Thai Friendship Church: Shepherding Migrant Workers
Take a closer look, are there any Thai migrant workers around you? Maybe a smile, some kindness, a word of affirmation can warm their hearts...
Photo courtesy/Taiyou Church
According to the statistical database of the Workforce Development Administration of Taiwan's Ministry of Labor, as of the end of 2022, the number of Thai migrant workers working in Taiwan was approximately 66,000, mostly men, and most of them were engaged in public works and construction industries. The working environment and conditions Most of them are dirty, dangerous and hard, and their bodies, minds and souls are in urgent need of the care and pastoral care of the church.
Therefore, through the late Pastor Immanuel Scharrer, the founder of the Thai Friends Church, and the Thai Friends Church, which is committed to caring for Thai migrant workers, the Lord has performed many miracles and wonders, with the purpose of providing care for Thai migrant workers. Preach the gospel and shepherd them.
Bring the church to the flock
Before coming to Taiwan in 1998, Pastor Xia Yizheng had been missionary in Thailand for 18 years. Pastor Wu Qinghua, who is now a senior missionary of the Thai Friends Church, had been missionary to Thai migrant workers in Taiwan for eight or nine years in a part-time ministry. At that time, Pastor Cai Guoshan of the Christian Industrial Evangelical Fellowship (hereinafter referred to as "Gongfu") supported the missionary work of Thai migrant workers. He also sent Gongfu co-workers to cooperate with Wu Qinghua to use holidays to go to factories and construction sites to educate Thais. Migrant workers preached the gospel and led many people to believe in the Lord.
For 24 years, we have cared for countless Thai migrant workers like grains of wheat.
"Please God, give me Your love and give us a heart that is willing to help spread the gospel to everyone, whether they are Taiwanese, Chinese or non-Chinese. Please open our hearts, open our eyes, and open the eyes of the Taiwanese church. Are you willing? Support the work of evangelizing all peoples. Let there be hundreds of Vietnamese churches, Indonesian churches, and Thai churches. Please move us and give us a heart of obedience. Show me people who pray like you in the name of Jesus. Amen."
This was a sincere prayer made by Pastor Xia Yizheng, a German missionary and founder of Taiyou Church, during his lifetime. He rested in the arms of the Lord on the evening of January 8, 2023, and ended all toil on earth.
Pastor Xia was born in Germany on January 15, 1952. Shortly after his birth, he became seriously ill and the doctor pronounced him dead. However, his mother prayed for him fervently and was willing to dedicate him to God as a missionary. When he was 18 years old, Pastor Xia met the Lord Jesus at a Christian camp and met his wife, Erika Xia, in the student fellowship. In 1980, he became a missionary of the Marburg Mission in Germany and was sent to Thailand for missionary work.
God closed the door for Pastor Xia, but opened another window. In the summer of 1998, Pastor Xia and his wife left Thailand and arrived in Taiwan, where they began serving Thai migrant workers for more than 24 years. During this period, relying on divine grace, 12 Thai Friends churches were established in Taiwan; three prisons and four shelters were opened to serve foreigners; and countless Thai migrant workers were helped to hear the gospel!
One time, the author asked Pastor Xia Yizheng out of ignorance and curiosity: "Why should we help Thai migrant workers?" Pastor Xia simply answered me: "Because of God's love!" Now it seems that this love is so deep and profound. How vast, and may such great love touch us even more!
However, as the number of Thai migrant workers coming to Taiwan to work continues to increase, Wu Qinghua and the labor welfare team prayed that the Lord would send Thai-speaking pastors to shepherd them. After Xia Yizheng arrived in Taiwan, he got to know Wu Qinghua through the introduction of the China Christian Inland Mission and learned that there were many Thai migrant workers in Taiwan. Under the leadership of the Lord, the two of them preached the gospel to Thai migrant workers, resulting in an increasing number of rescued people.
Later, due to the large number of people, the gospel truck that picked up and dropped off could not load it, so it was convenient for brothers and sisters to gather in the area to set up gospel groups and churches, and Taiyou Church was born. After that, applications were made to the competent government agencies one after another so that Thai pastors could come to Taiwan to pastor brothers and sisters.
After the establishment of Taiyou Church, a team of church staff went out to a construction site to preach the gospel. Unexpectedly, at the entrance of the restaurant on the construction site, a Thai migrant worker kept staring at the Thai Friends Church team, so missionary Wu Qinghua, one of the team members, stepped forward to invite him. "We usually invite Thai migrant workers to listen to the gospel, but it's not that easy!" Wu Qinghua recalled. But this Thai migrant worker was special. He was willing to listen as soon as he was invited, and he accepted the Lord as soon as he heard it. It turned out that he had dreamed of Jesus a few days ago!
"Many times we feel in our hearts that it is not easy for people to believe in the Lord, but when we went to preach the gospel to Thai migrant workers in Taiwan, some people quickly believed and accepted the Lord. In fact, God has already prepared them, and we are like Cooperate with God," Wu Qinghua emphasized.
Diverse and life-oriented pastoral care
Currently, Taiyou Church has nine branches across Taiwan, with about 400 members and a service team of 21 people. He also helped to open two churches, with a total of about 80 members and a service team of four. [Note]
The way the church cares for Thai migrant workers is very life-oriented. The team will go to Thai stores, factories, dormitories, and other gathering places where migrant workers live to distribute gospel tracts, or invite them to participate in Thai Friends Church activities, including singing competitions, football, travel, barbecue, Chinese and English courses, and Spring Festival gospel Camp etc. We hope to build relationships with migrant workers through activities and further lead them to believe in the Lord.
