Over 5,000 images of the Matzu goddess flown in to Taiwan!

You may know the gravity and urgency for special prayers for Taiwan this month. Over 5,000 images of the Matzu goddess were flown in from all over the world. It is expected that more than 10,000 images will be displayed in Beigang Town which is quite close to Chiayi City, where SEND's churchplanting teams are placed.  This is unprecedented and the show of strength of the popular religion of Taiwan is revived and have also spread far and wide. One small but important view we may deduce from this event is that the preaching of the gospel in Taiwan has brought this religion on the defensive. Our contention is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. We need spiritual sensitivity, unity and true holiness in the Church and protection among the church planters who are in the forefront of this spiritual warfare.

Matsu EasyCards available

Taipei EasyCard Corp has cooperated with Taipei’s Songshan Ciyou Temple to issue 5,000 EasyCards that were “blessed” by Matsu, the goddess of sea worshiped in the temple, as an effort to extend the card’s popularity. The “Matsu Blessing EasyCard” is a third of the size of a regular EasyCard, and comes with a talisman. The NT$390 EasyCard sets will be available for presale at FamilyMart convenience stores starting today. Corporation director Chang Chia-sheng (張家生) said the Matsu EasyCards are printed with the goddess’ icon, and were placed above the incense burner as a ritual to receive blessing from the deity. According to the temple’s chairman, Chen Yu-feng (陳玉峰), the temple ordered special-edition EasyCards with Matsu’s icon on the cover and has given them to volunteers and students as gifts, and the company later decided to work with the temple in issuing Matsu EasyCards because of the popularity of such cards.