South Korea
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
breathing deeply
The past few days have been the best of the trip. We have enjoyed spending time in the rural regions of southern Korea. I'm struggling today to take on the Buddhist values of impermanence. We've been having some problems with our camera and yesterday my dear husband tried to work on it, unknowingly deleting all of the pictures we have so far of the trip. Yes, of course we've tried the deep scans of the SD card but to no avail. I must admit that this is bothering me more than it should, it's a lesson on not being in control, perhaps one of the most significant lessons that I'll learn on sabbatical. Breathing deeply, practicing forgiveness.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
On the move
June 24th
Today we woke up to news that there was a sit in on the floor of the U.S. congress demanding votes for gun restrictions. Jonathan and I took the time, even from South Korea, to call our senators and ask for them to support common sense gun restrictions. We are gun owners for hunting and have some as family heirlooms and at the same time we support in depth background checks for gun ownership as well as limitations on the types of weapons that can be personally owned. We're happy to see our Senator Casey (PA- Democrat) propose legislation that people convicted of hate crimes cannot own guns and our Senator Toomey (PA-Republican) also introducing legislation supporting gun restrictions. In Korea shootings such as the ones that happened in Orlando, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Charleston and other U.S. cities are unimaginable. Korea is a country who has experienced incredible violence from occupying forces throughout its history and still the idea of owning personal arsenals or having such easy access to purchasing weapons is unfathomable.
Today we said good bye to our first host family. We traveled by car to Wonju where we visited one of the largest PROK churches in the denomination. We have heard stories all week about the pastor and his ability to balance both church growth and a commitment to social justice. We visited with him in his office and then he treated us to lunch of buckwheat noodles as he discussed some of the differences between Latin American and Korean liberation theology, I certainly felt like I was sitting at the feet of a very wise man. He is incredible supportive of woman's leadership, especially in the church, his multi-staff congregation has called several woman pastors (a rarity in Korea) and also has women elders (also rare). I enjoyed when looking at the sanctuary he said that the lectern was for the role of priest and the pulpit for the role of prophet and that he spends time in each worship service in both.
In the afternoon we went to a park, Koreans very much like getting out of the city and hiking in their many mountains. Our hike led us to a Buddhist Temple tucked into the woods. The pastor at the church in Wonju sends the monks flowers each year from Buddha's birthday and they send him flowers for Jesus' birth.
We have been accompanied yesterday and today by Rev. Min Heui Cheon of the PROK, our main contact and coordinator for our trip. We stopped briefly to meet her brother who is a doctor in Wonju and then we had dinner with one of the women elders from the Wonju church who is also friends with Rev. Cheon's family. The woman elder is not only active in her local church she is also the chairperson of the reunification committee of the woman's movement within the PROK.
At 7pm we boarded an express bus to Gwangju. The trip took a little over four hours (lovely time to look out the window, read and doze). In Gwangju we were met at the bus station by Rev. Cheon's parents who took us to our hotel for the night. It was our first western style bed (ie not sleeping on the floor) since we arrived.
Today we woke up to news that there was a sit in on the floor of the U.S. congress demanding votes for gun restrictions. Jonathan and I took the time, even from South Korea, to call our senators and ask for them to support common sense gun restrictions. We are gun owners for hunting and have some as family heirlooms and at the same time we support in depth background checks for gun ownership as well as limitations on the types of weapons that can be personally owned. We're happy to see our Senator Casey (PA- Democrat) propose legislation that people convicted of hate crimes cannot own guns and our Senator Toomey (PA-Republican) also introducing legislation supporting gun restrictions. In Korea shootings such as the ones that happened in Orlando, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Charleston and other U.S. cities are unimaginable. Korea is a country who has experienced incredible violence from occupying forces throughout its history and still the idea of owning personal arsenals or having such easy access to purchasing weapons is unfathomable.
Today we said good bye to our first host family. We traveled by car to Wonju where we visited one of the largest PROK churches in the denomination. We have heard stories all week about the pastor and his ability to balance both church growth and a commitment to social justice. We visited with him in his office and then he treated us to lunch of buckwheat noodles as he discussed some of the differences between Latin American and Korean liberation theology, I certainly felt like I was sitting at the feet of a very wise man. He is incredible supportive of woman's leadership, especially in the church, his multi-staff congregation has called several woman pastors (a rarity in Korea) and also has women elders (also rare). I enjoyed when looking at the sanctuary he said that the lectern was for the role of priest and the pulpit for the role of prophet and that he spends time in each worship service in both.
