Sunday services at St. Stephen's Caring Center

In the afternoon of May 18th, Bishop Lai visited St. Stephen's Center, celebrating Eucharist with the neighors and friends of the Center. With his presence and the celebration of Eucharist, St. Stephen's formally became a mission station, with Sunday services taking place each week. This was a big step for St. Stephen's, sending out a strong message that it is there as a witness of Christ's love, and to welcome everyone into the Body of Christ.

2008 EAM Consultation in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Our diocese has been blessed by the opportunity to host the 2008 annual EAM Consultation, and are thankful for the happy faces we saw at the conclusion of the Consultation. From planning, welcoming, hospitality, and implementation, the diocese is extremely thankful for the parishioners and clergy from various parishes who volunteered their time and effort, in making this a positive, nurturing and fruitful experience for everyone.

The singing of the adult choir from St. Timothy, Kaohsiung; and the native dances by the children of St. Timothy, warmed the hearts of all the guests at the opening dinner. The keynote speakers, the workshops, the conversations with our guests from the Episcopal Church, the liturgy, the Presiding Bishop's sermon, the comfort of the Consultation space etc., made us even more mindful of our baptismal covenant; especially to see Christ in all persons. The diversity of the participants is a welcome reminder of the diversity of the Body of Christ, and our constatnt attention to inclusiveness.

We are thankful to how God was present among us during the Consultation.

For more pictures of the 2008 EAM Consultation, click on the link below.

www.episcopalchurch.org/asian.htm

Bishop Richard Chang, keynote speaker at clergy conference

Because of the annual EAM Consultation took place in Kaohsiung this year, the diocese was blessed to have Bishop Richard Chang, retired bishop of Hawaii, lead all workshop sessions of the June clergy conference in Kaohsiung; sharing his experience and wisdom with the our clergy. The theme of the June clergy conference was "Living Our Servanthood". The 2 1/2 day conference focused on understanding ourselves and our communities in our ministry, and also in paying attention to our wellness in order to have effective ministry.

The diocese is grateful for Bishop Chang's leadership and ministry.

Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries Consultation meets in Taiwan

Episcopal New Service - Staff

Participants challenged to become ministers of reconciliation in abroken world. Participants at the Episcopal AsiamericaMinistries Consultation, held June 6-10 in Kaoshiung, Taiwan, werechallenged to "go in peace to love and serve the Lord" in the context ofcities of the United States and throughout the whole globalized worldand become ministers of reconciliation in a broken world and a brokenchurch."It is not an accident that almost all the churches and ministries ofAsian Americans are located in the cities and urban centers," the Rev.Dr. Winfred B. Vergara, officer for Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries(EAM), said. "God has purpose for the Asian Americans and other ethnicEpiscopalians in the city."The consultation featured keynote speakers Canon Soh Chye Ann of theChurch Mission Society and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schoriwho addressed the 160 Asian American leaders, representing Chinese,Filipino, Japanese, Korean, South Asian, Southeast Asian convocations,diocesan representatives and their guests from Philippines, Korea, HongKong, India, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Taiwan diocese to host Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries

(EAM) consultation June6-10 at the Grand Hotel and Cheng Ching Lake Youth Activity Center inKaoshiung. The annual gathering of Asian American clergy and lay leaders, "Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord: Mission and Evangelism in the Era ofGlobalization," will feature Presiding Bishop Katharine JeffertsSchori and the Rev. Canon Soh Chye Ann as guest speakers, said the Rev. Fred Vergara, program officer for Asian American Ministries of the Episcopal Church.

The priority of mission and the focus on evangelism are imperative inthe Episcopal Asiamerica Ministry "as we grapple with complex issuesof global poverty, social justice, racism, multiculturalism, globalwarming, and competing and how they affect local parishes andmissions," Vergara said.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_95282_ENG_HTM.htm

St. Stephen's Center

On the feast day of St. Stephen, 12/26, bishop David Lai consecrated the opening of St. Stephen's Center in Keelung; a service attended by the North Deanery clergy.



Keelung is a city about 60 miles north of Taipei. Not only is the weather constantly gray and dreary, so is the economy there. There is a high rate of poverty in Keelung, and with poverty and unemployment comes also drug addiction and alcoholism. So St. Stephen's Center opens with the vision of helping the local residents in Keelung stay on the right path, giving them a sense of hope, and giving them an alternative to dealing with everyday problems.




Right now St. Stephen's Center offers after school classes from 4-7 p.m. during the week for children, a recreation program for children on Saturday morning, aand baptism classes for adults and youth on Saturday afternoons. But the Rev. Richard Lee, who oversees the center, hopes that in the future, the center is able to provide resources for those looking for employment, and financial assistance to families and individuals in need. So the center is looking for funding from the local government, the diocese, and also the parishioners of Trinity Church in Keelung.

Please pray for the ministry of the center and also the people who look to the center for hope and support.

Special Christmas Guests

This Christmas Christ came to our diocese in a very special way. A children's choir, 38 voices strong, from the East Kowloon diocese of the Hong Kong Anglican Church, visited Taipei and sang at 3 of our parishes.

On 12/24, the choir sang at the Christmas Eve service at St. John's Cathedral which was also attended by bishop David Lai. On Christmas day, the choir sang at the English service at Church of the Good Shepherd; and together with their parents and choir leaders, 112 people attended the English service. Right after the service, our guests, which filled 3 tour buses, went to St. John's University and performed there.

We thank them for their visit, and for adding added much Christmas joy and meaning to this special day.