Frontline Edition by Global Mission - 4th Quarter 2008

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Reaching the Unreached in Taiwan M rs. Chun lives in a highrise apartment building in Taiwan, an island off the southeastern coast of China.

For 10 years she prayed that her husband would give his life to Christ and come to church with her. But he complained that the church was too far away. “If the church were closer to home, I’d go,” he sometimes said.

Then last year Mrs. Chun’s husband lost his excuse not to go to church when Pastor HyungTaek Lim, an Adventist Pioneer Mission Movement pastor, rented a shop on the first floor of Mrs. Chun’s apartment building and started planting a church. Now Mrs. Chun and her husband worship together each week with Pastor Lim. Some 23 million people live on the island of Taiwan, of these, 93 percent follow—or profess to believe in—Buddhism and Taoism. Only 4.5 percent are Christians.

With some 5,300 Adventists, the ratio of Adventists to population is one in every 4,328. Most of these believers are members of aboriginal tribes living in the highlands.

They represent less than 3 percent of the population. Most of the people on Taiwan— roughly 97 percent, are Han Chinese. They live in the cities and along the coastal regions.

And among this group there’s only one Adventists for every 25,000 people.

While Global Mission continues to reach the mountain people, it is broadening its outreach to include Taiwan’s urban centers with several initiatives.

One such outreach initiative is the Pioneer Mission Movement. Started in 2003 to reach these largely unreached people groups in the urban centers.

Usually Global Mission pioneers work within their own culture; but the Pioneer Mission Movement sends pastoral families to challenging areas as

Michael L. Ryan –Chairperson, Adventist Mission Gary Krause –General Field Secretary Ganoune Diop –Study Centers Director Rick Kajiura –Communication Director Nancy Kyte –Marketing Director Marti Schneider –Programs Director Homer Trecartin –Planning Director Ruth Dunbebin –Donor Services Representative Laurie Falvo –Communication Projects Manager Charlotte Ishkanian –Mission Editor Andrew King –Video Producer/Editor Hans Olson –Communication Projects Manager Shyamala Ram –Administrative Assistant Nimfa Sumagaysay–Donor Response Coordinator Stella Thomas –Administrative Secretary Daniel Weber –Video Producer/Editor

FRONT LINE EDITION

is published quarterly by Global Mission, part of the Office of Adventist Mission, at the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters.

Tax- deductible gifts for Global Mission projects can be sent to Global Mission 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 209046600 800-648-5824 www.global-mission.org

Global Center For Adventist-Muslim Relations

Jerald Whitehouse AMRNET PO Box 1223 Loma Linda CA 92354 USA Phone: (909) 558-4563 Fax: (909) 558-4845 E-mail: jwhitehouse@gcamr.org

cross-cultural Global Mission pioneers. They spend six years living in their new culture in order to plant at least one new church. Currently 13 Pioneer Mission Movement missionaries serve in Taiwan, and four more families will arrive next year. As with any missionary, these missionaries must learn the local language before they can begin their work planting a church in an unentered, unreached, or unchurched area.

Taiwan presents significant challenges for mission work for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Besides the vast numbers of unreached people living there, workers face obstacles and barriers such as traditional religions, secularism, and postmodernism. Please pray for the work in Taiwan.

Kwon, Johng Haeng, Adventist Mission Director of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division

Hindu Study Center G. R. Mohan Roy Southern Asia Division Post Box 2, HCF Hosur 635110 Tamil Nadu India Phone: 91 (4344) 22170 Fax: 91 (4344) 22090

World Jewish Friendship Center

Richard Elofer P.O Box 592 94186 Jerusalem Israel Phone; 972 (2) 6251 547 Fax: 972 (2) 6251 391 rielofer@netvision.net.il

Buddhist Study Center

Scott Griswold P.O. Box 234, Prakanong, Bangkok Thailand 10110 griswold@loxinfo.co.th

Centre for Secular and Post-Modern Studies c/o Miroslav Pujic 119 St. Peter’s Street; St. Albans, Herts AL1 3EY; ENGLAND Phone: 44 (1727) 860-331 Fax: 44 (1727) 866-312 ©Copyright 2008 Seventhday Adventist® Church.

ADVENTIST® and SEVENTHDAY ADVENTIST® are the registered trademarks of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®.

Modern Ministries

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hey pray to their gods, offer them gifts and toss pieces of wood on the ground hoping to have their fortune told to them.

They burn incense and read from religious books, hoping that somehow they will be able to find peace in their busy lives. For many people in the country of Taiwan this is a typical visit to their local temple. Many of the 23 million people that live in Taiwan are searching—whether it is for peace in their lives or for a new hope for a clouded future.

To reach out to the people in Taiwan and in a greater extent to all Chinese-speaking people around the world, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is establishing a new outreach program.

