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Taiwan Covenant Church Marks 50th Anniversary
TAIPEI, TAIWAN (May 21, 2002) - About 3,500 Chinese Covenanters gathered at
National Taiwan University's new sports arena in Taipei for a joyous
celebration of 50 years of denominational ministry in Taiwan.
Sunday morning's service culminated a celebration May 16-19 that included
former executive director of the Department of World Mission Ray Dahlberg.
He first visited the church 25 years ago, when the church had just 600
members. He praised God for the dramatic growth in recent years. He said he
appreciates the name of the church, which means "Doers of the Word."
An atmosphere of excitement filled the arena as the ceremony began with a
procession of banners representing 38 churches - 32 representing churches
in Taiwan and remaining banners representing churches in South Korea, the
Philippines, New Zealand, South Africa and Rosemead, California. Members of
each church stood and cheered as their banner was carried in.
The Taiwan work through the Covenant began after Covenant missionaries were
evacuated out of China in the late 1940s. Dr. Signe Berg arrived in Taiwan
in March 1952 as the denomination's first missionary. Shortly thereafter,
missionaries Edward and Mildred Nelson arrived and Bible studies began in
the Nelson home. Those studies eventually led to the inauguration of the
first Covenant congregation, Taipei Covenant Church.
Rev. Norman Dwight (accompanying photo), a missionary to Taiwan since 1954,
and 90-year-old Chinese Covenanter, Mr. Yang, who had attended the Covenant
seminary many years ago in Hubei Province, China, reminisced about the
beginning of the Covenant church in Taiwan. Dwight was one of four Covenant
pastors recognized for more than 30 years of service. Asian Covenant
leaders from Japan, Thailand and India were also present and brought
greetings to the church.
Music included a traditional choir, a young peoples' praise and dance
troupe and native Taiwanese dancers in colorful costumes. Rev. Nathen
Chang, pastor of the Hsin Tien Covenant Church, challenged Christians with
the passage from Luke 5:38-39 to be "new wineskins" in order to reach
people for Christ in the 21st century.
"It was thrilling for those of us in attendance to look over the crowded
arena and consider the work God has done to bring growth, maturity and
vision to a church that began among poor refugees from China in 1952," said
David Dolan, coordinator for Chinese ministries for the Evangelical
Covenant Church Department of World Mission since 1999 who also served as a
Covenant missionary to Taiwan with wife Judy beginning in 1976.
For more information about the ministries of the Covenant in Taiwan, email
Dolan at djdolan@attbi.com.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