In the afternoon we went to a park, Koreans very much like getting out of the city and hiking in their many mountains. Our hike led us to a Buddhist Temple tucked into the woods. The pastor at the church in Wonju sends the monks flowers each year from Buddha's birthday and they send him flowers for Jesus' birth.
We have been accompanied yesterday and today by Rev. Min Heui Cheon of the PROK, our main contact and coordinator for our trip. We stopped briefly to meet her brother who is a doctor in Wonju and then we had dinner with one of the women elders from the Wonju church who is also friends with Rev. Cheon's family. The woman elder is not only active in her local church she is also the chairperson of the reunification committee of the woman's movement within the PROK.
At 7pm we boarded an express bus to Gwangju. The trip took a little over four hours (lovely time to look out the window, read and doze). In Gwangju we were met at the bus station by Rev. Cheon's parents who took us to our hotel for the night. It was our first western style bed (ie not sleeping on the floor) since we arrived.
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| so very many side dishes with delicious Korean food |
Loving Jesus, you shared so many meals. Meals with your disciples, meals with strangers, meals with those who opposed you and meals with those with whom no one else would join at the table. We thank you Jesus for being present in our meals as we break bread, advocate for justice, discuss hope and long the shalom you taught us while on Earth. Amen.
Three Cheers for Connecticut
June 23rd
This morning started off with one of the most hospitable gestures we've encountered. We took an early morning walk in the neighborhood, a gas station attendant approached us as we were waiting for the crosswalk. In simple English he asked where we were from, then went and got us a cold bottle of water. It reminded me of the text from Matthew "what you do to the least of these you will do to me." I have trouble imagining a gas station attendant in the U.S. approaching strangers, attempting to speak their language, and then offering them something from the store. The encounter was honest, touching and at its essence how Jesus teaches us to treat foreigners.
Today we went to Keyong gi Presbytery and visited the Chowol Church which has a partnership relationship with the Glastonbury UCC congregation in Connecticut. It was fun to see pictures of the UCC church in the pastor's office and in the coffee shop run by the church. The Presbytery has a 20 year partnership with the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ and it was clear that the partnership was important to each of the pastors who joined us for lunch. Rev. Hyun Suk Bae from the Chowel Church, Rev. Donjin Choi from the Hanmok Church and Rev. Sung Gwak from the Dongbusunim church.
After a very long and emotionally full day we had our last night with our host family. It was their oldest son's birthday so we went out to celebrate at a fantastic restaurant in the woods shaped like mushrooms!
This morning started off with one of the most hospitable gestures we've encountered. We took an early morning walk in the neighborhood, a gas station attendant approached us as we were waiting for the crosswalk. In simple English he asked where we were from, then went and got us a cold bottle of water. It reminded me of the text from Matthew "what you do to the least of these you will do to me." I have trouble imagining a gas station attendant in the U.S. approaching strangers, attempting to speak their language, and then offering them something from the store. The encounter was honest, touching and at its essence how Jesus teaches us to treat foreigners.
Today we went to Keyong gi Presbytery and visited the Chowol Church which has a partnership relationship with the Glastonbury UCC congregation in Connecticut. It was fun to see pictures of the UCC church in the pastor's office and in the coffee shop run by the church. The Presbytery has a 20 year partnership with the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ and it was clear that the partnership was important to each of the pastors who joined us for lunch. Rev. Hyun Suk Bae from the Chowel Church, Rev. Donjin Choi from the Hanmok Church and Rev. Sung Gwak from the Dongbusunim church.
After lunch we visited with the Wild Flower Youth Center. It is center specifically designed to assist street children. Korea has such a strong competitive spirit when it comes to academics that some youth simply cannot adjust to school and therefore drop out. Other youth come from broken homes, places of domestic violence, or are caught up in to the sex trade. This school offers an alternative to all of these youth. Classroom style is oriented towards conversation and real life application instead of strict memorization. The school also offers job training with a coffee shop they have which is open to the community. This is an excellent mission and worthy of support.
