RCMI Newsletter September 2020
The Carpenter's House, Kaohsiung - Sharing God's Love With the Poorest of the Poor.
RCMI is focusing all our abilities on promoting the vision of "The Gospel for China, China for the Gospel" to raise up God's great Last Days' army to preach the Gospel to the "Poorest of the Poor" -- those that nobody wants, nobody loves, and nobody cares for.
"Listen, my beloved brothers. Hasn't God chosen those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith..." (James 2:5)
Pastor Scott and Maggie at Hong Kong Revival Christian Church (1997)
Pastor Scott's Testimony:
One Gospel has the power to alleviate the suffering caused by all the many kinds of poverty.
The Gospel is Good News and must be preached to the poor; but there are countless reasons for, and many kinds of, poverty. How can just one Gospel meet the needs of all these different kinds of suffering people, all at the same time? The problems of the poor can't be solved just by quoting "For God so loved the world..." or saying "I'll pray for you" to a suffering person. So, I ask myself, how should I start? What practical steps can I take?
In 1991, Pastor Scott and his wife met while they were at Revival Christian Church, where they also became involved in ministry in RCMI. Pastor Dennis's story of Spirit-led evangelism accompanied them as they grew in spirit, and at age 23 God called Pastor Scott to full-time ministry. With a mixture of anticipation and fear, he chose to accept that calling.
When they first arrived in Taiwan, Pastor Scott and his wife ministered to young people and mountain dwellers.
In 1997, Pastor Scott went as a single man to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where he lived in a small community. He recollects, "I often used to see an old lady bringing her mentally ill son to sit in our community park. One day she said to me, "You know my son is mentally ill. I'm old now and can't take care of him very well anymore. I see you are single, so is it possible you can move in and live with us? For us, it will be like we have someone to look after us..." Because I wanted to save on rent, I moved in with them and stayed in the same room with the lady's son. I helped him with simple cleaning, and once in a while we would talk freely about everything and anything under the sun. We also always ate supper together ... those were happy, carefree days."
The Carpenter's House - Visiting Families of Elderly Patient
The Carpenter's House - Selling Breakfast
The Carpenter's House - Loving Kids!
The Carpenter's House - Loving Our Community
2008 - The Birth of The Carpenter's House
The news that Pastor Scott was living with the mentally ill boy got around. Maybe it was that disadvantaged people were all looking for a place they could call home ... little by little, single moms with their children, homeless people who slept in the park, seriously ill elderly people ... started coming, every one of them a precious gem that had been hurt in some way... And this is how Pastor Scott and his wife started living 24 hours a day with (or you could say, they were ministering 24 hours a day to) those "gems." Because the number of people was increasing, they rented a small abandoned school campus from the government and remodeled the classrooms into dorms and workshops, and a shipping container shed into a church. Daily they worshiped together, lived together, and worked together; and in the process Our Heavenly Father's love comforted many injured hearts and healed many illnesses. Because of our Father's love, every one of these poor has had their shame wiped away and their dignity restored; and this has nothing to do with money! The truth is that just one Gospel has loosed all these poor from every sort of poverty and pain; and also our Heavenly Father has healed Pastor Scott from all fear of poverty and lack and has taught him and his wife the marvelous works of Jesus. Today, The Carpenter's House has become a big family of 90 members!
The Ethos of Carpenter's House
Institutions that take people in usually put the mentally ill in mental hospitals, elderly in homes for the elderly, orphans in orphanages, etc., where there are social workers, teachers, and others to care for them, provide therapy, etc. But The Carpenter's House is not such an institution: the residents include orphans, widows, homeless, the mentally ill and handicapped, the terminally ill, elderly who used to live by themselves, recovering drug or alcohol addicts, marginalized young people ... and many of them have been reborn. Together they form an interconnected family web, all needy but helping one another, living and thriving together. In the Home you'll see a recovered alcoholic caring for a terminally ill elderly person with whom he has no blood relationship ... and a widow helping a mentally handicapped child (with whom she likewise has no blood relationship) to write Chinese characters -- it's just like a normal relationship between a mother and her son. This is Jesus' big family, not an institution that takes in needy people.
