Not even a global pandemic can stop the outreach efforts of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Taiwan. Restrictions on public worship and evangelism have sent members online to witness, as well as to share the Church’s health message.
Due to the pandemic, the Taiwan Conference’s 2020 mission plans with local churches were canceled. However, the Health Ministries department encouraged local churches to conduct a vegetarian health week and made great efforts to promote the participation of pastors, elders, church leaders, and members.
Taiwan has put a lot of effort into containing the virus and has been able to control its spread on the island, so far, thanks to widespread testing and quarantines. The Taiwan Conference has assisted local churches in purchasing alcohol-based disinfectants. Some 120 thermometers were distributed to each church. For every meeting in local churches, attendees are required to measure their body temperature to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The conference is following through with the world church’s "100 days of prayer" campaign, praying for unity and for the faith of church members as they wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Members are reminded that for now, the fastest way to spread the Gospel is through online media, such as Facebook, YouTube, and instant messaging applications.
“In the time of COVID-19, we can find an opportunity to preach the gospel of God that will bring people peace,” a statement from the conference said.
Taiwan Conference officials conduct regular COVID-19 crisis management meetings via the Zoom platform, and pastors from the 58 churches in the conference are invited to attend. The meetings will continue for the duration of the crisis.
While Adventism came to Hong Kong in 1888, and the first literature evangelist sold Adventist books in Taiwan between 1907 and 1912, it wasn’t until 1948 that active efforts began on the island, with such outreach and organization increasing after the closure of the Church’s mainland China operations in 1951. Today, more than 6,700 people are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Taiwan.
This article was originally published on the Northern Asia-Pacific Division website