City Vision: Our Partners in Ministry

by Pastor Dennis Brown

When Tim Keller was here in April for the public forum, he challenged many leaders from many denominations to tithe their time to contributing to the renewal of the city--particularly by working together to plant new, vital, gospel-centered churches and equipping ordinary lay people as they integrate faith and work. He said we should take a page from the prophet Elijah who put the wood out, and prayed for the fire to fall (1 Kings 18:16-39). That is a good definition of revival.

I believe that is what you do in a church, and as you partner with people from different denominations. You put the wood out, i.e., you preach, pray, and plan to reach and disciple people in the gospel. You also pray for the fire to fall. During these ten years, I have prayed for gospel partnerships so we could be involved in the extension of the kingdom and not simply the work of our own church. Happily, there are several that we have and we want to highlight them:

Redeemer City to City. This month, the annual Redeemer City to City Intensive is taking place. The Intensive, as you would expect from the name, is an intense, two-week, church-planter training program where men from different parts of Southeast Asia come for equipping. My previous assistant, Jason Truell, said it was as valuable as a seminary education. There is a parallel track called Parakaleo which is designed to equip church-planter wives. And then there is the gospel-centered preaching seminar led by Stephen Um from Citylife Church in Boston. Finally, there is the Faith and Work Seminar put on by City to City’s David Kim to equip ordinary lay people in the workplace. It has been a wonderful privilege to partner with City to City’s Jay Kyle and many of his people. Around 100 people will be involved in this event from May 7th to the 17th at Star Bethlehem Church. Please pray that God may be glorified. Please also pray for Gordon Huang, who has been used to bring so many wonderful resources to our city over the years, as well as for the local community of church planters who have met regularly over the years to encourage each other.

Sanchong Outreach. We just commissioned Kalan and Kayt Spencer as our official partners in this pre-church planting venture. If you are not friends with them on Facebook, get connected so that you can see the tangible week-to-week progress that is being made as they use a variety of approaches to engage their community in relevant ministry. They are also putting together a kind of temporary session from men in our church to give direction to this work. More than anything, pray for them and look for opportunities to volunteer in their outreach.

Banqiao Outreach. Toon and Pam Yeo lead this church planting venture. Toon also teaches at Reformed Seminary, and helps lead some of the church-planter community meetings. His wife, Pam, is a gifted counselor and I have many times referred people for her assistance.

China Reformed Theological Seminary. Tim Yates is the dean and along with seminary classes, they publish books and broadcast programs that enrich people’s lives. We also benefit by their hosting gifted teachers like Sinclair Ferguson and Vern and Diane Poythress, who have taught in our own church.

Michelle Ko with SIM.  She is in Kenya now, refreshing her Swahili and visiting the home for children who are stricken with AIDS that she established almost single-handedly several years ago. She was recently struggling with some illness as she adjusts to some of the challenging conditions in Africa. She hopes to eventually make her way to Tanzania where she will be focusing her efforts.

Do pray for these ministries and for our mission team led by Kevin Fulton that our connection and partnership with them will grow, and that we will do our part toward the renewal of the city--and beyond!

5 Questions with...Elder David MacRaild

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? My wife, Yining (怡寧), and I moved from my home, Scotland, to her home, Taiwan, in 2010. I had visited FPC with my dad and brothers during a previous visit. So returning and quickly becoming a member here was an easy decision. I was a recent convert, although I had enough Bible knowledge to know God has called all Christians to participate in the service and community of whichever church they are committed to. After a while, I got to know people and the dynamics of the church. I then began to become more involved by welcoming newcomers as I had been welcomed.  

2. What do you do Monday through Saturday? I am a Taiwanese artist’s full-time technician. I work in his studio in Guishan (龜山). My boss, the artist Tu Wei Cheng (涂維政), is a teacher at Taipei National University of the Arts, so he needs someone to manage his studio, make new works, restore old ones, and prepare/install works for exhibition or sale. Much of the work is sculptural and mimics the aesthetic of relics or antiques. I am a mold-maker, by trade, and am experienced in casting multiple materials, which is useful for this current position. 

3. What is something people might be surprised to know about you? Although I am from Scotland, I cannot play the bagpipes. 

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? Lately, I have thought much about observing the Sabbath. With so many distractions at hand, the need to rest from our normal work is great. God has invited us into His rest and we should respond by acknowledging that we are not saved by our works and achievements but by His grace in Jesus. God has literally made time for us, so why do I find it so hard to make time for Him? 

5. What is your favorite book of the Bible? I would like to nominate two books which are both close to my heart. God used them to speak to me as I neared the point of conversion. First is the Book of Job, where I learnt that God is almighty and I am not. His plan is perfect and his promise is good, no matter what I think or say. Then, in the Gospel of Matthew, I learnt anew the truth of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and how the gospel is key to the fulfilling of God's promise. 

5 Questions With...Angela Lu Fulton

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? I have been attending Friendship since moving to Taipei from Los Angeles in the beginning of 2015.  My work had sent me to Taipei, and although I have family in Kaohsiung, I didn't know anyone in Taipei. My first Sunday in town, I attended the Mandarin side with my mom and our friend, who is the daughter of the church's former pastor. She told me about the English side, which I visited a few weeks later. I loved how friendly everybody was and so I kept coming back.

2. What do you do Monday through Saturday? I am a reporter for WORLD Magazine, a news magazine from a Christian perspective. So sometimes I travel to different cities to report on stories and interview people. That is fun, but most of the time I am on my computer researching, emailing sources, writing, and editing. During the workweek, you will likely find me working at Project 0.1, a co-working space in Shilin run by FPC's own Cordelia Lee. On Wednesdays, I co-lead a women's group called Women of the Word (W.O.W), which you should come check out if you are a woman. 

3. What is something people might be surprised to know about you? In college, I was on our school's fencing team. I wasn't good and I didn't even compete, but I joined after seeing a Facebook ad that said the team needed walk-ons and would teach you how to fence. I had zero prior experience, but thought it would be fun. So I did it for a year. 

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? I think the biggest difficulty is intentionally making time for God in a world full of unending distractions. Our world today provides us with a million things that we could spend our time on, and most of it is easier, more comfortable, and more "fun" than sitting down with a Bible, closing our eyes in prayer, and truly remembering what is most important in this life. I sense it in my own life as, time and time again, I choose to passively scroll through social media rather than digging into the powerful Word of God that should be my greatest treasure.

5. What is your favorite book of the Bible, and why? I like the book of James because of how real it is and how applicable it is to everyday life. I mean, by the second verse, he is already talking about how we should react when (not if) we encounter trials. I always find the book convicting as James points out how counter-cultural "God's way" is when compared to how we would naturally respond to a situation. I love knowing that what believers in the early church struggled with is the same things plaguing us today: taming the tongue, living out our faith, avoiding favoritism, and trusting God in the unknown tomorrows.