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.