At a special gathering in Thailand on Monday 27 November Dr Patrick Fung handed over the role of General Director of OMF International to Dr Joseph Chang.
Joseph is OMF International’s 11th General Director in the organisation’s almost 160-year history. Originally from Taiwan, Joseph and his wife Lori have relocated to OMF’s International Centre in Singapore for the role.
Trained as a medical doctor, Joseph started his ministries in community health development. Later, he became involved in diaspora and returnee ministries, reaching out to Thai and Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan and assisting them in church planting back home.
Subsequently, Joseph became the Executive Director of a ministry where he oversaw non-governmental organisations and marketplace ministries, as well as missional businesses. Most recently, Joseph has been an International Director and a member of OMF’s International Leadership Team since January 2020.
At the handover event, Patrick Fung shared that when D.E Hoste succeeded Hudson Taylor as General Director of the China Inland Mission, Hoste requested prayer for three things: a willingness to be small, to be poor in spirit and to suffer hardship. Patrick remarked that these are rare qualities in leaders and echoed them in his prayer for Joseph to know the power of God, sufficiency of Christ and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.
‘I may disappoint you’ and I will make mistakes, Joseph candidly began by telling the gathered leaders of OMF, before sharing his five commitments as General Director: ‘I commit to learn to live a life holy to God. I commit to discern the Lord’s will attentively first of all. I commit to listen to you and our colleagues humbly. I commit to take the necessary action boldly. And I commit to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. As the General Director of OMF I urge you to do the same so we may please our Lord’, he concluded.
As Joseph takes on the role, we thank Patrick and Jennie Fung for their dedication and work with OMF. Patrick has served as General Director since 2006 and will be moving into a new role as OMF Global Ambassador. In other changes in OMF’s International Leadership Team, Faye Hohaia from New Zealand takes over as Assistant General Director from Sam Wunderli and will also be based in Singapore with Joseph.
We pray for God’s blessing on the International Leadership Team as they take OMF into this new chapter, continuing to share the good news of Jesus Christ in all its fullness with East Asia’s people.
Originally from Webpage "OMF International"
CCD edited and reprinted with permission
