Seoul, South Korea
At the beginning of April, Regional Coordinators gathered in Seoul, South Korea at the invitation of Grace Shim, Serve Globally’s Executive Minister. This was an opportunity to be together and work on strategic planning as well as learn from mission partners in Korea.
One of the highlights for our group was visiting Hallelujah Church, in Seoul which was founded by Grace’s father, Dr. David Kim. This is an incredible church with such a vibrancy and missional vision. Over the years they have equipped hundreds of local and international mission workers and have been a hub for resourcing and encouraging churches around the country. We received a tour from pastor Kim, and though he has been retired for more than 15 years we were touched to see the deep love the people have for him. Each time he met a member of the congregation their faces lit up and we could feel their love and respect for him. Hallelujah Church is a small window into the energy of the Korean Church, and the impact they are having in global missions. This church is supporting 200 missionaries who are serving all over the world.
We also had the sense of holistic ministry and mission, as they host a medical clinic, a vibrant outreach to youth and children, ministry in the arts, and elaborate discipleship ministries. Each Sunday they serve around 2000 meals to members and visitors after the church services!
Grace Shim with her father Dr. David Kim.
During our lunch he shared powerfully from his life experience and God’s faithfulness over all the years. Dr. Kim grew up in North Korea when it was under Japanese occupation. He shared how his family and the church were persecuted during that time, and that after the war and Japanese left the persecution was even more brutal under the Communist leadership. At the age of 11 he and his siblings were forced to flee to the south leaving family and community behind. It would be 40 years before he saw his mother again.
Dr. Kim received a scholarship to study in the United States where he was trained and ordained as a pastor. After serving churches there and raising his family, he and his wife moved back to Seoul in 1990 with a big vision and incredible energy to serve in Korea.
We had a guided tour through the Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery which is the resting place of 145 missionaries and their families. Yanghwajin Hall is a museum that tells the story of the first missionaries and their lasting legacy in Korea.
The first opening for the Gospel in Korea was in 1883, but God was already at work nearly ten years before preparing the way. John Ross, a missionary based in China met people from Joseon, (modern Korea) in China in 1874, and embarked on the translation of the Bible into Korean. The first Korean Bible was published in 1882 which meant that copies of the Korean Bible were introduced before the missionaries arrived! Amazing.
Between 1885 and 1945 about 1,500 missionaries cam to Korea and partnered with the people to build schools, hospitals, churches and cared for the most marginalized groups in Korea. It was a moving experience to have our Korean guide speak with such gratitude for these first missionaries and their love for the Korean people. He pointed out that many of the schools, hospitals and churches are still vibrant even today and that in Korea there is a deep love for these first missionaries and their legacy.
We visited the Demilitarized Zone and learned about the Korean War and the thousands of families that were separated and never reunited. There is a peace memorial and a viewing station where it is possible to see North Korea.
The church in South Korea holds regular prayer vigils for the people of North Korea and for steps towards reunification. Standing in that place was a reminder of the powers that divide and separate people and our call to be agents of reconciliation and healing in our divided world.