From the Wild Flower School we went to one of the shelters that houses teens. We visited one of the woman's shelters. The average stay for a teen is three months, which they can extend up to nine months maximum. The girls arrive here through word of mouth of other street teens or through police taking them out of unhealthy situations within their homes. Each girls receives a full entrance interview with a professional counselor to address both their immediate needs and their long term goals. One girl we met at the center came from a family who was divorced, she moved from shelter to shelter because she is a lesbian and was not accepted, this shelter welcomed her in and is helping her to look towards her future with hope. The shelter does outreach on the streets from 8pm to 2pm every Thursday. This allows the shelter to provide some basic necessities (food, water, cloths) to youth on the street, it is a chance to play games with the youth and most importantly to listen to their stories.
It would be blessing if volunteers would come to help work at the shelters, to make financial contributions to their ministry or to host students involved in the Wild Flower School for brief home stays in the U.S. for the teens to experience a different culture and imaging a better future for themselves.
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| Dream Boards written by Wild Flower Youth |
After leaving the shelter we went to the Sewol Ferry Memorial. The Sewol Ferry accident has permeated much of our visit so far, the yellow ribbon declaring that the tragedy will be remember can be seen daily. Over 400 students lost their lives when the ferry sank during a school trip. The children were from a very poor community, the same community where the shelter and youth center are located. Over and over again we have heard concerns that there was collusion between the Korean government and the ferry operator to reduce the ballast in the ferries in order to fit more passengers and cargo, thus receiving higher profits. The unstable ship then tipped over in the water, when the incident was occurring the captain told the students to remain in their interior cabins, thus with the ship falling onto its side their was no way for them to escape. The memorial was row after row after row of the students school pictures. There were also banners with cell phone pictures that the students sent their families in the final minutes. It was very powerful and clearly still a very open wound in the community and the country. The PROK pastor who runs the Wild Flower Youth center was recently asked to serve on an independent commission to investigate the accident because there continues to be silence from the South Korean government on the exact nature of the events leading up to the incident and the families of the victims want to ensure something like this never happens again.
For further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_MV_Sewol
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| Ribbons of remembrance for the Seweol Ferry tragedy |
After a very long and emotionally full day we had our last night with our host family. It was their oldest son's birthday so we went out to celebrate at a fantastic restaurant in the woods shaped like mushrooms!
(Note this was just one day! Each day is so incredibly meaningful and FULL!)
God, we thank you for partnerships that make a difference in the world. We give thanks for those who take the time to listen to those who have been discounted by society. We celebrate those who dedicate their lives to serving youth at risk and lament when lives are lost too young. God you are with us in conversations of hope, in the midst of tragedy and in moments of joy; we give you thanks for experiencing the fullness of life with us through your son Jesus Christ. Amen.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Ansan Region
June 20th
Today we woke up and checked the internet to see the score of the NBA finals, Go Cavs! So excited for Cleveland's victory as a city and as a basketball team.
We visited Hanshin University. The school was instrumental in the founding of the PROK because of its commitment to historical critical Biblical interpretation. The symbol of the school is the rooster because of its tendency to feed others first and because of its cry to Peter when Jesus was captured.
Our next stop was the Hunduk Church. This church is in a rural community and lives by the concept of the Kingdom of God. They work hard to engage the community by offering plots of land for cultivation (similar to our community gardens). The church also maintains its own fields and students from the seminary come to work there at harvest time. The congregation is committed to being in solidarity with the community and they helped out when a local car manufacturer closed down with over 2,000 community members loosing their jobs. The church provided food and holds regular vigils at the factory to call attention to the needs of the workers.
Then we went to the Nogog Church which is also in a rural area of Korea. This church noticed that there were many elderly in the community whose children had left to find work in the cities. This is creating a new crisis for the country that does not have an infrastructure of elderly care, nursing homes, or senior citizen's facilities. The church began by making food weekly and delivering it to area seniors. A man saw this work of the church and gave them a large donation. With that donation they started a senior day care next door to their church for those elderly who suffer from dementia or who have had strokes. We joined the residents as the church van dropped them off at their homes at the end of the day.
The pastor is bi-vocational in addition to his work with the church and with the senior center he is also the director of a large medical cooperative. The cooperative is comprised of about 5,000 members (about a third of the community) who pay a fee to belong, they also have a voice in the administration of the medical center. Members receive medical care at a reduced rate. The center also focuses on providing care to low income members of society and migrant workers. There are three campuses including a dental clinic and also a mobile unit that can go out to the migrants working in the fields.
