well as destroys things.  That is true in our lives as well.  Our experiences and our environment combine to shape our lives.  God’s power is great enough to create beauty.  His power is greater than any destructive forces we encounter.  His goal is to conform us to the holiness, perfection, and beauty found in Christ Jesus.

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”  (Eccl 3:11)

Praise and Prayer

• Masks, temperature checks, and hand sanitizing are back in effect in Taiwan.  This includes all public venues and all church meetings.  Even when it is 34-38 degrees, God’s grace is sufficient!
• Please pray for a number of church members with physical needs.
• Praise the Lord that Henry Chuang arrived in Taiwan safely and has started his home quarantine.
• Pray for meetings with school administrators to arrange telling Bible stories and teaching English starting in the Fall.

Opportunity Knocks

The July 27 headline screamed at me!  The Taiwan Ministry of Education is planning to recruit foreign English teachers.

The plan is to hire 300 English teachers per year.  Previously they hired 80 teachers per year.

This is an opportunity for qualified Christian believers to come live and work in Taiwan.  It is an opportunity to talk with teachers and youth about what you value in life and why you do so.

Please pray that God will use this opportunity to advance the proclamation of the gospel of Christ Jesus.

Praise and Prayer

• Efforts are being made to recruit more students for children’s Sunday School.  Please pray for wisdom for those overseeing this initiative.
• Please pray for Charlie to experience God’s peace as he has another operation on his foot this week.
• Praise the Lord that a suitable house has been found for the Chuang family.  God has answered last week’s prayer request.
• Praise the Lord for the care shown by the movers last Thursday when they moved Chinh and Lieu Truong’s belongings to their new ministry location.

Mixed Emotions

This week as we communicate we have mixed emotions.  There are both highs and lows as we think about the past week.

A highlight was the baby dedication.  We have seen quite a few, but it was the first that Lorne officiated at in 30 years of ministry in Taiwan.

Charlie was at church service on Sunday.  He has agreed to share a testimony next Sunday.  He told me he wants to make sure that Jesus is honored.

But there has also been sad news.  A Christian friend from the community has gone to be with the Lord.  He leaves a wife and two sons, as well as a large extended family.  Pray for Lorne as he seeks to be a pastor to many people who do not yet believe in Jesus.

We are trying to bring that all to Jesus.  He has offered to take our cares and give us divine TLC (1 Peter 5:7).

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord that Charlie recovered enough to attend church.  He was sharing with me the divinely arranged coincidences that permitted him to get treatment just when needed.  He will give testimony in church next Sunday.
• Please pray that suitable housing can be found for the Chuang family.
• Pray for wisdom as we try to manage financial resources well.  The process of planning and determining the budget needed for 2021 is just beginning.  It is hard to make projections in uncertain times.  Pray that we will know God’s will as we tackle this challenge.