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Repair the Wall, Extend the Boundary
Hee You Kim
In March 2023, the World Delegates Conference was held in the Indonesian General Assembly. In particular, an IA Holy Work Seminar was held from March 16 to 17 with the themes “Repair the Wall, Extend the Boundary.” The Korean ministers who attended the conference were deeply impressed by this theme. So after I returned to Korea, I preached a lot based on this theme and the sub-topics that arose during this seminar.
In November 2023, the IA Standing Committee meeting was held in Gangnam Church, South Korea. This conference became a new turning point for the Korean church in term of overseas missionary work and assistance. Earlier, the Korean church had made arrangement for the responsible pioneering area—the three northeastern provinces in China. However, due to political factors, the ministry could not be carried out, and the overseas missionary also came to a standstill. But this conference provides an opportunity to contribute to the overseas missionary work for IA, and the Korean church will be responsible for missionary and pastoral works in several countries in 2024.
1. IA’s Ministries Assisted by the Korea GA in 2024
From March 11 to 20, Korea GA Chairman, Pr. Myung Jo Heu, attended the IA Executive Council Meeting in Australia. After the meeting, he visited churches in Australia and New Zealand and also arranged sessions for spiritual cultivation with local council members.
From May 3 to June 2, Pr. Young Suk Hong, the director of the Education Department, flew to Chile and Argentina to help develop the ministry. The flight time from South Korea to Chile is 33 hours. This is the first time that the Korea GA participated in overseas pioneering ministry outside of Asia.
From September 29 to October 24, Pr. Hyoung Min Park is assigned to the Dallas Church and the Glendale Church (a Korean church) in Los Angeles, US, to assist spiritual convocation and pastor believers. Although the two churches belong to the USGA, our GA still sends out minsters every year to assist the spiritual growth and maturity of Korean believers in US.
From October 25 to November 20, the director of the Media Evangelism Department, Pr. Hong Hee Jeon, will be sent to Malaysia for about a month to assist the work of the joint spiritual convocation in four regions of Malaysia.
2. Preparation for Expanding Boundaries
From March 24 to April 2, 2023, the Chairman of USGA, Dn. Shawn Chou, came to South Korea to assist in media evangelism seminars and visited churches across South Korea. This is a ministry and activity planned by the Korea Media Evangelism Department before the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, this work was suspended until 2023. The media evangelism seminar facilitated by Dn. Chou was very fruitful for the Korean churches, and other encouraging projects were also discussed. First, whether the USGA can undertake the work of English sermon training for the theological students of Korea GA’s Theological Seminary. During the discussion, Dn. Chou believed that it was possible, but he needed to discuss with other workers in USGA first. Second, is it possible that USGA assists in publishing TJC’s international version of Korean hymnbook? Dn. Chou graciously agreed and made suggestions on specific steps. If these two projects are completed, it will be very important progress for the Korean church to provide assistance to the IA for World Mission. At present, the Korea GA has received an official letter from the USGA, agreeing to conduct English sermon training for our theological seminar students, and they are preparing to implement it. In addition, the Korean translation of the international version of TJC hymnbook is also progressing smoothly.
3. To develop the future of Expanding Boundaries
So far, the IA missionary works have been a ministry which shows how a GA cares for the development in other countries. Although the plan has been set, have we considered that the GAs of several countries can cooperate and be jointly responsible for the missionary work of a certain country? We might need to overcome some issues upfront if possible, but there are also many benefits to be shared when this is achieved. In order to successfully achieve such a goal, it is necessary to further expand opportunities for communication and cooperative ministry among co-workers in different countries. Through communication and cooperative ministry, we can understand each other’s way of thinking and style of handling matters. Based on this understanding, our teamwork will be stronger.
Church News
God will Gives the Increase When We Do Our Best
- Europe Ministry Update -
European Coordination Board
By God’s grace, we have yet another opportunity to testify about God’s work in Europe. He continues to guide His church throughout Europe, whether we meet trials and tribulations or we rejoice together in His presence. So we give thanks and praise to our Father in heaven.
Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Ps 103:21-22 ESV)
On a personal level, we all strive for perfection in the eyes of God. As a church we also grow and “are being built together into a dwelling place for God” (Ephesians 2:22 ESV). This does not happen overnight, but we take one step at a time and God adds to it.
