Wednesday, October 31, 2007

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.)

Friday, October 19, 2007

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.