David and Judy Dolan, coordinators for Chinese Ministry with the Department of World Mission, are requesting prayer on behalf of Covenant churches in Taiwan. While none of the people attending Covenant congregations have been affected by SARS, attendance has been lower in recent weeks. The Neihu Church, which had been holding a worship service in a nearby library, was informed they could no longer use the facility until the SARS danger has passed. And a summer outreach program coordinated by Covenant churches is not receiving the needed level of support because some of the English teachers from the United States who were scheduled to provide volunteer help have cancelled trips due to concerns over the SARS situation.

The Dolans returned to the United States April 16 after having been in Taiwan for a time. At that point, SARS was not perceived as much of a problem in Taiwan. "Things have changed now, however," the Dolans recently wrote in a message to supporters. "And Taiwan is now listed as a country where the SARS outbreak is spreading in unknown ways. Doctors cannot say how six of the 200-plus people with SARS became infected. So far, 27 people in Taiwan have died."

The Dolans recently contacted the Dwight family, longtime missionaries in Taiwan, and they report all are well. Morrison Academy in Taichung, where Don Dwight serves as a teacher, has had no documented SARS cases, but the school has begun taking the temperatures of students as they arrive at school. Taipei American School has closed for the remainder of the school year and many other public activities throughout the island have been cancelled in order to control the spread of disease.

Pastor Nathen Chang of the Hsin Tien Covenant Church reflected on the ministry impact of the SARS situation. "This disease has impacted the church, but we are working hard to bring a positive outcome to a difficult situation because we know 'that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, and who have been called according to his purpose.' Please pray for us. There is not much peace in Taiwan right now and we Christians are the one voice on the island that can share what TRUE security really is."

The Chicago Tribune reported recently that more than 200 SARS cases and 31 deaths had been reported in Taiwan. It now has the third worst outbreak, just behind Mainland China and Hong Kong, and it could get worse, experts suggest. More than 250 staff members at National Taiwan University Hospital have been quarantined, as have more than 1,000 patients. Another hospital had 100 staffers quarantined after 10 members of the medical staff exhibited SARS symptoms.