THE KUKMIN DAILY

On March 24, Boondang Central Presbyterian Church (Rev. Choi Jong-cheon) in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, announced that the amount of scholarship support it has given since 1991 to raise up Christian leaders, has surpassed five billion won. The Church plans to offer an additional 15 billion won in scholarships over the next five years, by selling the land it owns.

A church source said, “Based on its objective, ‘Our Church Transforms the World by Nurturing Leaders,’ Boondang Central Church has selected a total of 400 scholarship grantees in and outside Korea every other year. As of this March, the total amount of our scholarship support exceeds five billion won.” Among some 150 recipients who graduated from overseas schools, there are 130 with doctoral degrees and 40 working as professors.

As Boondang Central Church grew, the church expanded its scholarship recipients beyond Chongshin University and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (PCK Hapdong) to include PCK Tonghap, PCK Hapshin, PCK Kosin, and Korea Evangelical Holiness Church (KEHC).

During the past 24 years, as the church has focused continuously on training Christian leaders, a scholarship cycle has been created, and now 11 professors of Chongshin University including Shin Hyeon-u, Lee Pung-in, Kim Hui-seok, and Jeong Chang-uk, who are former recipients of the scholarship, have granted a relay scholarship to current students of Chongshin University. Prof. Jeong Chang-uk said, “We 11 professors at Chongshin were able to graduate and earn our degrees thanks entirely to Boondang Central Church. We’re repaying the grace we received, and feel very good about being able to help our juniors.”


* In the photo, Rev. Choi Jong-cheon (far right) delivers a message on March 18 at Chongshin University’s Yangji Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. Beside Rev. Choi are former scholarship recipients who are now Chongshin University professors. (Photo courtesy of Boondang Central Presbyterian Church)


Reporter Paek Sang-hyun (100sh@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)


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