A Short History

Our family arrived in Taiwan in October, 1990. Our son, Luke, was just two months old. Norm and Nadine Lehman, who were the senior couple with BMM in Taiwan at that time, helped us to get settled in the central city of Taichung. We soon enrolled in language study, taking turns watching Luke and going to class. During our two-and-a-half years of language and cultural studies, Rose was born in 1992 and Beth was born about 15 months later. During the last two years of our term we assisted with a church planting effort in the nearby city of Changhua.

After a year in the US, we returned to Taiwan in 1997 and settled in the southern city of Kaohsiung, the second largest city in Taiwan. There we gained experience by helping missionary Keith Cullers, who was then far along in the process of planting Freedom Baptist Church in the suburb of FengShan. We ministered as assistants there, then pastored the church for two years during the Cullers absence to help nurture it to maturity.

Second floor auditorium in our original church location

At the beginning of our third term in 2002,  God led us to begin a new church planting effort in the DzwoYing district of Kaohsiung. This was the first work initiated by our family. The first service of Cornerstone Baptist Church was held in September, 2002 in the first floor store-front of our home, which was located on one of the city’s major thoroughfares. During the first year, we rarely had a service without visitors—sometimes many visitors. When our first floor meeting room filled up, it became necessary to move the church sanctuary to second floor, which was larger. One by one people were saved, baptized, and discipled. Other believers came from churches where they were not being fed spiritually.  When the church continued to grow, our family moved into a nearby apartment so that the church could use third floor for Sunday School space. Cornerstone Baptist Church was formally organized in April 2005.

In 2007 God brought missionaries Pat and Mary Delaney, short-term missionaries Tad and Hannah Wychopen, and single missionary Dolly Wong to help lead the church while our family took a furlough in the US. Under their ministry the church was strengthened and grew. Upon our return in 2008 we faced the urgent need for larger facilities.  God providentially led us to the building directly adjoining our original location, which was a corner property with nearly two-and-a-half times the floor space. The church continues to grow and we continue to train, teach, and lead the congregation toward the goal of becoming completely indigenized.