We ended the day going to cold buckwheat noodles at a roadside restaurant before going back to our host family.
June 21st
This morning was great. We went to the Singal PROK church to help bake bread. They make bread in their welfare center twice a week. The first time is for outreach to the homeless and low income and later in the week to sell at their coffee shop to earn money. We very much enjoyed the laughter and energy of sharing the work of baking bread together. After all of the bread was packaged the whole group of us went to the market area of the city to share lunch at a chicken shop.
In the afternoon we enjoyed walking around the market looking at all of the herbs, vegetables, seafood, spices, kimchi and rice products. Then we picked up our host parents and enjoyed a walk with them in an area park, a chance to stop for coffee and then a nice dinner together. This was their first time hosting international guests and they don't speak any English (nor we any Korean) but it reminds me of the story of Pentecost that the believers, when gathered, understood one another even though they spoke different languages. We share a love of God and commitment to the church of Jesus Christ and that was the important part of what brought us together.
June 22nd
This morning our host family's eldest son arrive from studying in the United States so we finally had a translator other than google translate on our phones to communicate. He took us to one of the family stores. The family owns a medical devise company. They have about 80 stores across Korea. Jonathan and I expected a store, like Brookstone, instead it was more like a community center. There were at least 30 senior citizens in the small shop, all using the heating beds, massage chairs and other products. They can come in every day and use the products for free and the company will provide them lunch. It is much more a ministry and community outreach than just selling a product. Yes, people buy some of the items to take home but they are really meeting a need in their community. The staff asked me to pray for them and their customers and then we took a huge group picture. It was one of the most unexpected and delightful parts of our trip.
Later in the afternoon Rev. Lee took us to the Korean Independence Hall where we learned about Korean history from 1909 to 1945 under the Japanese rule. The museum was helpful to put into context how often foreign countries have dictated the Korean people. Even at the end of 1945 when Japan left it was other countries that signed the armistice agreement that created the division on the 38th parallel between North and South Korea as a way of placating both the United States (South Korea) and Russia (North Korea) after WWII. The site had a striking monument to the dreams for reunification with large arches in the sky representing earth, humanity, and heaven reaching towards one another.
We ended the day with Rev. Lee and his wife with Korean barbecue. We have eaten so well on this trip. Lots and lots of tasty side dishes and wonderful fresh vegetables.
Today we woke up and checked the internet to see the score of the NBA finals, Go Cavs! So excited for Cleveland's victory as a city and as a basketball team.
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| Hasin University Vice President, Rev. Lee of Singal PROK Church and his son. |
Our next stop was the Hunduk Church. This church is in a rural community and lives by the concept of the Kingdom of God. They work hard to engage the community by offering plots of land for cultivation (similar to our community gardens). The church also maintains its own fields and students from the seminary come to work there at harvest time. The congregation is committed to being in solidarity with the community and they helped out when a local car manufacturer closed down with over 2,000 community members loosing their jobs. The church provided food and holds regular vigils at the factory to call attention to the needs of the workers.
Then we went to the Nogog Church which is also in a rural area of Korea. This church noticed that there were many elderly in the community whose children had left to find work in the cities. This is creating a new crisis for the country that does not have an infrastructure of elderly care, nursing homes, or senior citizen's facilities. The church began by making food weekly and delivering it to area seniors. A man saw this work of the church and gave them a large donation. With that donation they started a senior day care next door to their church for those elderly who suffer from dementia or who have had strokes. We joined the residents as the church van dropped them off at their homes at the end of the day.
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| Pastor and administrator from the cooperative medical clinic |
We ended the day going to cold buckwheat noodles at a roadside restaurant before going back to our host family.
June 21st
This morning was great. We went to the Singal PROK church to help bake bread. They make bread in their welfare center twice a week. The first time is for outreach to the homeless and low income and later in the week to sell at their coffee shop to earn money. We very much enjoyed the laughter and energy of sharing the work of baking bread together. After all of the bread was packaged the whole group of us went to the market area of the city to share lunch at a chicken shop.
