In northern Taiwan, Adventist church reaches students at top technology universities :: Adventist News Network

Jun 11, 2020  |  Taiwan  |  Taiwan Conference

A Seventh-day Adventist Church in Taiwan’s high-tech center is reaching students at the city’s top two universities, rated among the best technology schools in the nation.

The Hsinchu Golden Star Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has worked in the city since 2018, began a college outreach the following year. Hsinchu, which has been a “sister city” of U.S. Silicon Valley hub Cupertino, California, since 1993, is a city of 450,000 on the northern coast of Taiwan. The city is home to Tsinghua University and National Chiao Tung University, ranked second and third best schools in the country. The two universities have a combined enrollment approaching 30,000 students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, offering a tremendous opportunity for outreach and witness.

According to church senior pastor Baek Joon, between 10 and 15 students participate in “Friday Night Fellowship” each week. Meeting together is a challenge given the current coronavirus pandemic, but the group perseveres. Each Wednesday, Joon and two missionaries from the Church’s Public Campus Ministries department visit the universities for prayer meetings and to give students lunch boxes. A Korean language class at Tsinghua University sponsored by the congregation is also popular.

In 2019, the average number of church attendees for Sabbath worship reached 25, but recently attendance has been struggling due to the COVID-19 situation. Newer visitors to the church seem more affected by the pandemic situation than longtime attendees. However, eight young adults regularly attend a Wednesday evening Bible study and have committed to missionary service. 

“As a senior pastor of this church, I believe that God will use this church as a strong army of God, just as God worked through Gideon and his 300 soldiers,” Joon said. “Please pray for the Hsinchu Golden Star Church to grow to be a church like Gideon’s army.”

This article was originally published on the Northern Asia-Pacific Division website