A choir that has fun together, laughs together and goes on trips together is sure, yes, sure to sing and harmonize better at church on Sunday mornings. And y’know, our Advent Church Choir is not just any old choir singing … Continue reading Adventures with Advent Church Choir 台灣聖公會降臨堂詩班 @ Jiji 集集, Checheng 車埕 and Wang Hsiang 望鄉部落 Kalibuan Village, Nantou County!
Ah yes, and as with every Chinese New Year, food featured highly! Food, food and more delicious food. YUMMY! For most people, the New Year celebrations revolve around family reunions, gatherings with old friends, temple visits to pray for blessings for the new year, preparing food offerings and worship at the family ancestor shrine, and of course the enjoyment of meals and delicacies of every kind. Many people also take the chance to travel, but just as many people say they can’t face the traffic jams and prefer to stay home. Meanwhile those in the tourism and transport business work … Continue reading Chinese New Year 2018!
Discovered some wonderful new (to me, that is) street art on the walls of Tamsui Old Street area 淡水老街 today ~ including this one of Dr. George Mackay, first Presbyterian missionary to northern Taiwan (1844-1901), who arrived in Tamsui in 1872 and stayed here more or less until he died. Early photos show him going off on trips armed with dentist equipment for pulling out teeth, and Bibles to share the Gospel… wonder what he’s think of this painting done in his honour? Then up behind the famous Matzu Temple are some steps and walls painted with famous local scenes….. … Continue reading Street Art @ 淡水老街 Tamsui Old Street ~ love it!
Our beloved church member, Mrs. Cheng Chen Ai-Mei 鄭陳愛美姊妹 (known to us as Cheng Mama 鄭媽媽) died on March 14, and this past Saturday was her Memorial Service in Advent Church. Her cremation and burial of ashes took place a week after her death and this Memorial Service was for the church community and her wide circle of friends and colleagues to say goodbye. It was also a Holy Communion Service, as is fitting for a family where all are Christians. And what a service it was! Advent Church was so full of people that we had to bring in … Continue reading 鄭陳愛美姊妹追思感恩聖餐禮拜 R.I.P Mrs. Cheng Chen Ai-Mei
Greetings to you all from Zhuwan 竹灣 Village, Penghu! And Happy Children’s Day 兒童節 for April 4 from us all in Xiyu Presbyterian Church 西嶼長老教會, Penghu too! Yes, April 1-4 this year was a 4-day weekend for us in Taiwan, … Continue reading Penghu 澎湖 ~ a great place for Children’s Day 兒童節 ~ and birthday celebrations!
What an amazing place, amazing weekend, and what amazing people! Chief Dadao (頭目達道) of the Truku (Taroko) Tribe lives high up on a beautiful plateau, at over 1,100 m in altitude, way up above the steep slopes of the spectacular marble gorge, Taroko Gorge in Hualien on Taiwan’s east coast. We went there to visit over this past weekend, and here’s us sitting with him on the bench outside his house, with THE view behind us! The mountains of the east coast go straight down to the sea with spectacular views over the Pacific Ocean. Liwu Mountain 立霧山 (1,274 m) is … Continue reading Such a great visit to 大禮大同部落 Dali Datong Village, Taroko Gorge, Hualien ~ Home of 頭目達道 Truku Chief Dadao!
Early this morning and a huge inflatable Rev. George L. Mackay 馬偕博士 clutching a large molar was awaiting installation for tomorrow’s inauguration of Taiwan’s new president Tsai Ing-Wen 蔡英文 outside the Taiwan Presidential Palace in Taipei … Mackay was the first, and most famous early missionary in northern Taiwan, arriving in Tamsui 淡水 in 1872 from Canada ~ he started as a dentist and helped found the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) which has been at the forefront of Taiwan’s democracy movement, and actively supports the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan’s first ever female president, Tsai Ing-Wen … Continue reading Today’s must-see sights of Taipei!
And this year, even more lovely people came than usual, and lots of smiling VIPs came too ~ here they all are last Saturday at the St. James’ Charity Bazaar! Every year on the Saturday before Mother’s Day weekend, St. James’ Preschool and Language Institute hold a great fiesta, bazaar, fair, extravaganza all rolled into one. And every year they raise a lot of money for charity. And every year the charity is different. This year there are 2 charities, Wulai District Fu-shan Presbyterian Church 烏來福山教會outreach to local children and young people of the Atayal Tribe in the mountains south of Taipei, … Continue reading 台灣聖公會台中市聖雅各幼兒園「給夢想一雙翅膀」愛心園遊會 ~ St. James’ Preschool, Taichung, Charity Bazaar 2016!
Scattered around here and further along the coast are several small churches with amazing choirs, and yesterday Advent Church was packed for our first choir festival ~ YES! The main inspiration for the choir festival came from our church members, Sheng-Feng and his lovely wife, who between them seem to be related to, or friends with, everybody in every choir in the whole area! Choirs were invited from Sanzhi Presbyterian Church, Dan-Nung Bunun Church, Advent Church and the Teachers Choir from TamKang High School. During the choir introductions, Sanzhi Presbyterian Church said that unlike most Presbyterian Churches in Taiwan … Continue reading 北海岸聯合詩班頌讚暨聯誼 Amazing Choir Festival @ Advent Church!
Catherine Lee 