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| Byongho and Jonathan baking bread with the church ladies checking on them. |
In the afternoon we enjoyed walking around the market looking at all of the herbs, vegetables, seafood, spices, kimchi and rice products. Then we picked up our host parents and enjoyed a walk with them in an area park, a chance to stop for coffee and then a nice dinner together. This was their first time hosting international guests and they don't speak any English (nor we any Korean) but it reminds me of the story of Pentecost that the believers, when gathered, understood one another even though they spoke different languages. We share a love of God and commitment to the church of Jesus Christ and that was the important part of what brought us together.
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| With our host family |
June 22nd
Later in the afternoon Rev. Lee took us to the Korean Independence Hall where we learned about Korean history from 1909 to 1945 under the Japanese rule. The museum was helpful to put into context how often foreign countries have dictated the Korean people. Even at the end of 1945 when Japan left it was other countries that signed the armistice agreement that created the division on the 38th parallel between North and South Korea as a way of placating both the United States (South Korea) and Russia (North Korea) after WWII. The site had a striking monument to the dreams for reunification with large arches in the sky representing earth, humanity, and heaven reaching towards one another.
We ended the day with Rev. Lee and his wife with Korean barbecue. We have eaten so well on this trip. Lots and lots of tasty side dishes and wonderful fresh vegetables.
God we are thankful for all of the ways community is created. We give thanks for drawing people together across socioeconomic backgrounds, across age, gender and language. We pray O God for the spirit of Pentecost to be present throughout the world; creating unity and understanding across our differences. Amen.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Singal Presbyterian Church
June 14th 2016
My kind parents drove us to the Newark Airport, treated us for dinner and headed home. We stayed the night at an airport hotel in anticipation of our early morning flight.
June 15th- 16th, 2016
Breezed through security, caught our first flight from Newark to Vancouver, Canada (six hours). After a brief layover we took a ten hour flight from there to Seoul. After customs we were greeted at the airport by the pastor of the Singal Presbyterian Church, his son, and a missionary from the United Church of Canada. The day ended with a stop for dinner to a town about an hour outside of the city and an introduction to our host family.
June 17th 2016
Our first visit of the day was to a lovely home for retired pastors of the PROK (Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea). Several years ago a PROK pastor was about to retire after 38 years of service to his church. A deacon in his congregation was worried about his well being since the pastor always lived in church provided housing. An idea was formed. The deacon and his wife donated land and built a retirement home for any PROK retired clergy that do not have homes of their own. Currently 13 couples and three singles live on the campus. The day we visited the entire campus was gathered in the fellowship hall peeling garlic from this season's crop.
We were impressed that three former moderators of the PROK lived at this property. The campus has a small chapel, library, common room, a large fellowship hall, one and two bedroom apartments, a walking trail, and several vegetable gardens from which the residents eat organic crops for each meal. Our translator for the day was a wife of a renown professor of church history, together they spent 14 years as missionaries teaching in Kenya after his retirement from the seminary.
The original couple who built the property continues to be very active in the lives of the residents and they continue to provide for all of the needs of the campus so that the pastors do not need to pay any rent to live there.
After our visit to the home we went to the memorial for the March 1st 1919 uprising when 26 Korean men were burned alive in a church for supporting the country's independence while under the control of the Japanese. Interestingly, a Canadian missionary helped bring the plight of the Korean independence movement to the world through his documentation of the Japanese atrocities. Many years later the Japanese formally apologized for their actions and raised a new church in the location of the massacre.
After dinner we toured the Singal Presbyterian Church, a sprauling campus for a congregation of 1,000+ members. The church boast 47 small groups (affinity groups and cell groups) , five levels of Sunday School, family and advanced Bible study, three services on Sundays, active new member classes, a welfare center, multiple staff, a discipleship and outreach programs as well as classes in traditional Korean instruments. The church has seven Elders and over 100 Deacons. The senior pastor Rev. Lee and his son are our main hosts for this portion of our stay. Elder Che and his family are hosting us in his home.
We attended Friday night prayers, which is a common practice in Korea. The worship service started at 9:15pm and lasted over an hour; comprised of praise music, scripture and intercessory prayer. Over 100 people were in attendance.
June 18th 2016
Breakfast was a hoot, our host family doesn't speak a word of English and try as we might to master the basics of "hello", "thank you" and "goodbye" we still don't speak a word of Korean.