In the capital city of Taipei, the Church has set up a small television studio to record programs in Mandarin, the major language in China. These programs will be broadcast on the new Chinese Hope Channel®. The programs are currently being produced in a small studio in the basement of the Adventist Hospital in Taipei. These programs will also aim to reach the more than 70 million Chinese people who live outside of mainland China.

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“We have a chance to deliver to our brethren in China a very coherent consistent message about our church, our beliefs and also to introduce them to the worldwide church so they better understand who we are as a global organization,” says Robert Christensen, Chinese Hope Channel’s director.

Reaching out to the people of Taiwan can be challenging. But the Seventh-day Adventist Church is reaching out to touch people’s lives on this small but crowded island. Please pray for the people of Taiwan that their hearts will be receptive to the Holy Spirit.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering on December 27 will go to this project. Thank you for your support of mission, and thank you for your prayers and support of those who are working on the front lines around the world.

Rick Kajiura is Adventist Mission’s communication director. This story is featured on this quarter’s Adventist Mission DVD, which can be seen in your local church. You can watch it online or order your own copy at http://www.AdventistMission.org.

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The quarterly Adventis t Mission magazines are a great compani to the Adventist Mission on DVD. Share stories from the youth and adult or children's magazin es as part of your weekly Sabbath School presentation.

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1 A TV, a Room, and a Church – Norther n Asia-Pacific [8:00]* 2 Beyond Borders – Northern Asia-Pa cific [8:30] 3 Building Up His Kingdom – Northern Asia-Pa cific [9:15] MINI FEATURES 1 Modern Ministries – Taiwan [3:40]* 2 The Warmth of Jesus – Mongolia [4:25]* 3 Ministering to the Masses – Japan [3:58]* SHORT STORIES 1 Ger Church – Mongoli a [1:50] 2 Life Changing School – Cambodia [2:06] 3 New Music – Mongoli a [2:10]* 4 The Faith Church – Hope for Big Cities [2:40] 5 Chinese Restauran t – Japan [2:25]* 6 Children’s Story: Stuck in an Elevator – Japan [1:52] EXTRAS 1 What Kind of Love is This? – Music Video [3:00] 2 Tokyo Street Interview [5:37] 3 Annual Sacrifice Offering Appeal [1:00]

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Planting Chu in Taiwan “A

ttention! Attention!” the voice crackled over the community loud speaker in Chwin Ruh. “All are invited to come to the community center tonight for a special program.”

Chwin Ruh is a village in the mountains of Southern Taiwan. For many years this village had a branch Sabbath School, but without a pastor or lay leader the fledgling congregation dwindled until no one was left. Last year Global Mission pioneer Shing

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Hui Chen and his family moved to Chwin Ruh to restart this congregation.

Chen began knocking on doors and sharing his faith.

Most of the people who live in Chwin Ruh are older.

Young people have left the area in search of greater opportunities in the city. The elderly don’t have the kind of medical care they need, so Chen spends time caring for and ministering to them. As people saw Chen’s compassion for people, some started

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attending his weekly worship services in the chapel he’s rented.

The small congregation grew to 15. But Chen wasn’t satisfied. So earlier this year he invited 200 Adventist youth to Chwin Ruh to hold a weekend community outreach program.

The youth used the village’s public address system to invite people to come to the weekend program. More than 40 villagers attended the meetings on Friday eve-

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ized how much Adventists care for them. Now more people attend Chen’s weekly services.

their efforts,

Papaya Farmer to Church Planter

people in the town realized how much Adventists care for them.

urches: ning and Sabbath morning.

On Saturday night the youth organized a social time.

Then on Sunday morning the Adventist youth cleaned the streets of the town.

As a result of their efforts, people in the town real-

When asked to be a Global Mission pioneer in Sai Jia four years ago Wen Ming Huang never dreamed that he could become a pastor with his own church. At the time he was a mango and papaya orchard farmer and an elder in a nearby village church. He felt he didn’t have the education or the experience to lead his own church.

When Huang first arrived in the mountain village of Sai Jia he found only one older couple in the church.

Work in this area of Taiwan is difficult because religious lines are clearly drawn.

People don’t easily change from their family’s

ancestral religion. Huang started by visiting people throughout the village. He told people that he was going to have worship in his home, and slowly a few people started to come.

A year later he held evangelistic meetings, and more than 10 people were baptized. New members joined almost every month. Now there are 45 members in this church.

The Enormous Challenge Most of the nearly 5,300 Adventists who live in Taiwan come from the aboriginal tribes who live in the hill country. The majority of the

Huang never dreamed that he could become a pastor with his own church. population is Han Chinese, who live on the plains and in the large cities such as Taipei.

Only one in every 25,000 of this majority group on Taiwan is a Seventh-day Adventist.

