Visiting Churches, Giving Reports on the Work in Taiwan; Researching rural churches

In their time back in the U.S. missionaries report back to supporting churches as well as seek new churches to make up any support in the budget that fell off over the years the missionaries were laboring on the field. That takes a lot of traveling.

I am blessed that my family cheerfully travels with me. My daughters do their best with home school while traveling grabbing wifi spots to login to their online classes. Judy keeps everyone organized.

Please pray for our support raising. We do need more churches to partner with us.

This time back in the US, there is another full-time labor: finishing my doctoral dissertation. I am researching the state and needs of rural and small town churches. For part of the study, I developed a survey questionnaire covering many different issues churches deal with. In five counties in northwest Alabama, a random sample of 200 churches out of over rural 700 were selected to receive questionnaires. Three friends in Taiwan sent out surveys to 50 rural churches in I-lan County, Taiwan. I've gotten some responses but not enough. I have begun phase 2 of follow-up calling and attempting to meet in person to get a higher response rate. But I will not have time to track down all 200 churches. So do please pray that pastors will take the 15 minutes to fill out the surveys.

Then there is the actual writing of the thesis.

It is hard to attend to all of the details.

Here are some pictures:

Speaking at the International Dinner of Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church's Missions Festival





At Bayshore Christian Schools Monday morning chapel service.




















Speaking at the Community Bible Study in Florence

Preaching at the Huntsville Chinese Christian Church






Interviewing a rural church pastor as part of my thesis research






















Preaching at Dillingham Presbyterian Church


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Spring 2015 pictures

Teaching at a Wednesday lunch fellowship of China Evangelical Seminary students.

Faith, Charis and Ashlyn preparing to accompany the hymn singing Sunday morning. I teach the men who are training to be elders and pastors how to lead the worship service.

Many businesses in Taipei worship gods, ghosts and ancestors every full moon and new moon in hopes of getting good luck and preventing spiritual powers from harming their business. 

An evangelistic ministry based out of Taipei called "From Doubting to Believing" has their main office in a district of Taipei similar to Manhattan's SoHo district.  They do not do crusades like Billy Graham did. Rather they work one-on-one and in small classes of people introduced by their friends or family members. These classes are very professionally done and give a more in depth presentation of the Gospel, the Bible and basic Christianity. Lesson Seven uses Judy's testimony. This material was first developed by the wife of a business executive of the food company: Quaker Taiwan.

Presenting Lesson 7, Judy's testimony.

Lesson 7.

Formosa Reformed Presbyterian Fellowship meeting. I serve on the steering committee. FRPF is composed of Taiwanese pastors and Korean and American missionaries. Speaking here is Dr. Toon Yeo who is a professor of the Reformed Theological Seminary in Taipei. He oversees the practical theological training of the seminary students. 

New Hope pastoral intern Calvin Chung preaching his first sermon. Calvin is a first-year student at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Taipei

March Reformed Presbyterian Church in Taiwan presbytery meeting held at Chong-Hsiao Reformed Presbyterian Church.

David Lin being examined for ordination.

David Li reporting on his church planting work in Taichung City, central Taiwan. Please pray as they seek a larger meeting facility. Also pray for the second church plant that meets Sunday afternoon in Nantou County, Taiwan.

Daniel Peng reporting on his church plant in Xinzhuang. They have about 20 people worshipping on Sunday mornings. Please pray particularly as he seeks to reach out to the non-Christian Taiwanese men, whose wives and children attend events at the church.

Wesley Chuang reporting on his church plant Ren Ai Reformed Fellowship in central Taipei city. They are also seeking for a larger facility. I serve on the oversight committee for this church planting work.

Pastor Lin's first visit to the presbytery. Pastor Lin is a missionary from the Hapdong Presbyterian Church denomination in South Korea. He is starting a church in the southern city of Kaohsiung in south Taiwan. Kaohsiung is also where our colleague Eric Pilson is doing language study and preparing for future church planting work. We are trying to recruit more missionaries to move to south Taiwan and work with the Pilsons. Please also pray for some Taiwanese coworkers.

Introducing People to Jesus in the Taiwanese Language

This Taiwanese language Youtube Video tells about two Biblical passages: 1. Jesus' parable about the wise and foolish builder, and 2. Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Both of these events are told in a simple and effective way in Taiwanese.

In the narration, there is a conversation between and non-Christian and a Christian where the Christian is trying to share the Gospel with the non-Christian.

Please note: I do not think it good for people to draw pictures of their imagined image of Jesus. But the words are quite effecting.

New Year's Sermon Mini-Series

Revelation 21:1-8 Christ is Making All Things New 基督將一切都更新了

2 Corinthians 4:6, 5:16-17 All Things New Pt. 2: The New Creation Invades This Present Dark World 一切都更新了: 新的創造侵入了當前黑暗的世界

1 Corinthians 6:9-11All Things New Pt. 3: Walking In Newness of Life 一切都要更新 3 : 走出新生命

New Hope Church 2014 Christmas Sunday photo

Suggestions for evangelistic Christmas parties:

Sermons:

Matthew 2:1-18 "How Will You Respond to Christ's Coming?"

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Ezekiel 8 "Turning Away from Idols to the Living God"


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Video:

Pics for the summer and fall...

THIS POST UNDER CONSTRUCTION -- MORE PICTURES TO BE ADDED...

We often host readers of Judy's infant care book. Many of them are not yet Christians. Please keep praying for God to use this outreach ministry for the Gospel.

September Trip to Korea

Preaching at Sunghyun Presbyterian Church from Acts 12:24-13:4 on Paul being sent out by the church in Antioch (My coworker Dr. Caleb Chun interpreted into Korean). 

Early morning breakfast meeting with the General Secretary of GMS, the Hapdong Presbyterian Church's mission organization.

Meeting with the principle of a Christian school in Ansan established and sponsored by Dongsan Presbyterian Church in Ansan (16,000 members) 

Meeting with the Global Ministry Pastor of Sarang Church in Seoul. (30,000 members)

 

Meeting with one of the Mission Pastors at Sarang Church in Seoul

Late-night debrief the last day of the trip...