Mission life: THE KUKMIN DAILY

Different Denominations Are One in Service at “1004 Villages Festival”

2014-10-15 17:22

Bupyeong Jeil Holiness Church (Rev. Kim Jong-ung; Korea Evangelical Holiness Church) and Hyoseong Jungang Methodist Church (Rev. JeongYeon-su; Korean Methodist Church) joined efforts to hold the 16th “Hyoseong 1004 Villages Festival,” a local community-building event, on October 9. (*In Korean language, the number "1004" and the word "angel" are homophones.) These are the two largest churches in Hyoseong-dong. Since they could be in a competitive relationship, it is significant that they are united in this project.

The festival was held to celebrate UNESCO’s recent designation of Incheon as “Book City” in 2015, and was organized around the theme “1004 Villages, Walking With Books.” Bupyeong Jeil Holiness Church operated a “book market” with residents directly buying and selling books, and held various kinds of experiential events. Its activities included a “1-day Korean comics museum” and an “invitational lecture by children’s author Kim In-ja.” The Council of Social Enterprises the Social Welfare Council and the Senior Club in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, opened a “good consumers bazaar” where they sold goods produced by social enterprises, village companies and cooperatives. 500 residents worked in concert to make and share bibimbab (mixed rice and vegetables) at the “500 Persons Bibimbab Performance” (photo).

Hyoseong Jungang Methodist Church was the sole organizer of the 1004 Villages Festival for the last 15 years. Campaigning for villages without walls, the church tore down its own walls; and as a way of sharing food with its neighbors, it created a “1004-meter gimbab (seaweed-wrapped rice)” that made it into the Guinness Book of Records.

About two months ago, Rev. Jeong proposed to Rev. Kim that they hold this year’s festival jointly, and this led to the successful event. “I made the proposal expecting that if our two churches joined forces, it would produce a synergy toward turning Hyoseong-dong into Jesus’ village,” Rev. Jeong said. “The response was more enthusiastic than I’d predicted.” Rev. Kim said, “I hope churches in other areas also will transcend their denominational borders and join their strengths.”

Reporter Pyeong Seon Jeon (junbs@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)

Photo courtesy of Hyoseong Jungang Methodist Church


Click here for the original article in Korean

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