2019/10/05 The memorial service for commemorating Pastor Barclay

Chang Jung Christian University held  memorial service for commemorating Pastor Barclay

Chang Jung Christian University and Tainan Barclay Memorial Park Sustainability Management Association held a memorial service for the pastor Barclay at the Tainan Christian Cemetery on October 5th. We are grateful for his dedication in Taiwan on education, on working the peace for Taiwan people.

Dr. Yung-Lung Lee, the president of CJCU, led the school's first-level director, the director of the association, Mr. Cai Wangzun, the chairman of the Tainan branch of the Wilderness Protection Association, Huang Jialong, the president of the Chang Jung Girls' High School, Cai Yumin, the president of Chang Jung Senior High School, Dai Zhixun and the executive director of the Tainan Theological College and Seminary, Liang Shuzhen, to participate in the memorial activities. Dr. Yun-Lung Lee said that history has led us to advance. Dr. Burclay wrote a vow to God at the age of 16 and devoted himself to dedication. It is a model for young people in this generation.

All people who participated in the memorial service were doing rememberance about the story of pastor Barclay. Pastor Barclay was born in 1849 in Glasgow, Scotland, and he came to Taiwan to teach in 1875. He devoted 60 years in Taiwan and contributed a lot to Taiwan's educational modernization.

Pastor Barclay has many far-reaching contributions to Taiwan. The first is the establishment of the Tainan Theological College and Seminary to introduce new higher education to Taiwan. The second is to establish the "Fucheng Church Newspaper", which is the predecessor of the Taiwan Church News, and the "Pe̍h-ōe-jī、POJ" in Roman alphabet, so that people who cannot understand Chinese characters can learn to read and gain new knowledge and understand the truth. Third, he completed the translation of the Old and New Testament Bibles. His translated Taiwanese Bible is faithful and elegant. Until today, no other Taiwanese translations can replace its status.

In 1896, the defeat of the Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan, and the Japanese army was fiercely resisted in the process of entering Taiwan. On October 20th, the black flag army Liu Yongfu fled from Anping, and the Fucheng merchants were deeply afraid of the Japanese military massacre. So they asked a minister of British to come and help Tainan City and the Japanese army to seek peace. So Pastor Barclay and Pastor Song Zhongjian went to the second floor to negotiate with General Nokio of Japan, which enabled the Japanese to enter the city peacefully and save the lives of the people. They used a quiet attitude to become peace messengers in troubled times.

"Those who report the gospel and pass the good news, how beautiful their footsteps are!" For the sake of feeling and let more people know Dr. Barclay, Chang Jung Christian University will present the life story of Dr. Barclay during the school celebration in November and the Barclay Memorial Park.