TAIPEI, Taiwan (Mennonite Mission Network) — Over the last 60 years, the Fellowship of Mennonite Churches in Taiwan has blossomed to include 22 churches that together have helped minister to their communities through social services.
On Oct. 25-26, the Fellowship of Mennonite Churches in Taiwan celebrated their 60th anniversary in a two-day event that honored their beginning with Mennonite mission workers, rejoiced for their present, and set a course for an expanding future.
Download full-resolution image.More than 1,100 people attended the event in Taipei, which focused on the theme of “Legacy, Renewal, and Expansion.”
“My deepest impression is that we have faith in the Lord who hears prayer,” said Robert T. Chang, the general secretary for FOMCIT. “Because of your intercession, we work together to complete the mission that cannot be completed on its own. So we are excited to continue persevering in prayer … with God’s grace, together we can change the world.”
Marietta and Sheldon Sawatzky, former mission workers to Taiwan with Mennonite Mission Network, attended the event. They served in Taiwan over a span of 47 years.
Sawatzky said that five different kinds of choirs and groups sang and played music throughout the weekend. Every session involved song, part of the Taiwanese Church’s tradition of praise.
Chang wrote a song for the event titled, “Rise Up and Go,” which encourages Mennonites with “Let us hand-in-hand courageously go forward.”
Titus Liao, chair of the FOMCIT board of directors, preached at the Sunday morning worship, based on Joshua 1:6-9, in which God gives leadership to Joshua and tells him to be strong and courageous. Liao emphasized the importance of unity in the church in order to have the strength needed to move forward into an unknown world.
“The only hope for Taiwan resides with the church,” Liao said. “The Taiwan Mennonite Church has already shown the love of Christ through ministries to the marginalized. Now, renewal will come through trust in God’s word and the power of the Holy Spirit. We do not want to establish a mega-church; rather, like the 7-11 convenience stores in Taiwan, we need a church on every street corner.”
Leadership presented awards to retired pastors who served more than 40 years.
Download full-resolution image.The Taiwanese Church also sent special invitations to former long-term mission workers and offered to cover their expenses to attend the event. Six were able to travel to Taiwan.
The first Mennonite church services began in November 1954, about six years after Mennonites from Mennonite Central Committee established medical and relief programs in Taiwan.
In 1954, Hugh and Janet Sprunger were the first mission workers to go to Taiwan through the Commission on Overseas Mission, a predecessor agency of Mennonite Mission Network. The North American Mennonite ministry in Taiwan ended in 1993.
In 2013, the total baptized members in FOMCIT was 1,920.
“Mennonites in Taiwan are known for their contribution in social services,” said Sawatzky. “Notably, the three programs in Hualien, the Mennonite Christian Hospital, the New Dawn Educare Center for mentally challenged persons, and the Good Shepherd Center for aborigine girls sold into prostitution, abused women, and children from dysfunctional families.”
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Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact news@mennonitemission.net.