Our day consisted of a visit to the Korean Folk Village, to experience Korean history:
To learn more follow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Korea
The village is a replica of the epoch when Korea was united under the Joseon Dynasty:
To learn more follow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseon
We enjoyed seeing indigenous methods of cultivation, fabric preparation, and metal working. The village also contained a Buddhist temple and Confucius learning center:
To learn more follow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Confucianism
We also enjoyed demonstrations of traditional Korean dance, drumming and horseback riding.
In the evening we attended Shema, a family oriented Bible study at the church. Shema is a curriculum that provides workbooks for both parents and children (children ranged from infants to teenagers). It was delightful to see families gathered together to explore scripture and talk to one another about the texts. Rev. Lee explained that most Korean teaching is lecture style so children, and later adults, are very passive. Shema is important for the church because it is a dialectical type of learning that encourages parents and children to engage in the weekly scriptures in ways in which conversation and dialogue is encouraged.
The evening ended with a delightful traditional Korean meal with Rev. Lee, his wife, and son. Three of the associate pastors, a pastoral intern, and our host family. Korean food focuses on multiple side dishes, including the ubiquitous kimchi.
To learn more follow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi
June 19th 2016
Sunday included participation in two of the three worship services at Singal Presbyterian Church. The first included an orchestra, the second a praise band and choir. The sermon was titled "But Now" based on Romans 3:21-31 talking about how we have freedom to live differently because of Christ (the pastor was kind enough to supply us with a summary in English). I gave greetings from the United Church of Christ in both services. Between services we visited the new member's class, choir rehearsal, the kindergarten, elementary, intermediate, middle and high school Sunday school classes as well as the welfare center where members bake bread during the week to provide for those in need. The energy and enthusiasm for the church and even more so for Christ is palpable. It was inspiring to be present in a congregation where the commitment of the members is so deeply evident and desired to learn about God's word and to practice it in community is central.
My kind parents drove us to the Newark Airport, treated us for dinner and headed home. We stayed the night at an airport hotel in anticipation of our early morning flight.
June 15th- 16th, 2016
Breezed through security, caught our first flight from Newark to Vancouver, Canada (six hours). After a brief layover we took a ten hour flight from there to Seoul. After customs we were greeted at the airport by the pastor of the Singal Presbyterian Church, his son, and a missionary from the United Church of Canada. The day ended with a stop for dinner to a town about an hour outside of the city and an introduction to our host family.
June 17th 2016
Our first visit of the day was to a lovely home for retired pastors of the PROK (Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea). Several years ago a PROK pastor was about to retire after 38 years of service to his church. A deacon in his congregation was worried about his well being since the pastor always lived in church provided housing. An idea was formed. The deacon and his wife donated land and built a retirement home for any PROK retired clergy that do not have homes of their own. Currently 13 couples and three singles live on the campus. The day we visited the entire campus was gathered in the fellowship hall peeling garlic from this season's crop.
We were impressed that three former moderators of the PROK lived at this property. The campus has a small chapel, library, common room, a large fellowship hall, one and two bedroom apartments, a walking trail, and several vegetable gardens from which the residents eat organic crops for each meal. Our translator for the day was a wife of a renown professor of church history, together they spent 14 years as missionaries teaching in Kenya after his retirement from the seminary.
The original couple who built the property continues to be very active in the lives of the residents and they continue to provide for all of the needs of the campus so that the pastors do not need to pay any rent to live there.
After our visit to the home we went to the memorial for the March 1st 1919 uprising when 26 Korean men were burned alive in a church for supporting the country's independence while under the control of the Japanese. Interestingly, a Canadian missionary helped bring the plight of the Korean independence movement to the world through his documentation of the Japanese atrocities. Many years later the Japanese formally apologized for their actions and raised a new church in the location of the massacre.
After a much needed afternoon nap we enjoyed dinner at the largest sushi buffet I've seen in my life.
After dinner we toured the Singal Presbyterian Church, a sprauling campus for a congregation of 1,000+ members. The church boast 47 small groups (affinity groups and cell groups) , five levels of Sunday School, family and advanced Bible study, three services on Sundays, active new member classes, a welfare center, multiple staff, a discipleship and outreach programs as well as classes in traditional Korean instruments. The church has seven Elders and over 100 Deacons. The senior pastor Rev. Lee and his son are our main hosts for this portion of our stay. Elder Che and his family are hosting us in his home.
We attended Friday night prayers, which is a common practice in Korea. The worship service started at 9:15pm and lasted over an hour; comprised of praise music, scripture and intercessory prayer. Over 100 people were in attendance.
