The Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) Faculty and Staff Choir transformed music into a ministry of care during its Summer Hymn Testimony and Community Outreach Program in Hualien from June 27 to 29. A total of 55 choir members and their family members participated in the three-day outreach.
Visiting healthcare facilities, churches, and rehabilitation centers, the choir shared hymns, personal testimonies, and compassionate fellowship with local communities. Through music and service, they conveyed the love and hope of the Christian faith while putting CYCU’s commitment to whole-person education into practice.
Founded on Christian values, Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) is committed to whole-person education and community service. Since its establishment in 1965, the CYCU Faculty and Staff Choir has carried forward a tradition of sharing faith through sacred music, ministering in churches, hospitals, prisons, and communities in Taiwan and abroad. Organized by the University Chaplain’s Office, this outreach program reflects CYCU’s mission to extend the spirit of faith beyond campus, using music to bring comfort, hope, and care to those in need.
On June 27, the first day of the program, the choir visited the Mennonite Christian Hospital Shoufeng Branch Nursing Home in Hualien. After an orientation and prayer led by Pastor Mei-Yu Chao, the choir performed hymns in the common area before visiting residents in their rooms, offering encouragement, companionship, and blessings through music and personal interaction.
On June 28, the choir joined the Sunday worship service at Meilun Church in Hualien, where they worshiped alongside the congregation and performed several hymns, including How Great Thou Art, Come to the Music, and Born for Love. CYCU Chaplain Rev. Hsin-Yi Lee then delivered a message titled I Love to Sing Hymns, encouraging the congregation to express faith, gratitude, and hope through music. The service concluded with the choir’s performances of Jehovah’s Blessings Abound and Be Strong in the Lord, bringing encouragement and blessings through worship and fellowship.
On the final day of the outreach, June 29, the choir visited the Taiwan Christian Agape Home Counseling Center, a faith-based organization dedicated to addiction recovery and life restoration. The program began with an interactive session led by Hsin-Hsin Kao, Chair of the CYCU Faculty and Staff Fellowship, helping participants learn more about the university and the choir. The choir then performed How Great Thou Art and Born for Love, followed by a presentation from Deputy Executive Director Yung-Sheng Pao, who introduced the center’s history and its ongoing ministry of supporting individuals on their journey toward recovery and renewed lives.
CYCU noted that the Hualien outreach was more than a musical ministry—it was a journey of faith in action and compassionate service. Through hymns, fellowship, and personal testimonies, the Faculty and Staff Choir shared the love and hope of the Christian faith while reflecting the University’s mission of whole-person education rooted in Christian values.
Looking ahead, the University Chaplain’s Office will continue to promote pastoral care and life education initiatives, encouraging faculty and staff to serve others through their lives and extend God’s love and blessings from the campus into the wider community.
