5 Questions With...Angela Lu Fulton

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? I have been attending Friendship since moving to Taipei from Los Angeles in the beginning of 2015.  My work had sent me to Taipei, and although I have family in Kaohsiung, I didn't know anyone in Taipei. My first Sunday in town, I attended the Mandarin side with my mom and our friend, who is the daughter of the church's former pastor. She told me about the English side, which I visited a few weeks later. I loved how friendly everybody was and so I kept coming back.

2. What do you do Monday through Saturday? I am a reporter for WORLD Magazine, a news magazine from a Christian perspective. So sometimes I travel to different cities to report on stories and interview people. That is fun, but most of the time I am on my computer researching, emailing sources, writing, and editing. During the workweek, you will likely find me working at Project 0.1, a co-working space in Shilin run by FPC's own Cordelia Lee. On Wednesdays, I co-lead a women's group called Women of the Word (W.O.W), which you should come check out if you are a woman. 

3. What is something people might be surprised to know about you? In college, I was on our school's fencing team. I wasn't good and I didn't even compete, but I joined after seeing a Facebook ad that said the team needed walk-ons and would teach you how to fence. I had zero prior experience, but thought it would be fun. So I did it for a year. 

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? I think the biggest difficulty is intentionally making time for God in a world full of unending distractions. Our world today provides us with a million things that we could spend our time on, and most of it is easier, more comfortable, and more "fun" than sitting down with a Bible, closing our eyes in prayer, and truly remembering what is most important in this life. I sense it in my own life as, time and time again, I choose to passively scroll through social media rather than digging into the powerful Word of God that should be my greatest treasure.

5. What is your favorite book of the Bible, and why? I like the book of James because of how real it is and how applicable it is to everyday life. I mean, by the second verse, he is already talking about how we should react when (not if) we encounter trials. I always find the book convicting as James points out how counter-cultural "God's way" is when compared to how we would naturally respond to a situation. I love knowing that what believers in the early church struggled with is the same things plaguing us today: taming the tongue, living out our faith, avoiding favoritism, and trusting God in the unknown tomorrows. 

Stories of Grace

In John 5:17, Jesus tells us that “My Father is always at his work, to this very day…” In Philippians 2:13, the Apostle Paul reminds us that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” In our "Stories of Grace" feature, members are invited to share a particular instance of how God has been at work in their lives.

This month, our contributor is Grace Brown.

As a person who grew up in Taiwan, I was entrenched with the belief that you have to work quite hard to win the love and respect of others. For a very long time, in the bottom of my heart, I felt that there was no such thing as unconditional love. Even after I became a Christian, trying to resist the values of the world was not, and is not, easy. This world adores the strong, the smart, the kind, the beautiful, the clever, and the powerful. Even though I have devoted myself to serving the Lord, many times I have also fallen into the trap of trying to earn or work my way to the top. Of taking, rather than giving. Of refusing to accept or admit my weakness.  

But one time, I happened to read a poem by George Herbert, a 17th century Welsh priest in the Church of England. The poem was the third in a series simply called, “Love.” I read it aloud, and it captured my heart:

Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
	Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
	From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
	If I lacked anything.

“A guest," I answered, “worthy to be here”:
	Love said, “You shall be he.”
“I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
	I cannot look on thee.”
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
	“Who made the eyes but I?”

“Truth, Lord; but I have marred them; let my shame
	Go where it doth deserve.”
“And know you not," says Love, “who bore the blame?”
	“My dear, then I will serve.”
“You must sit down," says Love, “and taste my meat.”
	So I did sit and eat.

I was deeply touched by the line, “‘I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear, I cannot look on thee.’ Love took my hand, and smiling did reply, ‘Who made the eyes but I?’“

I can work my way to becoming a diligent, hard-working person. Maybe I can also work my way to becoming a polite person. However, I cannot work my way to becoming a kind person. Kindness flows from the heart, and I know there is no kindness in my heart.

