Thanks to a recent boom in Taiwan’s service industry, men and women with little education often work in department stores, hair salons and restaurants.

Shop-workers often work 12-hour shifts and mostly stand around all day, waiting for customers. Many come from broken family backgrounds and have had little exposure to the gospel. They are cut off from contact with regular churches by their life-style and working schedule.

OMFer Elisabeth Weinmann started ministering to shop-workers in Taipei County by visiting them at work, listening and passing out evangelistic materials to them at work. Through lots of love and perseverance, she single-handedly started a shop-workers church that now has more than 100 members.

Most activities take place late at night after the stores close. Many of these people have experienced little love and carry deep hurts, so apart from formal teaching and discipleship a lot of time is spent counseling individuals and building community to provide a family atmosphere.

In 2004 Elisabeth passed the original ministry on to Taiwanese leadership so that she could start a new church in the center of Taipei. Within two years these has built up to number about 80 people. She is praying that God will call new missionaries to join her so the ministry can be replicated in many other areas of Taiwan.

The ministry involves:

• visitation in department stores
• one to one counseling
• small group Bible study
• "midnight church" - meets after the stores close at 10 pm
• communal living
• regular celebrations, parties and outings.

The book, "Dead Women Walking" (OMF and Monarch Books), is the true story of three converts from the shop-worker’s ministry.