Taiyou Church also has a lively and diverse church life. In addition to Sunday meetings, there are also group Bible teachings on weekdays and Saturdays, prayer meetings, telephone visits and prayers, and Bible verses are delivered to members every day. Thai migrant workers who believe in the Lord receive the most complete pastoral care.
One worth mentioning is the Spring Festival Gospel Camp. Every year from the first to the third day of the lunar year, Taiyou Church holds a Spring Festival gospel camp. Its main mission is to educate believers so that they can use the New Year holiday to know more about the Lord, understand the truth, and grow spiritually. Since it is a gospel camp, sharing the good news of salvation is also one of the key points.
Because we pass through scenic spots, we also take believers on tours. When colleagues, friends and seekers of believers learn about the travel opportunities, they want to participate together. In view of this, the gathering will separate participants who believe in the Lord from those who do not believe in the Lord. Two speakers from Thailand will be invited. One will encourage the believers and the other will preach the gospel to the seekers. .
After three days and two nights full of spiritual atmosphere, the seekers and believers lived together, witnessed the believers’ fellowship life and life testimonies with their own eyes, and heard the gospel. They became eager for the Christian faith, causing most of the seekers to You are determined to believe in the Lord and receive salvation. Wu Qinghua emphasized: "We have seen the effects of the gospel with our own eyes, so when we hold camps later, in addition to inviting believers to participate, we will also specially invite seekers to participate. In 2023, due to the epidemic, the number of participants was less than expected, but thank the Lord. More than 300 people participated, and among the 100 seekers, 50 decided to believe in the Lord!”
constant care
However, there is always a feast, and migrant workers also have to return to Thailand after work, but pastoral care does not end there. Wu Qinghua pointed out: “We will encourage them to attend church gatherings near their homes, or help them find a church; if there is a church nearby, If there is no church, we can help them set up gospel groups in their homes, invite brothers and sisters who believe in the Lord to gather together, and even set up a home church.”
Due to uninterrupted pastoral care, these migrant workers who have believed in the Lord and returned to Thailand will preach the gospel to their families, relatives and friends. The Thai Friends Church also holds a three-day and two-night camp for them in Thailand in April every year, so that these believers can Migrant workers who have returned to Thailand can take their families to participate, get to know the Lord, and even believe in the Lord. If some migrant workers who believe in the Lord and have returned home are unable to participate, pastors from Taiyou Church will also visit them.
Through the grace of God and the unremitting efforts of the Thai You Church service team, the number of Thai migrant workers who believe in the Lord and are saved continues to increase. After many people believed in the Lord, their lives were changed by the Lord, they had good testimonies, and they led colleagues and friends to come to the Lord.
Some Thai migrant workers were addicted to alcohol and gambling before they believed in Christ. As a result, they were in debt every month and had no money to send to their families in Thailand. After believing in the Lord, his life was transformed by the Lord. He gave up drinking and gambling, often attended gatherings, and then paid off his debts. He sent money to his family on time every month, and often called his relatives to preach the gospel, eventually leading his family to the Lord.
There are also church brothers and sisters who have received theological equipment and then went to serve in Thai Friends churches in various places. There are also migrant workers who have believed in the Lord and returned to Taiwan to serve as missionaries after returning to their home countries, taking over the important task of preaching the gospel to their compatriots.
Taking practical actions to love Thai migrant workers
Migrant believers return to their home countries due to the expiration of their work terms. The flow of people indeed poses a major challenge to the promotion of the Thai Friends Church's ministry. Migrant workers come to Taiwan to work for three years, but after they believe in the Lord, they only have less than one or two years to receive equipment and training. Their time to participate in church service is even more limited, and then they must return to Thailand.
Every month, believers return to their home countries due to expiration of their work terms, resulting in fewer church gatherings and reduced donations, which also affects rents and daily expenses. Taiyou Church must continue to preach the gospel in various ways and activities; it must also continue to equip and train new believers so that they can grow spiritually and participate in various services in the church.
The service team of Taiyou Church pointed out that if the pastor or brothers and sisters have a burden, they can pray for the pastor and donate for the pastor’s living expenses and the maintenance costs of the old gospel truck. In addition, specific actions that can be participated include: helping to teach Thai migrant workers Chinese on Saturdays and Sundays, or assisting in transporting brothers and sisters to meetings in Thai Friends churches in various places. If the pastor has the burden, he can assist in preaching when the Thai Friends Church holds gospel activities. Please read more information online:https://thaifriendscenter.wixsite.com/chinese.
Take a closer look, are there any Thai migrant workers around you? Maybe a smile, some kindness, a word of affirmation can warm their heart. It would be even better if we could further invite them to participate in evangelistic activities at Taiyou Church or any church! Perhaps God has already started working in their hearts, waiting for someone to lead them to know the Savior, obtain salvation, and enter the family of God.
Note: The mother church of Taiyou Church is located in Zhongli (evening worship), and the branches have the following nine churches (morning worship): Taoyuan Nankan Grace House, Taoyuan Neili Peace House, Taoyuan Guanyin House of Light, Zhubei Hukou Blessed Home, Taichung Dajia Home of Love, Taichung Love Home, Nantou Manai Home, Tainan Anxin Home, and Pingtung Joy Home. As for the Thai Mission Church in Sanchong, New Taipei City, and the Home of Reliance in Shulin, New Taipei City, they were developed with the help of Pastor Xia Yizheng and his colleagues from the Thai Friends Church, but they are not affiliated with the Thai Friends Church.
Jiang Zongyu, whose pen name is "Timothy", currently lives in the Greater Vancouver area of Canada. He is engaged in translation work and also uses his free time to write. Topics include reading experience, movie viewing experience and immigration experience. Most of his works have been published in "The Kingdom of God" magazine and "Fanggezi". "platform.
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