Covenant News

Delegation Exploring Ministry Partnerships in Taiwan

TAIPEI, TAIWAN (April 27, 2004) - A six-member delegation representing the Evangelical Covenant Church is exploring cooperative ministry opportunities with the Taiwan Covenant Church and its president, Dr. Nathen Chang.

The delegation, led by Executive Vice President Donn Engebretson, also includes Curt Peterson, executive minister of the Department of World Mission; Darryl Griffin, pastor of Oakdale Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois; Tom Johnson, pastor of Redeemer Covenant Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Mark Severson, pastor of Hillcrest Covenant Church in Prairie Village, Kansas; and Karl Engebretson, Donn Engebretson's 16-year-old son. (The accompanying photo shows the delegation, from left: Griffin, Johnson, Peterson, Donn Engebretson, Nathen Chang and Karl Engebretson.)

The Taiwan Covenant Church includes 31 congregations and some 4,000 worshippers – nearly double its size just 10 years ago. The church has expanded beyond its national borders, helping plant churches in the Philippines, New Zealand and South Africa. "The church is very influential (in these areas) because they do a great deal of community work," Chang says. "They have swept the streets for entire communities. They have done work in areas of health care and cleaning neighborhoods. One of the churches has an open house day when they invite everyone from the community. (As a result), some of the recent (church) plants have grown very rapidly."

One ministry, called New Hope, works with prisoners following their release from jail – a halfway house kind of ministry, Chang noted. "We also have two factories – one makes dumplings and frozen foods and the other prepares food to sell as boxed lunches," Chang said. The seed money came from the Taiwan church – now some of the ministries are supported by their own activities.

"This ministry among convicts is much appreciated by the government," says Chang, who pointed out that ministry leaders were interviewed by the media more than 25 times last year. "We have chosen two of their stories to be made into TV programs. We are hoping that the two movies will win the Taiwanese Emmy Award. They have 20 people employed in the prison halfway house ministry with one hundred ministered to." A special meeting with the Taiwanese court system will take place next week, providing an opportunity for leaders to update them on progress made in providing training and counseling. "In the morning they work - at night they give them Bible studies," Chang notes.

Another church partners with the local library to produce musical programs for the community. The church, pastored by John Lee, is located in a basement and is often referred to as an "underground church." And, Rev. Lin helped her church obtain a five-story building for free, housing ministries to the poor and needy and the mentally handicapped. They have 250 people in the church.

"There is a learning-English fever," Chang told his visitors, explaining that as a reason for starting an English teaching program this summer. "It is a very good channel to reach people," he observed. "During the past several years they have had an English camp. Many teenagers stay with the church after the one-month camp – about 30 percent of kids who attend the camp. They would like to spread this experience in all the churches in Taiwan. They want to invite Americans to come and help – about 30 are coming this summer, although they would like 50."

Most of those coming this summer are from the Minneapolis area and pay their own airfare. They will live with Taiwanese church members and will work in local churches in groups of four or five. Participants must be at least age 18 and will serve for about a month.

Glory church has a ministry for dropouts, Chang reported. "In Taiwan, you have to go from junior high to high school and if you don't pass the test, you get put in very bad schools - and some just drop out. So, the church has opened up camps for these students." Many of the kids come from single-parent homes or are raised by grandparents. Some require parenting classes. The one-year program focuses on preparing the kids to pass the entrance exam.

The delegation left for Taiwan on April 21 with some members scheduled to return April 30 and others on May 4. More information on their trip will be posted to this online Covenant website as it becomes available.

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