June 18th 2016
Breakfast was a hoot, our host family doesn't speak a word of English and try as we might to master the basics of "hello", "thank you" and "goodbye" we still don't speak a word of Korean.
Our day consisted of a visit to the Korean Folk Village, to experience Korean history:
To learn more follow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Korea
The village is a replica of the epoch when Korea was united under the Joseon Dynasty:
To learn more follow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseon
We enjoyed seeing indigenous methods of cultivation, fabric preparation, and metal working. The village also contained a Buddhist temple and Confucius learning center:
To learn more follow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Confucianism
We also enjoyed demonstrations of traditional Korean dance, drumming and horseback riding.
In the evening we attended Shema, a family oriented Bible study at the church. Shema is a curriculum that provides workbooks for both parents and children (children ranged from infants to teenagers). It was delightful to see families gathered together to explore scripture and talk to one another about the texts. Rev. Lee explained that most Korean teaching is lecture style so children, and later adults, are very passive. Shema is important for the church because it is a dialectical type of learning that encourages parents and children to engage in the weekly scriptures in ways in which conversation and dialogue is encouraged.
The evening ended with a delightful traditional Korean meal with Rev. Lee, his wife, and son. Three of the associate pastors, a pastoral intern, and our host family. Korean food focuses on multiple side dishes, including the ubiquitous kimchi.
To learn more follow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi
June 19th 2016
Sunday included participation in two of the three worship services at Singal Presbyterian Church. The first included an orchestra, the second a praise band and choir. The sermon was titled "But Now" based on Romans 3:21-31 talking about how we have freedom to live differently because of Christ (the pastor was kind enough to supply us with a summary in English). I gave greetings from the United Church of Christ in both services. Between services we visited the new member's class, choir rehearsal, the kindergarten, elementary, intermediate, middle and high school Sunday school classes as well as the welfare center where members bake bread during the week to provide for those in need. The energy and enthusiasm for the church and even more so for Christ is palpable. It was inspiring to be present in a congregation where the commitment of the members is so deeply evident and desired to learn about God's word and to practice it in community is central.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Blessings Around Every Corner
Surprisingly, I've already experienced my sabbatical as ministry even before it has started. It's been important to let others know that I will be away for a period of time, partly for administrative reasons, and partly because I'm exciting and looking forward to our trip to South Korea.
What I have found in the past few weeks is that sharing the story of my upcoming sabbatical has been a bit of evangelism both for the concept of sabbatical and for uncovering the connection those in our UCC congregations already have to Korea.
My local church of membership is St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Schaefferstown, PA. (Penn Central Conference, Lebanon Association). As an ordained minister holding membership at St Paul's I have a four-way covenant with the congregation, my calling body as the national church, my association and of course myself. As part of my four-way covenant I am considered a minister in mission for St Paul's. My name is included weekly in the bulletin as a minister of the church and included on the website. I write monthly newsletter articles about my work with MESA, preach on a regular basis (usually quarterly) and meet annually with the church council.
In my May newsletter article for St. Paul's I discussed the importance of sabbaticals for clergy, a teaching task for most congregations, especially those who have not had a regular practice of pastoral sabbaticals. My June newsletter focused on the specifics of my upcoming Korea trip. I was delighted to receive a phone call from one of the older members of the congregation as soon as the newsletter was published. He had served in the Korean war and wanted a chance to talk to my husband and I about his experience before our trip.
This Sunday, June 12th, St. Paul's UCC will commission Jonathan and I for our mission trip during the worship service. Then afterwards we already have a date to meet with this church member to talk about Korea.
What I have found in the past few weeks is that sharing the story of my upcoming sabbatical has been a bit of evangelism both for the concept of sabbatical and for uncovering the connection those in our UCC congregations already have to Korea.
My local church of membership is St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Schaefferstown, PA. (Penn Central Conference, Lebanon Association). As an ordained minister holding membership at St Paul's I have a four-way covenant with the congregation, my calling body as the national church, my association and of course myself. As part of my four-way covenant I am considered a minister in mission for St Paul's. My name is included weekly in the bulletin as a minister of the church and included on the website. I write monthly newsletter articles about my work with MESA, preach on a regular basis (usually quarterly) and meet annually with the church council.
