Overseas mission is not something allowed only for affluent churches. Small churches in Gyeongju region have come together and found a way to spread the Gospel in remote areas.
Last year, the Christian Council of Northern Gyeongju Region (president: Rev. Lee Dong-seok), Gyeongsangbuk-do, planted nine churches in Indonesia. Added to the six churches planted in 2014, the council has established 15 churches within two years, and three more are under construction.
These fruits of the past two years did not come about because the council is wealthy. Formed in 2007 to evangelize the region, the council is a group of small rural churches in Angang-eup and Gandong-myeon in Gyeongju. The largest member church has only about 150 members. But each church does its share in the joint commitment to overseas mission.
Their devotion to this mission started in 2013 when they met Rev. Song Gwang-ok, a missionary dispatched to Indonesia, and heard that five million won was enough to plant a church in that country. So the council’s member churches began planting churches, and Rev. Song has been dispatching to these churches the students of the local seminary he founded in Indonesia. One of the churches already has more than 150 members. The church buildings are used as schools during the day and have naturally evolved into community centers in the evening. Last year from October 12 to 17, the council members visited one of the churches built in Kalimantan region, Indonesia (photo).
Rev. Lee Dong-seok (Angang Yeonggwang Church) commented, “The unthinkable is taking place in the churches planted in this area of less than 10% evangelization… To witness the Gospel spreading through these churches, and to see the local people singing praise songs with such passion, moved us so much.” He added, “It is the power of prayer. That is the only way to explain how small churches in the countryside could make this possible. Every month we’ve had prayer gatherings, and we came to believe that we, too, can do this.”
Reporter Lee Yongsang (sotong203@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Photo courtesy of the Christian Council of Northern Gyeongju Region
Click here for the original article in Korean
Small Churches Committed to Big Mission Plant 15 Churches in Indonesia
2016-02-02 17:27
