Covenant News

Successful Asian Church Planting Conference Concludes

THAILAND (November 3, 1999) - More than 90 people, including national church leaders and missionaries from the Covenant Church in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand, attended the Asian Church Planting Consultation in Udon Thani October 26-29. Leaders and missionaries from Laos and India for Christ Ministries also attended, along with Asian-American church planters from the United States and staff from Church Growth and Evangelism and World Mission of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Delegates met in Udon Thani, located about 564 kilometers outside Bangkok. The meetings were translated in Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and English. A different country led worship each day and delegates shared their approaches to spreading the gospel and planting churches in their respective countries and cultures.

Delegates visited several Development Fund projects. In the accompanying photo, ECC World Mission Executive Director Jim Gustafson (left) discusses project activities with several of the participants. Delegates also attended a village worship and baptism service in Ban Pho, where delegates danced to express their joy as Christians. The evening meeting on Thursday closed with an Issaan string-tying ceremony, where attendees tied cotton strings around each person's wrist as a symbol of God's blessing and their unity in Christ.

Presidents of the Taiwan, Japan, and Thailand church organizations announced plans for a second Asia Church Planting conference to be held in 2001.

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