(To read about the work in TAIWAN begin with TAIWAN 1 and read through to Taiwan 9 blog entry)

Mainland China claims Taiwan as a part of China. The opinion of the people on Taiwan is mixed: some saying that Taiwan is independent of Mainland China and others saying that ‘they are all Chinese’ and are willing to consider reuniting with the Mainland when Mainland becomes a true democracy. Mainland China sees Taiwan as a Renegade Province and has threatened to take Taiwan back by force if need be. Pray for peace in the Taiwan Straits!

Taiwan is surrounded by 4 bodies of water: the South China Sea to the north of Taiwan separates Taiwan from Japan. The Taiwan Straits separates Taiwan from Mainland China. The Bashi Channel or the Luzon Straits to the south separates Taiwan from the Philippines. The Pacific Ocean runs along the east coast of Taiwan. Taiwan’s coastal cities depend on the bounty of the sea to make a living. Taiwan also boasts one of the world’s busiest shipping ports.

(To read about the work in TAIWAN begin with TAIWAN 1 and read through to Taiwan 9 blog entry) Click here for Sun Moon Lake Photos

Early Portugese explorers named Taiwan, Illa Formosa which means ‘the beautiful island.’ The mountains declare the glory of God. Taiwan is known as a hiker’s paradise and has many pristine, majestic mountains. 62 mountain peaks are in excess of 10,000 feet. Jade Mountain is the loftiest in all of Northeast Asia at over 13,000 feet in elevation. The fact that 2/3rds of Taiwan is comprised of uninhabitable mountains forces the population of 23 million to live on only 1/3 of the land mass or about 4000 sq miles. For comparison, the US state of Massachusetts is 8000 sq miles.

Taiwan is an island in transition…from an agricultural past where farmers mainly planted rice and vegetables, Taiwan has now emerged into a technology center where many high tech, state of the art, computer components and consumer goods are manufactured.

(To read about the work in TAIWAN begin with TAIWAN 1 and read through to Taiwan 9 blog entry)

It is here that we battle against the lies of the Serpent, Satan. The traditional religion on Taiwan is a mix of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Buddhism: is the veneration of Buddha and seeking to purify oneself from the evil influences of this world. Taoism: is a form of animism, worshipping all things as though they are gods and these 2 are then mixed in with the philosophical ideas contained in Confucianism. But the greatest barrier to the gospel of Jesus Christ is ancestor worship. Ancestor worship has been practiced for centuries among Chinese people. Ancestor worshippers believe that they must take care of the spirits of their dead ancestors by worshipping them and offering them food and ghost money for use in the after-life. If you daily worship and care for these spirits then you will be blessed in this life, if you do not take care of them the spirits will become hungry ghosts who will bring you harm.

(To read about the work in TAIWAN begin with TAIWAN 1 and read through to Taiwan 9 blog entry)

It is here that we live and work among the Chinese people and it is here that the Lord Jesus Christ is working and changing hearts and lives! Through the powerful and active word of God and through prayer we seek to reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ and the peace, joy, love and eternal forgiveness that only Jesus offers.

The Christian Church body in Taiwan that the WELS cooperates with is called the CLEC, the Christian Lutheran Evangelical Church. There are 4 churches in the CLEC with a total membership of 150 souls.

Fountain of Grace Lutheran Church is in the heart of the capitol city of Taipei. CLEC President, Evangelist Chen DianMing serves Fountain of Grace Church. The CLEC evangelists carry out all pastoral duties in the congregations which they serve as they also continue Seminary training to obtain their Pastoral degrees. Evangelist Chen YeuDuh serves Green River Lutheran Church located in the suburban Taipei city of Panchiau.

Evangelist Lin serves the rural church located in Everlasting Happiness Village. His sons Michael and Jack take turns with him in leading worship. The members in the village are long time Christians and desire to share Jesus and to strengthen the church in their midst.

My Family and I (Missionary Stellick) live in the central Taiwan city of Taichung. I divide my time between pastoring the Taichung Gospel Center in metropolitan Taichung city and serving as administrator and instructor in the Lutheran Bible Institute. The Bible Institute is a Bible Training program for CLEC members and future CLEC evangelists.

(To read about the work in TAIWAN begin with TAIWAN 1 and read through to Taiwan 9 blog entry)

Our worship facility in Taichung City is called the Tachung Gospel Center. It began in 1994 with 2 baptized Christians and presently under the blessing of God has grown to more than 40 baptized members. We have a close knit group of Christians who are eager and willing to learn more about their relationship with God and share this good news with their friends and family members.