Taiwan congregation's generosity builds churches in Philippines, Tanzania

By Matthew Davies, August 18, 2009 [Episcopal News Service] When parishioners at St. James' Episcopal Church in Taichung, Taiwan heard about a group of Filipinos holding services under a mango tree, they were inspired to raise funds so that the community could worship in a building of its own.

That was in 1998 and the congregation's generosity saw the dedication of Christ the King in Sandeline, Diocese of the Central Philippines, the following year. But that was only the beginning. Eleven years later, St. James has funded the construction of 10 churches in the Philippines and one in Central Tanganyika, Tanzania.

The congregation at Christ the King are Igorot, an ethnic group from the Cordillera region on the Philippines island of Luzon that had moved from the mountainous provinces looking for land and work.

"The thought of that small Christian community worshiping week after week under a mango tree moved me to want to help them," said the Rev. Charles C. T. Chen, former rector of St. James' Church.

The congregation at St. James raised $6000 to build the church and a further $3,000 to connect a permanent water supply to serve the whole community.

Formerly a Spanish colony, the Philippines was predominantly Roman Catholic until Americans colonized the country in 1898 and Anglican missionary work began in the north and among Muslim populations in the south. Four Anglican dioceses were established by 1971 and the Episcopal Church in the Philippines became an autonomous province in 1990.

The story of St. James' beginning is not dissimilar to that of Christ the King.

Following five decades of Japanese colonization, all of the Anglican church buildings in Taiwan were given to other denominations. The Taiwan Episcopal Church was established in 1954, and for many years Episcopalians in Taichung met in the American military compound for English services only.

In 1971, a donation of $30,000 from Christ Church in Greenville, Diocese of Upper South Carolina, matched by an equal amount raised by church members, enabled St. James' Church to be built in Taichung. It was one of many missions started by Christ Church under then rector, the Rev. Tom Carson, which continue to bear fruit today, according to an article from the Diocese of Taiwan.

At the time, the dioceses of Taiwan and Upper South Carolina shared a companion relationship. Today, the Diocese of Taiwan is part of the Episcopal Church's Province VIII. It is the only overseas diocese of the Episcopal Church in Asia.

Five years after St. James' Church was built, and in response to the needs of a growing church kindergarten, another building was constructed with a donation from the United Thank Offering (UTO), an Episcopal Church grant-making agency.

Today, there are four large buildings on the St. James' Church compound, housing Chinese and English congregations, a thriving kindergarten, community service center, counseling center and language institute, the article said.

"In Taiwan, we had nothing and we were so poor," said Chen. "Now we have everything, so it is time for us to help others. Just as Christ Church … and the UTO gave so willingly to us in our early days, so we want to express our thanks by sharing our wealth with others."

Four of the churches constructed in the Philippines have been collective church efforts; the others have been donated by church members, all anonymously, the article said.

In addition to its mission work in the Philippines, St. James' has funded construction of a steel canopy for St. James' Church in Anhui, mainland China; a month's salary for the staff of a seminary in Yunnan province (also mainland China); and training of three seminarians in the Diocese of Sabah, Malaysia, and provision of two motorcycles for their clergy.

More recently, St. James' kindergarten has started to raise money for Africa. Three years ago, the annual fundraising bazaar held each Mother's Day raised enough to build a church in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika, Tanzania. The building is used for worship on Sundays and as a kindergarten the rest of the week.

This year, $3,000 was sent to the Diocese of Kisoro in Uganda for vulnerable children in the 'Potters Village', and $2,000 to St. Stephen's Mission in northern Taiwan for outreach work among the poor and needy.

"Most of the churches in Taiwan can testify to the generosity of St. James' in their own building programs, part of the vision of St. James' to keep a balance between helping those at home and those abroad," the article said. Chen hopes St. James' will inspire other churches in Taiwan and around the world to offer help to others.

Meanwhile, in Greenville, "Christ Church continues to look for opportunities to be apostles of Christ's love," said the Rev. Harrison McLeod, rector.

-- Matthew Davies is editor of Episcopal Life Online and international correspondent for the Episcopal News Service.

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