January 2011 News

Hope you are all doing well. It was great to see some of you, although only briefly, while we were in the States this Summer. Our church in Taichung City, Taiwan which is experiencing revival is keeping us busier than ever. It seems like there are unlimited opportunities to preach the gospel, do discipleship training and minister to people and families. Here is a picture of the youth group performing during our 2010 Christmas Meeting which was held outside to attract shoppers in the surrounding business district (To see more pictures of the Christmas meeting, click here.)
Praise God - 211 baptized in 2010! In 2010, our church, Muyi Church (Desiring Righteousness Church), baptized 211 people. For Taiwan, an area known to be very resistant to the gospel, where the percentage of Christians in the general population has hovered around 3% for many years, this represents a great victory. This is God’s work and His answer to your prayers. But the battle here is by no means over. The vast majority of people in Taiwan are still in grips of darkness, idolatry, ancestor worship, fortune-telling, sexual immorality, gambling and other bondages. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Our Work. Barth continues to preach regularly on Sunday and in special meetings. He is a regular speaker on forgiveness and overcoming temptation in the deliverance retreat held for new believers. He also holds classes on the biblical foundations for praise and worship and a practicum on piano techniques. Janine is a small group leader, teaches on Old Testament subjects and heads a creative ministry team. She is also a regular speaker at the women's deliverance retreat. (Here is a picture of Barth preaching at a recently established church in the town of Caotun.)

Christmas Music Video. During the Christmas program, Barth performed a set on the saxophone and led a band. Here are two videos of Barth's saxophone performance. (Click here to hear Barth perform "Jazz Jingle Bells".) Barth also performed a song entitled "There is a Gift" with an interactive music video. The video, mostly in Chinese, says that if someone gives you a gift and you don’t accept it, you will never know what’s inside, and that Jesus is the greatest gift we could ever receive. (Click here to see the "Gift" performance.)

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year filled with God’s love and the surrounded by family and friends. Jesus truly is the most precious gift we can ever receive.