When I encounter the Lord, I often focus on my shortcomings, my flaws, and my sins. I never have a problem admitting that I am a sinner, but I often have a problem believing that the Lord loves me and cares for my well-being. What kind of experience is this? I feel desperate that I cannot change myself to become even a slightly kind and grateful person. So I do not want to look at the Lord ever again.

Yet, Herbert’s poem says, beautifully and most gently, “Who made the eyes but I?” I realize his point that returning to the Lord never lies in my kindness and gratefulness. I will never have enough. It will never be enough. I can only throw myself at the feet of the Lord and depend upon his mercy and love. Yes, the eyes have been marred, but, by that same pair of the eyes, I can look upon the Lord. As a Christian, looking upon the Lord is the essential activity of my life.

But Herbert reminds me that there is also a passive dimension to the Christian life. “You must sit down and taste my meat.” I had never understood that the starting point of Christian spirituality is not working, standing, making something, or even serving. Rather, it is sitting down and receiving, like a newborn baby receives his mother’s tender care, or a girl receives her lover’s passionate embrace. I, too, must sit down and taste my Lord’s meat, accept His love. This is where I start my Christian journey.

Upcoming Events

Happy Easter! Open up your calendars and make sure you have these important dates and events in them...

• Commissioning of Michelle Ko – March 25th. We are commissioning Michelle Ko as our missionary to Africa. This is her second term of service. Following the worship service on the 25th, you may greet Michelle and receive her prayer card regarding her return to Africa as a missionary. You may also give her a special financial offering, and join her for lunch at the church apartment at 1:15 pm. Bring your own lunch. Drinks will be provided. If you need a receipt for your gift, please place your gift in a church giving envelope with your e-mail and phone number.

• Celebrating Judy Chang’s Return – March 25th. We will be having cake downstairs today in the fellowship hall immediately after the service to celebrate the return to health of former elder Bill Chang’s daughter Judy Chang. Come and join us.

• G2C (student ministry group) Picnic – March 25th. Bring your lunch and join us! Meet in the fellowship hall at 1:00pm.  

• Monthly Prayer Group – March 27th, 7:30-9:15pm. Come join us at “The Engine Room,” FPC’s monthly prayer group, for an evening of kingdom-centered prayer. We gather at the church apartment at 7:30pm and go into prayer from 8:00 to 9:15. All are welcome. Contact Peter Brown for the address (pb2059@gmail.com).

• Easter Announcements:

Good Friday Tenebrae Service – Friday, March 30th, 7:30-8:30pm. The purpose of the Tenebrae service is to recreate the emotional aspects of the passion story. The tone is meant to be somber because the occasion is somber. It is a service that lets the accent fall on the darkness of the crucifixion of Christ. The music will be led by Alan Fiol and our orchestra, and includes readings from the crucifixion story, the lighting and the extinguishing of candles, and the return of the Christ candle at the end looking forward to his resurrection. It will include cross nailing and the Lord’s Supper.

Easter Sunday Service – Sunday, April 1st. The children will be presenting on this day during the worship service.

• G2C (student ministry group) Retreat, April 4th-6th. We will be holding our first-ever retreat in Wulai. Spots are limited, so sign up quickly. You can either LINE-message “uscby,” or use this QR code.

• Offering Tax Receipts. The 2017 tax offering receipts are at the office. If you would like to receive your receipt, please visit Anna. The receipts will be held through the month of April, but will no longer be available after that. Make sure you pick yours up.

• Baptism Class – April 8th, 1:30–2:30pm. There will be a Sunday School class for adults on the topic of baptism. The class will be held in room 801 of the building at 261 Roosevelt Road. All are welcome.

• Fit Kids Club Outreach – April 21st, 9:00am – 2:00pm.  Our next Fit Kids event will be at the Ban Qiao 435 Art Zone. On April 21st, Jackie Zuiderhof and her team will be leading us in lots of fun, games, and art activities! Details of how to get there and the scheduled plan of activities will be handed out during Sunday school closer to the time. Fit Kids is an outreach ministry, so take this opportunity to invite along some friends. 

• Church Membership Class – April 28th & 29th.  Get it on your calendar. Details to follow.