Visitors from CMS, Great Britain

On November 22nd, 4 visitors of CMS arrived in Taipei for a 5-day visit of Taiwan, as part of their more extended visit of the region of Asia. The delegation was made up of the Rev. Canon Tim Dakin, General Secretary of CMS; the Rev. Philip Simpson, Eurasia Director, CMS; Rev. Canon Chye Ann Soh, East Asia Director, CMA; and the Rev. Simon Na, North East Asis Manager, CMS, based in South Korea.

Apart from visiting St. John’s University, Danshui, and Church of the Good Shepherd, Shihlin, both in the Taipei area, our guests also visited churches in the central and southern regions of Taiwan. On the night of November 23rd, bishop David Lai hosted our guests to a sumptuous dinner in Taipei. The following morning, they were able to attend the consecration of a new education building of St. James, Taichung.

We are thankful for their visit and pray that this would be a fruitful trip for the mission work of CMS, and that saw new and different ways of sharing Christ’s presence in the world and in this region.

Inter-congregation Fellowship

For this past year, the English speaking congregation of Good Shepherd, Taipei, and the English speaking congregation at St. James, Taichung, have been strengthening their relationship and developing their fellowship together. Since March the Good Shepherd English congregation has gone down twice to visit and celebrate Eucharist with the St. James English congregation; and in return the St. James congregation has also come up to Taipei and will be coming up in December for the New Year celebration..

These mutual visits and fellowship opportunities are a time of enjoyment for both congregations when they share similar experiences and challenges of membership fluctuation, and thus support each another. The fact that these 2 congregations travel 2 ½ hours to be in communion with each other is a powerful act that shows they are one body of Christ.

With the support of bishop David Lai and the Mission Office of the Episcopal Church, may God’s love, energy, and faithfulness fill these two congregations in their worship of God and their shepherding of God’s people.

House of Bishops Meeting

Bishop David Lai attended the House of Bishops meeting held in New Orleans from Sept 19th – 25th. Apart from the intense discussion on the relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, the bishops had a meaningful opportunity to participate in the reconstruction efforts for areas destroyed by hurricane Katrina.

Bishop and Mrs. Lai were among the group that serviced a historical area in New Orleans. An area with high unemployment rate and populated by immigrants from Africa, it is still the most damaged area in New Orleans.

At the closing Eucharist, a special collection was made and was designated for the reconstruction work in New Orleans or Mississippi. A total of US$1 million was collected, and the diocese of Taiwan contributed US$21,500 to the cause.

(The picture to the left shows Bishop and Mrs. David Lai with Mr. Irvin Mayfield Quarted, holding the Elysian Trumpet which he uses to comfort the victims of Hurricane Katrina.)

Visitors from Episcopal Church Center

The Rev. Douglas Fenton and Mr. Peter Ng visited the diocese the last week of September as part of a continuing effort to help start campus ministry in Taipei City. St. John's Cathedral is within walking distance from National Taiwan University, and therefore has great potential to minister and outreach to the university students there.

During this visit, Douglas and Peter also visited Kaoshung, a city at the southern end of Taiwan. Kaoshung is the site for the 2008 Episcopal Asiamerian Ministry (EAM) convocation.

Douglas and Peter also visited Church of the Good Shepherd, Shihlin, Taipei. Picture below is taken at the Senior Care Center at Good Shepherd with Rev. Diane Wong, a missionary priest from Massachusetts.

2007 Fall Clergy Conference / Retreat

The 2007 fall clergy conference/retreat took place on Sept. 10-12, in Bunun,. Taitung; an area that is home to one of the aborigine tribes of Taiwan; and under the pastoral care of the Rev. Jerry Bai, a Taiwan Presbyterian priest.

During these 2 ½ days, clergy and some of the clergy's families had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Taitung, as well as immerse in the hot springs there. Clergy and their families also had meaningful small group conversations on their personal relationships, relationships with local communities and neighborhoods, and relationship with the church. These small group conversations helped to reflect not only on the challenges of their ministries and the effects they have on their personal relationships, but also reaffirmed the importance of a more balanced lifestyle and a more collaborative style of ministry within the diocese.

The group was able to listen to Rev. Jerry Bai share his love for the people of Bunun, the challenges of ministry, and the fruits of his 20 years of dedication to the people there.

The next clergy conference/retreat will be in early June, 2008.

Our English congregations

Presently, th diocese of Taiwan has 2 English congregations; one is at Church of the Good Shepherd, Shilin, Taipei, (picture of congregation shown on the left) led by the Rev. Diane Wong from the diocese of Massachusetts. The other English congregation is at St. James, Taichung. There are plans to restart the English service at St. John's Cathedral, Taipei next summer. We welcome you to join us for worship and fellowship when you are here in Taiwan.