To help meet the enormous challenge of reaching every person in Taiwan with

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the gospel message, the Adventist Church in Northern Asia started the Pioneer Mission Movement five years ago. More than 15 missionary families volunteered to move from another country within Northern Asia to Taiwan and spend the next six years planting churches in Taiwan as Global Mission pioneers. Usually Global Mission pioneers are lay members who work within their culture and language group. However Pioneer Mission Movement pastors generally come from countries such as Korea where the Adventist Church is well established, to countries such as Taiwan, where there is a great need for pastoral leadership. Pastors go through extensive training in their home country before moving to a community where there are virtually no Adventist members.

For more than 50 years the Adventist Church in Taiwan has struggled to grow.

The Pioneer Mission Movement program however has helped revitalize many struggling Adventist churches and plant new ones. Over the past three years pioneer pastors have planted or revitalized more than 28 churches in Taiwan. For instance, Pioneer pastor Chae KwangByung baptized 12 people in just his first year reaching the Miaoli community in Northwestern Taiwan.

In the urban center of Thaichung, the local Adventist church has opened a community center to give young students a place to go after school and to provide programs for senior citizens in their local community. Four days a week church members provide after-school programs for children whose parents are working or can’t be home to care for them. The church workers provide a hot meal, help students with homework, and care about their general well-being. An added benefit to the program is that people in the local community, who have shunned the

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Capital – Taipei Population – 22.8

million Adventist Membership – 5,270 Ratio – 1:4,328 Major Languages – Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese

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church in the past, are now taking part in the program and have come to understand who Adventists are and what they believe.

In another city, Pioneer Mission Movement Pastor Jong Kab Lim and his wife are reaching out into community in their own way. Pastor Lim was trained as a physical therapist before becoming a pastor. As part of their outreach ministry Mrs. Lim offers cooking and health classes, and Pastor Lim provides massage therapy. They’ve opened an upper room as a meeting place where they can teach classes as well as conduct Bible studies.

From the hill country to the urban centers in Taiwan, pioneers and missionary movement pastors are working together to share Christ Jesus’ love. Please pray for these frontline workers. And thank you for your ongoing support of mission.

Ethnic groups – 97% Han Chinese: 70% Hoklo, 14% Hakka, 13% Mainlander; 2% Aboriginal Taiwanese Religion – Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%

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Traditional cuisine of Taiwan has been described as simple and rustic, with cooks making the best possible use of local

On the Menu: • Taipei Cashew Fried Rice • Imperial Palace Almond Cookies

ingredients at hand. Over time, family dishes were influenced by traders from various regions of China and Japan.

Rice is still an integral part of the daily diet of every Taiwanese household. Fruits in

Taipei Cashew Fried Rice— VegaN Serves 4–6

season, such as papaya, melon, and citrus are also popular choices. On special occasions, small pastries and tiny cookies make their

1 container soft tofu,

appearance.

mashed and drained 1/8

teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons vegetable

Imperial Palace Almond Cookies Approximately 75 cookies

oil, divided 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 or 2 garlic cloves, grated 1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups cake flour (or sifted all-purpose flour)

5 cups cooked rice, brown or white

2 teaspoons baking powder

5 green onions, chopped

1 cup butter, room temperature

½ cup chopped cashews

1 cup sugar 2 large egg yolks

PREPARATION Mix the tofu, turmeric, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Then add tofu mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 10 minutes. Remove the tofu from heat and set aside. Combine soy sauce, sugar, and garlic in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar and set aside. Place a dry wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil, then the onions and rice. Stir fry for 3 minutes, then add the soy sauce mixture and stir until heated through. Stir in the cashews and tofu and serve hot.

½ teaspoon lemon extract ½ teaspoon almond extract 75 blanched almonds 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon water

PREPARATION Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in flour and baking powder. Add 2 egg yolks, and the lemon and almond extracts.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press an almond into each ball and flatten slightly.

Make an egg wash with 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water. Brush over each cookie.

Bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.

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Taking the Gospel to People One-by-One

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tanding in front of his small congregation Rajah looks like most people. He wears a pressed button-up blue shirt and dark pants. He moves his hands as he speaks with conviction and energy.

But Rajah isn’t ordinary.

He’s taking the gospel to an unreached part of the world, where his neighbors don’t understand him and don’t always welcome his efforts.

He is telling the world about Christ in Sri Lanka’s central hill country. His congregation is made

up of men and women who work this region’s tea plantations during the day and crowd into a small concreteblock room with open wooden-frame windows several evenings a week. They sit in sea-foam green chairs with brown wicker backs. Children gather on the floor at the front of the room eagerly listening to Rajah’s message of hope.

