Co-operative spirit marks Taiwanese General Assembly.

The 44th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) convened in one of Taiwan's largest church buildings, the Presbyterian Church in the hot, dusty southern town of Kang-Shan, from April 8 to 10. Once again, the Assembly theme was "Light Up Taiwan, Renew Our Spirituality." More than 500 pastor and elder representatives from the 11 plains, nine aboriginal presbyteries and five aboriginal districts travelled by bus to and from the city of Kaohsiung, 30 kilometres to the south, where they were billeted in a fivestar hotel.

The Assembly opened Tuesday afternoon with a solemn service of worship, followed by the introduction of foreign and local partner-church representatives. A new Chinese Bible which has accompanying phonetic symbols was presented by the secretary of the Bible Society. The congregation then remembered with thanksgiving the lives and contributions of 10 Taiwanese pastors and five foreign missionaries who died during the past year, including Canadian Presbyterians Clare McGill and Ted Ellis. A warm welcome was given to the one "new" missionary, Georgine Caldwell, who has returned to Taiwan for a "recycled" career.

Rev. Lee Pu-yi, pastor of the host church, was elected Moderator. Rev. Hsieh Kai-ming was elected Vice-Moderator and Rev. Hsu Tien-hsien was elected clerk. The new officer, vice-clerk Rev. Lee Fu-chan, is a member of the Tayal tribe. This means the moderator-ship in 2000 will be held by an aboriginal, only the second aboriginal Moderator in PCT history. Another important event was the election of Associate General Secretary Rev. William Lo Jung-Kuang to succeed Rev. C. S. Yang as General Secretary in 1998. Lo, who is from the Hakka minority, is an independence activist and is also active in the Presbyterian Year 2000 Evangelistic Movement.

The Assembly closed one day early as overtures and reports were completed on the second full day. The Assembly lecture, given by Professor Huang Po-ho of Tainan Seminary, on "The Meaning of China's Takeover of Hong Kong," explored this important event and its relation to the future of Taiwan.