THE KUKMIN DAILY

‘The Living Witness of the Korean Church’ Life and Faith of the Late Rev. Bang Ji-il

“I would rather be worn out than become rusted.”

Rev. Bang Ji-il (Senior pastor of Yeongdeungpo Church) lived his life of 103 years according to his prayers and resolve, up until he headed for heaven. Quietly following the path of Paul, who confessed, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” he may be a role model for every pastor.

Just four days before he passed away, he took part in a church mission event for North Korea and gave the benediction. He also participated in the 99th general assembly of his denomination (PCK Tonghap) last month as one of the former GA moderators, and spoke words of encouragement to the delegates.

Rev. Bang walked the past century of Korean history through the era of Japanese occupation, the Korean War, military dictatorship, democratization, and the age of high-tech information. He was a living witness of Korean church history from its beginning, through its hardships and revival.

Born of a third-generation Christian family, Rev. Bang grew up in the firm Christian faith of his grandfather, Rev. Bang Man-jun, and his father, Bang Hyo-won, during the Japanese occupation. He began communicating about the Gospel and Christian mission when he was quite young. While a student at Pyeongyang Presbyterian Seminary, he served as assistant pastor at Jangdaehyeon Church, the epicenter of the Pyeongyang Great Revival, and worked together with Rev. Gil Seon-ju, one of the first seven Korean pastors of the Korean church. After graduation, he was dispatched to Communist China, where he conveyed the Gospel message for 21 years, working in Shandong province as the first missionary sent by the Korean church. When he was expelled by the Chinese government, Rev. Bang returned to Korea. He served Seoul Yeongdeungpo Church for the next 20 some years, and led PCK Tonghap.

Rev. Bang continued to be very active even after his retirement. He started each day at 3 a.m. He would read the Bible, pray, and write. He would sing praise songs while exercising his leg muscles in a warm bath. Then he would sit in front of his computer and reply to the many emails coming from overseas missionaries and junior pastors. He never stopped communicating and sharing friendship with them. His “Monday Bible Study,” started in 1958, continued for 55 years. His 2,000 students are active throughout church circles.

After his retirement in 1979, Rev. Bang spent approximately half of each year attending various gatherings and seminars in and outside Korea to spread the Gospel. When asked to deliver a sermon, he never refused; when asked to write, he always wrote. According to one of his pastoral disciplines, “to deliver as received (from God),” he kept his promise to “run as long as I can, to reach wherever I can, for the Gospel.”

His most recent endeavor was to renew the Korean church and bring it together. His words from a united worship service by four Presbyterian churches, held in Jeju-do in September 2007, are still referred to often: “Faith is to surrender. But we still arm ourselves with our subjective opinions and experiences. Only when we disarm completely, being led by the Holy Spirit, our helper, will we finally be able to become one in the Lord.” Last July, he said, “I should be the first to repent,” and took a willow switch to punish himself, for an event poster before the series of “Willow Switch Prayer Meetings.”

Most of all, Rev. Bang was a pastor who placed importance on the balance between the Word and prayer. His students and theologians agree that it is his unbiased faith and inclusive heart that make him the “go to” pastor whether one is Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, or Baptist.

“A faith like a long test tube may have some depth but is never broad. On the other hand, a faith like a plate looks like it accepts widely but never deeply. We should never boast of our deep faith, but try hard to become broad. Let’s not complain about others being narrow and shallow, but endeavor to become deep ourselves.” When we are most in need of balance and inclusiveness, Rev. Bang Ji-il has bequeathed just what is necessary for us.

Reporter Jaechan Park (jeep@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)


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