Churches Are Rising Alternative for Aging Society
2013-12-29 17:14
Kyeongno ('respect the aged') College, opened in 1993 by Yangdong Jeil Church in Honamdong, Mokpo city, South Cheolla Province, is Mokpo’s source of pride. Each Saturday, elderly persons aged 65 and over gather in the church’s main building and community hall to learn Korean, foreign languages (English, Chinese, Japanese), sports dance, Korean calligraphy, or yoga. At regular intervals they also visit orphanages or hold bazaars to help needy neighbors. Up to now 370,000 persons have taken part in classes, and 10,000 have finished the course of study.
Nationwide, the number of churches operating schools for the elderly now exceeds 3,200, and research shows that more than 248,000 persons are using them. About half of all these schools are located in Seoul and other cities; and more than 90% hold their programs at least once a week.
The Association of Korean Churches’ Schools for the Elderly (Board Chair Rev. Wu Young-Su), in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, conducted a telephone survey between March and November this year targeting 59,646 member churches of 60 denominations, to determine the situation of schools for the elderly at Korean churches.
According to the survey results published on December 26, as of this date, schools for the elderly are being operated at 3,209 churches, with 248,340 persons registered. Statistics Korea figures for 2013 record the total Korean population aged 65 or over as 6,138,000, which means that 4.1% of older persons attend the church-operated schools. When analysis is based on the number of related churches, it shows that an average of 78 persons is served by each school for the elderly at churches around the country.
The total amount budgeted by Korean churches to support their schools for the elderly reaches 46,350,000,000 won. By scale, the largest proportion of these churches, 45.2%, have budgets ranging from 10,000,000 won to 30,000,000 won for the schools.
Kang Chae-eun, executive director of the Association of Korean Churches’ Schools for the Elderly, says, “In a situation where elderly people’s problems, such as isolation and loneliness, are becoming more serious, the churches’ schools for the elderly, offering a life of conviviality with others based on Biblical values, can be an alternative way to effectively cope with problems that accompany aging.” He adds, “If local governments and the central government provide systematic support, the effects can be maximized.
Reporter Jaechan Park (jeep@kmib.co.kr), Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Click here for the original article in Korean
