The founder, Teacher Wu Mei-yun, was born in Huatan, Changhua, Taiwan. She was originally an elementary school teacher. At the age of 29, she was baptized at the Taipei Gongguan Presbyterian Church. After her baptism, she gave up her secure elementary teaching position—considered a “golden rice bowl” at the time—to study in the Department of Religious Music at Taiwan Theological College and Seminary. After graduating, she served in music ministry within the Presbyterian Church until she married her husband and immigrated to the United States.
Following her husband’s retirement, Teacher Wu and her spouse returned to Taiwan, where she dedicated herself to children’s music education for a decade. During this time, she composed an extensive amount of children’s music and instructional materials. Many kindergartens used her music books as their standard curriculum.
After ten years, her children’s music career reached its peak. One day, while sharing a meal with four kindergarten directors of different faiths, one of them told her, “Your children’s music work has reached its summit. You graduated from a theological seminary; you should go and serve your Lord.” In response to God’s calling, Teacher Wu and her husband returned to a seminary in the United States, beginning 12 years of pastoral missionary work.
After retiring from missionary work and returning to Taiwan, Teacher Wu exercised every morning at the nearby Rongxing Garden. Realizing that the exercise groups she had joined over the past three months were mostly associated with other religions, she prayed, “Oh God! Please let me create an exercise group that belongs to You.” Thus, she began using scriptures from the Bible to write hymns and design movements, creating Praise Exercises—a fitness routine that allows participants to exercise and worship God simultaneously.