Today we spent the day sight seeing in Gyoengju, our host was one of the elders from a local PROK church. He took us to see an extremely large and well maintained Buddhist temple that is on UNESCO's world heritage list. Next we went to the sea to see the rocks where an ancient king's ashes were scattered. Then we visited a section of the city that is dotted with large mounds (taller than multi-story buildings) the mounds were burial sights for ancient royalty during the Shilla period. One of the tombs had been excavated and we were able to tour inside. The elder treated us to a large home cooked mean in his house and we toured the church. Afterwards we took a four hour bus ride to Gwangju which will be our home base for the remainder of the week.
July 21st 2016
Today we visited four different PROK congregations. The first one (Gwangju Gwangsan Church) there were about 40 women who were in small groups doing outreach work in the community. Each group reported on their efforts; visiting addicts, shut-ins, hospitals etc. They were extremely strong in their faith and dedicated to their ministry.
Next we visited an alternative high school run by this congregation. Each of the 1st through 10th grade classes use a Bible Study curriculum developed by the pastor. The students at this school, roughly 100, attend either because their parents want a faith centered education or because the youth struggle in the highly competitive Korean public education system.
Our next stop was a smaller PROK church, Gwangju Hae Thel Church. The pastor really wanted to give his young adults a chance to interact with international visitors, so we met with four college students in the chapel and talked with them. The young adults took us to see the after school program run by the church where we sang songs and colored with the children. Next the college students and pastor took us through downtown to visit a third PROK congregation. The pastor of this 3rd congregation, Gwangju Moodol Church, presented us with a beautiful scroll painting of North Korea done by a North Korean artist.
After saying farewell to the young adults we went to a fourth PROK congregation, Gwangju Hansomang Church. This was a new church start that began with only the pastor and his family but has now grown to a mid-sized congregation that greatly benefits the welfare of the community in which it's located. This particular presbytery has a partnership with the Southwest Pacific Region of the Disciples of Christ. Several of the pastors expressed their pleasure that later this summer ten teenagers and a chaperone will be traveling to the U.S. to participate in a week of church camp, a week doing mission work on the U.S. / Mexico border and finally a week home stay with DOC families.
In these four churches, and in dozens of other PROK congregations we've visited in the past five weeks we notice three consistent values:
1. Dedication to the Gospel
2. Commitment to peace and justice (particularly reunification)
3. Demonstrated impact in the communities where the church is located
July 22nd 2016
Today we traveled to the Mokpo region. Our first stop for the day was with a center for the mentally and physically disabled. The center is quite unique because it is a center developed by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. All three of the directors we met were blind. One director is in charge of advocacy work, particularly coordinating advocacy efforts to change federal laws and to keep the government accountable to prior laws passed to support those with disabilities. The second director was a woman who is in charge of a settlement program that helps people with disabilities to live independently. The third director was coordinated a braille printing library. People with disabilities are often marginalized in Korea and this program's stability, vision and empowerment was inspiring.
We enjoyed a fresh fish caught by the sea and cut into sashimi for lunch with the pastor who serves as the executive director of the disability advocacy center and with the president of the PROK presbytery. The fisherman / owner of the restaurant was thrilled that foreigners enjoyed his fish.
Next we drove to an extremely remote village to visit a very small PROK congregation. One of the elders from this church has a very wide view of ministry and mission. In fact, he was one of the PROK representatives that traveled to Haiti for the inauguration of a school jointly supported by Global Ministries and the PROK. This congregation is known for providing free hot tea in the town hall throughout the winter and for going to locations where senior citizens gather to teach yoga.
The church also operates a daycare center that we were able to visit.
Our next stop was to a PROK church in Haenan. We toured the church building and an after school center run by the church. The pastor and a college student who is studying English took us to visit a very large Buddhist temple and out to for dinner. We spent the evening at a small retreat run by one of the church's deacons.
July 23rd 2016
This morning we traveled back to Gwangju. We picked up Dr. Kahala Cannon at the train station and then went with Rev. Min Heui Choen and her parents to the March 18th, 1980 memorial. In 1980 there were democracy protests taking place throughout the country. The president ordered marshal law. In Gwangju one of the military leaders took this opportunity to begin a coup. The people of Gwangju were brutally attacked as the military leader moved in to take over the presidency as he declared that he squelched a "communist" uprising in Gwangju. The unrest lasted for nearly ten days, the number of civilians killed is still unknown because garbage trucks were used to transport bodies to a mass grave to a remote area outside of town. The military leader did become president, later in 1993 he was tried for human rights atrocities and sentenced to life in prison.
An account of the uprising can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_Uprising
After an emotionally deep morning we went to a bamboo forest in the afternoon. It was hot, hot, hot out. We were able to watch "Human National Treasure #48" work. He is recognized for his skill in making Korea's famous bamboo fans for decades. We stopped to cool off with some ice cream and then dinner.
July 24 2016
We started off the day at the Suugwang (Holy Light) Church. We joined the congregation for the beginning of worship, this was the first church service we've attended in Korea where the children were present for worship (most have concurrent Sunday School). Here the children are blessed after the opening prayer and hymn and then go downstairs for Christian Education. This particular congregation was introduced to Children's Wonder by a visiting minister from the Disciples of Christ. The congregation is smitten with the story-telling aspects of Children's Wonder and uses it not only for their own children but replicate the concept in other southeast Asian countries such as Laos, East Timor, and Cambodia where they do annual mission trips. The pastor would very much like to send some of the teachers to the U.S. to experience Children's Wonder in a DOC church so they can return with best practices for the curriculum.
Our conversations centered around the many grassroots movements taking place across the globe in the 1980's seeking justice for the most oppressed. Several of the leaders of the March 18th 1980 movement were college students, who after their terms in prison for their activism, went on to study theology and to work serving communities at the grassroots level.
We left the Holy Light Church and went to the Gyerim Church which is Rev. Min Heui Cheon's home congregation and the congregation where her parents are elders. We attended the 2pm service which was a special program honoring Sunday School teachers, children and youth. I asked their prayers for the United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ National Youth Event taking place next week in Florida.
Loving God, you have come to walk among us in the form of Jesus Christ. Christ taught us to love you and to love one another. Today we ask that we continue to remember the stories Jesus taught us in parables about the Kingdom of God, a kingdom where the last shall be first and were the weak shall be strong. May to together work to bring your kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
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