Global Mission’s frontline pioneers share the gospel through a holistic ministry that includes caring for the sick, running literacy programs, holding evangelistic meetings, and giving Bible studies. In a previously unreached North Asian city that can’t be named, a group of Global Mission pioneers started a health evangelism program to help the community with chronic health problems. The result is six house churches and some 30 new church members. Law

student Jacob is grateful that an Adventist English language school in Bangkok, Thailand, showed him the purpose and meaning in life for which he was seeking. In Lesotho— a country in Southern Africa—Futho went door-todoor asking people if they’d like to take Bible studies until he found enough people for an evangelism seminar. Now he has a congregation of 12 people.

Last year Global Mission supported nearly 1,500 church planting projects in unentered areas at a cost of nearly $18 million. 100 percent of your financial support of the Annual Sacrifice Offering in your church on November 8 goes to Global Mission’s ongoing frontline mission work. This vital offering will allow the Seventh-day Adventist Church to continue reaching the world’s unreached with hope at home and around the world.

W H E R E C AN I F IN D O U T M O R E ?

• Go to www.www.Global-Mission.org/annual-offering/ to download this year’s Annual Sacrifice Offering program.

• This quarter’s Adventist Mission DVD has a special video to show during the offering call.

• For questions and to learn more visit www.Global-Mission.org or call 1-800-648-5824.

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come.” Bruno accepted their invitation and attended the meetings. As a result of the meeting he give his life to Christ and was baptized last fall.

Guinea

NEWS

Cote d’Ivoire It had been more than four decades since Bruno had signed up to study the Voice of Prophecy Bible lessons. Although he didn’t realize it at the time, the lessons were working on Bruno’s heart and helped change his life.

For some reason he doesn’t remember, Bruno stopped taking the lessons.

He had nearly forgotten about them. Then a few years ago, while he was walking through his village, he saw a poster

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advertising some meetings.

He noticed the sign, but didn’t think a lot about it.

A few evenings later, two men knocked on Bruno’s door. He invited the men in, and the three men talked about God. The two men, Nicodeme and Rodolphe, were Global Mission pioneers. Bruno told them he was a Christian and he had studied the Voice of Prophecy Bible lessons years earlier.

The pioneers told him, ”Yes, those are from our church.

We’re holding meetings in the village center. Please

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“So many churches these days claim to speak the truth from the Bible. I refuse to attend any church until I can find a truthful friend who will convince me from the Bible which church is the true church,” Moriba told Global Mission pioneer Subah.

Moriba and Subah live in a small village outside N’zerekore in South-central Guinea. Subah patiently went through the Bible with Moriba showing him that all Seventh-day Adventist beliefs are founded on scripture.

As they studied Moriba became perplexed with the issue of the Sabbath. This belief was quite different from the beliefs of other Christian churches in the area. Moriba dug deeper in the Bible until he was convinced that the Adventist

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Church did indeed teach the truth. Today, he is an active church member and urges others to come and study the Bible.

Myanmar Situated south of China and west of Thailand, Myanmar— also know as Burma—is a beautiful country with rolling hills and a rich cultural heritage. Last year Global Mission sent two pioneers into a village within the Irrawady Division of Myanmar, a hilly region near the Irrawady River where so much devastation occurred earlier this year from flooding following a typhoon.

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Instead of just one teacher, two Global Mission pioneers took on the task of starting a new school.

The villagers had heard good things about the Adventist school in a nearby village, but since the school is a three-hour walk from their homes, children in this village weren’t able to attend. So the villagers asked for their own Adventist school and teacher for their children.

Instead of just one teacher, two Global Mission pioneers took on the task of starting a new school in the village. The villagers welcomed the pioneers into their homes.

Through the school the two pioneers made friends

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with people in the community and gave Bible studies to the interested villagers. So far eight people have been baptized. The pioneers hope that in the next few years an Adventist church will be planted in this area.

Venezuela Villa del Rosario is an indigenous rural community in Venezuela. Only four Adventists live in this town of some 4,000 people. Jose, a Global Mission pioneer, moved to Villa del Rosario last fall to start a literacy program, hold health clinics, and give lectures on health and good nutrition.

Jose also held a seminar on family life. As a result, people asked him for Bible studies. Jose has helped lead an evangelistic series in the village, and soon he hopes to have enough people attending his worship services to require a proper hall in which to meet. Please pray for Global Mission pioneers such as Jose in Venezuela and around the world.

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What would you give to see them in heaven?

2008 ANNUAL SACRIFICE OFFERING

NOVEMBER 8 Every day Global Mission pioneers help people around the world learn to love Jesus. But they can’t continue without you.

Every dollar given to the Annual Sacrifice Offering goes directly to the front lines of mission, reaching people who have never been told “Jesus loves you.” Your financial support will help to expand their work even farther.

Three ways to give: 1. Mark your tithe envelope “Annual Sacrifice Offering” 2. Mail to Global Mission at 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD, 20904, USA 3. Give Online at www.global-mission.org

For more information about the Annual Sacrifice Offering, visit www.global-mission.org