THE KUKMIN DAILY

“God of Life, we have come before you bringing the pains of the Korean Peninsula. The sounds of moaning shake the heavens. Hear our prayers, O Lord, and show us your compassion.”

7:30 p.m. on the 24th of September, at Byeonsan Daemyeong Resort in Buan, Jeollabuk-do: Rev. Kim Gyeong-ho, chair of the PROK General Assembly’s church and society committee, and leader of the Wednesday united worship service at the 99th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), prayed in low tones. 800 some delegates and 10 bereaved family members of Sewol ferry disaster victims responded, “Amen,” many with tears flowing.

The PROK chose the theme “Worship Together With Our Suffering Neighbors” for its Wednesday united worship service at this general assembly. They invited the bereaved Sewol family members to the service, and had a special time of prayer for “irregular workers at Ssangyong Motors,” “residents of transmission-tower construction areas Miryang, Cheongdo and Gunsan,” “residents of naval-base construction area Gangjeong village in Jeju Island,” and “residents of Yeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do, where Naeseongcheon Dam is being built.”

Prayers for all these persons resounded through the assembly hall. “Watch over the souls of all workers, who are being impoverished by the social practice of irregular jobs,” entreated Rev. Jang Hwa-yeong, leader of Gunsan Presbytery. Seoul South Presbytery leader Rev. Kweon Yeong-jong prayed, “Remember those who are trying to protect humanity by resisting development-first policies that justify sacrifice of the weak.”

Time was also set aside for testimonies by the Sewol victims’ families. “Ye-eun’s Mom,” Deacon Park Eun-hui (34, Ansan Hwajeong Church) appealed, “When the nation cannot play its proper role, clergy persons are the only ones who can rebuke this…All of you here, please repent, dig out the truth, and help prevent other persons from going through the kind of pain we are enduring.”

“Children of the Gospel exist to share the pain of others, to help and to save them,” said Rev. Kim Kyoung-jae, professor emeritus of Hanshin University in his sermon titled “Pure Devotion Without Impurity.” “We ministers and elders should take the lead in this,” he emphasized.

At the close of the worship service, all the delegates shook hands with the bereaved Sewol families and promised to be in solidarity with them. Then everyone held hands in a circle and sang “Morning Dew.” Finally, everyone prayed in unison, “Let us go out, hand in hand, revealing these pains to the world and sharing them together, until we can worship in glory with fullness of joy.”

Reporter Jin Samyeol (samuel@kmib.co.kr) from Buan, with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)


Click here for the original article in Korean

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