Wheat falls to the ground and bears fruit--Memorial Service for Rev. Thomas Barclay and other Missionaries

[Reported by the Office of the Chaplain]

October 5th is the 88th anniversary of Pastor Barclay's death. Chang Jung Christian University, Chang Jung Girls' High School, and Barclay Memorial Park Sustainability Development Association,  Tainan East Gate Barclay Memorial Church, and Tainan East Gate Barclay Historical Education Promotion Association jointly held a memorial service at Tainan Christian Cemetery. 

We Sang hymns and sharing information during the service, this year we specially invited Mr. Hsin-Yuan Lee, the director general of the Tainan East Gate Buckley Historical Education Promotion Association, to introduce and share the wonderful deeds of the missionaries who came to Taiwan in the 19th and 20th centuries and dedicated themselves like wheat to the ground. These missionaries include Pastor Buckley, Miss Jane A. Lloyd, Miss Mrgaret Barnett,  Miss Marjorie Amy Brooking, Pastor William Thow, Dr. Gavin Russell, Dr. Mrs. Elizabeth Christie Ferguson, Miss Hannah Connell, etc. They are all buried together in the Tainan Christian Cemetery. . These missionaries imitate Jesus Christ, just like a grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying, so that it can bear more fruit. Because the wheat falling to the ground and dying, it brings more new life. Because these missionaries had brought great blessings to the land and people of Taiwan, whether in the gospel, medical care, education, etc. Director-General Lee also used his research on this cemetery to share the topography and historical stories of this cemetery, which is called Taiwan’s first Christian cemetery. Pastor Kuan-Ling Liu, pastor of Chang Jung Girls' High School, also led three students to participate and used a eulogy to recall Miss Mrgaret Barnett and Miss Jane A. Lloyd, the religious predecessors who founded the girls' school, which is now Chang Jung Girls' High School.

President Yung-Lung Lee of CJCU, who is the chairman of the Tainan Bucklay Memorial Park Sustainability Development Association, shared that in gratitude for the missionaries’ contributions to the land and society, CJCU established the Ecological Education Center in Bucklay Park to promote ecological and environmental education. We hope to inherit the spirit of missionaries’ contribution to Taiwan and exert their influence on society. Pastor Ping-Hsi Liu of Tainan East Gate Bucklay Church mentioned the importance of remembrance, which is to review the spirit of dedication of the predecessors and become the driving force for today's progress. We offered flowers to commemorate, did the benediction, and expressed our gratitude to these missionaries for their contributions to the land and people of Taiwan.

Pastor Kuan-Ling Liu, pastor of Chang Jung Girls' High School led three students to participate and used a eulogy to recall the predecessors who founded the girls' school.

Offering flowers to commemorate the contributions of grateful missionaries to the land and people of Taiwan.

Doing benediction, expecting to pass the spirit of the missionaries' contribution to this land of Taiwan.