Throughout Europe there are 16 countries with 10 languages spoken, where we have churches, prayerhouses or members. The development of the True Jesus Church in each country is different, yet there is a pattern to it. We start off by introducing regular Sabbath services and train local members to lead Bible studies and sermons during family services. Later on, we start the legal registration process, to be able to act as a legal entity in each country. Currently we are already registered in France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy and Hungary. The members in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Greece are going through this process, each according to the local regulations and with their individual challenges. In parallel to the church registration, we also build up the internal organisation such as a church board.
Once the church is registered we look for a place to rent or buy to make it a proper church and move away from having family services only. Throughout Europe we have bought or rented 8 chapels, where we can publicly put up a True Jesus Church sign. The members in Paris (France), Albacete (Spain) and Budapest (Hungary) are in the process of purchasing, renovating or building church buildings to give glory to God. Each project poses different challenges and tests our faith. In Paris, there are legal disputes with the city council about the usage of the building as a church. In Albacete we strive for more unity to have a clear vision about the renovation process. The church building in Budapest will be the first time in Europe that we have the opportunity to build a church from scratch. This is a huge undertaking in every aspect and tests our abilities in every way: whether we have enough faith and unity throughout the process and whether we are willing to spend our time and money for God.
In the more mature churches we build up the next generation, such as through student spiritual convocations, that are now a regular event every year in Germany, Spain, Italy and Russia. We also grow in evangelism and literary ministry, producing leaflets and other content in the individual local languages and compiling hymnbooks. All to fulfil the prophecy of Jesus:
And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. (Mark 13:10 ESV)
While we give our best, God adds to His work. After we started regular Sabbath services in the Netherlands last year, He gave us truthseekers. When we started the work on the church building in Budapest, He granted us unity and faith. When we were in need of workers, He added Moscow church to the European Coordination Center (ECC). His grace is abundant!
Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15 ESV)
Let us continue to pray in one accord for the holy work in Europe, that we all bring glory to His name. Amen.
Church News
Current Status of the Divine Work in the UK
United Kingdom General Assembly
In a world full of chaos and uncertainty, the followers of Christ can find peace and strength by placing their unwavering trust in Him. Not only should we maintain consistency in worship and prayer, we also need to encourage and build each other up in faith through fellowship. In the first half of 2024, a number of national fellowships were held in the UK, including National Married Couples Fellowship, National Youth Fellowship, National Evergreen Fellowship and National Sisters Fellowship. Many brothers and sisters grasped hold of these opportunities to learn and share together within the household of God.
To help brethren equip themselves as good soldiers of Christ, the UKGA has organised various training events throughout the year. The Adult Theological Training Class and the National Minister and Worker Spiritual Cultivation Seminar were held in February and June respectively. Apart from strengthening biblical knowledge, our Department of Training also included sessions concerning daily life issues in these events, such as “How to Face Social Injustice” and “Amnesia, Dementia and Church Support.”
Moreover, our Religious Education (RE) Team has organised a number of seminars for RE teachers and trainees as well as students. The first RE Trainee Teacher Graduation Seminar was conducted online in mid-July in order to improve teaching quality, followed by the annual National Student Spiritual Convocation (NSSC) held at different locations at the end of the same month. Thanks be to God that the number of students registered for the NSSC exceeded 200 for the first time. We pray that our younger generation will continue to keep themselves in the love of God.
As believers of the true church, we need to make use of every opportunity to become witnesses for Christ and live for Him. In addition to regular online evangelistic services, the National Evangelism Group has organised two national fellowships in January and November this year. These aim to strengthen the work of evangelism, through fostering a stronger bond among the various evangelism planning groups at both national and local levels as well as providing our brethren with a deeper understanding of church doctrines. Undoubtedly, literary ministry also plays an important role in spreading the gospel and nourishing the flock of Christ. We truly thank God that the UKGA’s first full-time literary ministry office worker commenced his employment at the start of the year. He is currently receiving three years of theological training provided by the US General Assembly.
The membership in many places of worship in the UK and Ireland has been increasing in recent years. The Place of Worship in Aberdeen started holding services in a property acquired last year, while the Place of Worship in Essex made an offer on a property which was accepted by the vendor in May. But a few places of worship have been hiring venues for Sabbath services for a number of years. The brethren in Dublin, Glasgow and Leeds are therefore striving to find their own permanent church buildings. As Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Mt 19:26). May the Lord Jesus Christ strengthen our faith and continue to guide the church development nationally.
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