The Rejuvenated Caring for the Mentally Handicapped
Children Taking Care of One Another
An RCC Missionary Joseph Pang Teaching “How to Express Your Feelings”
Living With Dignity
This group of weak souls need to rebuild their faith and self-confidence. We provide work opportunities for them by making and selling egg rolls, popsicles, ice cream, scallop sauce, and brown sugar; also, through aquaponics (raising fish and vegetables together), planting spices, etc. The residents not only support one another; they also make a living for themselves with their own two hands and thus live with dignity.
A Community Lifestyle: "Home Life" is one kind of pattern for the church. We are extending the innate strength of this pattern to nearby communities, establishing churches, promoting a more caring model of pastoral care and discipleship training, and calling more people to full involvement in Gospel ministry. Together with others, we are building a circle of churches in joint life for the Lord's glory, working with one heart and mind to promote the Gospel, to bring the fires of revival! Hallelujah!
"Living with Dignity" Carpenter's House Products:
Luoquan Noodles with X.O. Scallop Sauce
"Living with Dignity" Carpenter's House Products: Mama's Hongkong-style Egg Rolls
"Living with Dignity" Carpenter's House Products:
Aquaponics (Raising Fish and Vegetables Together)
Needs of The Carpenter's House During This Pandemic:
Before the pandemic, the income of the Home depended on peddling our products and the offerings of our brothers and sisters in Christ to meet our expenses. But since the pandemic began our income has dropped sharply -- now it's only a quarter of what we were normally receiving before. But costs of the Home's daily meals, medical care for the elderly, schooling for the children, diapers for the babies, etc., very much need the support of everyone in order for us to keep going! Please do not allow the flow of love in this place to stop! Whatever we do for them, it's just as if we've done it for Jesus -- glorifying God and benefiting people!
Revival Christian Church, Kaohsiung
The Carpenter's House
Founders Pastor Scott Hung & Maggie Kwok
RCMI and The Carpenter's House are joining hands and establishing the Angel Project. We are putting out the call -- let's bring our willing, eager offerings; together let's obtain the reward of those who entertain angels!
Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)
The Carpenter's House Family
At this time The Carpenter's House has about 90 residents. We want to keep these family members here with us and help them live life with meaning and dignity, but the work needs your support! So, as you support these angelic members of the Carpenter's House family, may God give you the reward of those who entertain angels!
Ways to Donate:
1. Support one family member of Carpenter's House for one meal, HK $12 (US $1.60) a day, or HK $360 (US $ 48) a month.
2. Provide living expenses for one family member for five days: HK $300 (US $ 40), which includes room & board and medical costs.
3. A one-time gift of $ ____.
If you have any inquiries, please contact Sister WaWa Sung at The Carpenter's House by phone, WhatsApp, Line, or Signal: +886 988 778 332
Donation in Hong Kong:
Revival Chinese Ministries: Please Designate your offering for the 'Angel Project.'
Donation in Taiwan:
Bank Name： Taiwan Cooperative Bank TACBTWTP524
Account No： 5746-717-314026
Name of Payee: Life Spring Holistic Care Association
Donation from Overseas:
Bank Name： TAIWAN COOPERATIVE BANK, GANGDU BRANCH
Bank Address：NO.230 JHONGJHENG 4TH RD.CIANJIN DIST. KAOHSIUNG TAIWAN
Account No： 5746-717-314026
SWIFT CODE： TACBTWTP524
Name and address of Payee: Life Spring Holistic Care Association, No.350, Dazhuang Rd., Gangshan Dist., Kaohsiung City 820, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
My offering:
Online Donation:
Paypal www.paypal.me/rcmi
Other Donation methods:
Cheques Donation:
You are welcome to send your love offering to support the Chinese Churches through our ministries in China to your nearest RCMI office. Please have your gift clearly designated on the memo line, or with a note enclosed. A receipt will be sent to you.
For other ways to donate, please go to:
