“Sewol was my fault…Children, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you”
2014-05-16 15:08
On May 15, the Korea Christian Association of Elder Pastors and the Korea Crime Prevention National Movement Headquarters (KCPN) held a “Willow Switch Prayer Meeting” at the Korea Church Centennial Building on Kimsangok-no, Seoul, where they confessed that the Sewol ferry disaster and the spiritual stagnation of the Korean church was due to the wrongdoings of elder ministers. In the photo, 20 some elder pastors ranging from their 70s to their 90s, strike their legs vigorously six times with switches.
“My heart aches with sadness that they couldn’t save a single one of those young lives caught inside the Sewol ferry at the time of the disaster,” said Lim In-shik (90), after whipping his legs with the switch. “I keep thinking about how our wrongdoings caused the sacrifice of those children’s lives, and it came to me that at least I should hit myself with the switch.”
Willow Switch Prayer Meetings will be held in 16 cities and provinces around the country including Changweon in Gyeongnam province, and Daegu. KCPN’s president, lawyer Kang Ji-weon, declared, “The Korean church must put an end to its division and corruption,” and added, “We hope that our repentance will move God’s mighty hand to save our Korean church and nation.”
Reporters Yeong Dae Yoo and Paek Sang-hyun (ydyoo@kmib.co.kr), Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Click here for the original article in Korean