In my May newsletter article for St. Paul's I discussed the importance of sabbaticals for clergy, a teaching task for most congregations, especially those who have not had a regular practice of pastoral sabbaticals. My June newsletter focused on the specifics of my upcoming Korea trip. I was delighted to receive a phone call from one of the older members of the congregation as soon as the newsletter was published. He had served in the Korean war and wanted a chance to talk to my husband and I about his experience before our trip.
This Sunday, June 12th, St. Paul's UCC will commission Jonathan and I for our mission trip during the worship service. Then afterwards we already have a date to meet with this church member to talk about Korea.
http://schaefferstownucc.org/
Earlier in May, I was invited to facilitate a conversation on clergy / lay models of relating at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington DC. I thoroughly enjoyed spending Saturday exploring theological worlds and pastoral roles with the congregation's leadership, then preaching on Sunday followed by leading their adult faith formation program. The current designated-term pastor Rev. Sid Fowler, closed with a blessing including safe travels for my upcoming trip to Korea. Turns out that a member of First Church worked for decades in the U.S. Embassy in Korea and continues to work in the field of Korean economics out of the D.C. area. This member has been generous in sharing perspectives on the country, giving helpful travel hints, and recommending additional reading resources.
His list of books included:
The Korean Mind: Understanding Contemporary Korean Culture by
Boye Lafayette de Mente is a little tough to read straight through because it
is arranged alphabetically by concept, but it is full of helpful insights
and is a good reference book. I don't know anything else like it.
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation is Conquering the World
Through Pop Culture by Euny Hong is an entertaining look at how intentional
Korean pop culture is, and is unexpectedly good on the history of
U.S.-Korean relations.
Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North
Korea's Elite by Suki Kim is useful for coming to grips with the nature of
North Korea. There are a lot of refugee memoirs in print, but what
interests Suki Kim is why the North Koreans think the way they do rather than
demonstrating again how inhumane the regime is.
http://www.firstuccdc.org/
I'm grateful for finding these connections to Korea and anticipate many more to surface as this ministry unfolds.
God of grace and mercy, God who has formed us and shaped us, God who leads us on the journey of life. We give you thanks for the ways in which the interconnectedness of the trinity is made manifest in the interconnectedness of our lives. May we continue to tell our stories to one another and may we always tell the story of your love for us through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Advanced Reading
It was surprisingly hard to find books about contemporary South Korean context. I found lots of materials in the local library on the Korean War and a great deal on North Korea, especially in relationship to the United States.
However, I was blessed to be at a meeting with the interim president of NAPAD (the North American Pacific / Asian Disciples of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Rev. Guenhee Yu, send a stack of quick and easy reference guides to South Korea including a book on Korean Food, one of the Island of Jeju.
Additionally, the Ecumenical Officer for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Paul (Seung Un) Tche, recommended I read: Korea, The Impossible Country by Daniel Tudor. The subtitle is: South Korea's amazing rise from the ashes: the inside story of an economic, political and cultural phenomenon.
The book was a helpful introduction to contemporary life in South Korea. It covered a wide range of topics from religion, to alcohol, to k-pop (hugely popular Korean music). I appreciated the perspective of an expat living in Korea and recognize that the author wrote from their personal experiences in the business and political worlds. I suspect that a voice missing from the story was that of the lowest classes in South Korea and those of migrants living there from other countries. This resource helped to introduce me to the cultural landscape and I appreciated having a resource that took such a broad look at so many aspects of life in South Korea.
Less than two weeks until we depart. Looking forward to the journey and thankful for partners who have been so helpful already.
May God's presence be near, may we cross paths with those God intends for us, and may we all listen closely and fully to those we encounter along life's journey.
However, I was blessed to be at a meeting with the interim president of NAPAD (the North American Pacific / Asian Disciples of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Rev. Guenhee Yu, send a stack of quick and easy reference guides to South Korea including a book on Korean Food, one of the Island of Jeju.
Additionally, the Ecumenical Officer for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Paul (Seung Un) Tche, recommended I read: Korea, The Impossible Country by Daniel Tudor. The subtitle is: South Korea's amazing rise from the ashes: the inside story of an economic, political and cultural phenomenon.
Less than two weeks until we depart. Looking forward to the journey and thankful for partners who have been so helpful already.
May God's presence be near, may we cross paths with those God intends for us, and may we all listen closely and fully to those we encounter along life's journey.
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