Six delegates from China Christian Council and Chinese Christian Church Three-Self Protestant Movement visited Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) headquarters on November 16. The delegation included associate general secretaries from both organizations and a few seminary presidents from different regions of China. This occasion marked the first time that leaders from these two Chinese church organizations visited the PCT.
In recent years, China Christian Council, Chinese Christian Church Three-Self Protestant Movement, and China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs have visited Taiwan several times. According to reports, State Administration for Religious Affairs officials had planned to visit the PCT two years ago during a trip to Taiwan, but that pre-arranged visit was canceled at the last minute.
These six delegates were in Taiwan for a cross-strait forum on modern city churches and their ministries and hadn’t planned to visit PCT originally. After much coaxing from PCT General Secretary Andrew Chang, who strongly encouraged Chinese church leaders to study PCT’s role in Taiwanese society and how it emphasized social activism, the delegates finally arranged a visit.
There was an exchange of gifts during the delegation’s visit as each side offered gifts symbolic of their country’s culture. At the end of the visit, leaders from both sides stood together for a picture marking this historical moment. In the evening, PCT invited these Chinese delegates for a formal dinner together.
Reported by Lin Yi-ying, Written by Lydia Ma
[Source: Taiwan Church News]
