THE KUKMIN DAILY

With the passage of two months since the Sewol ferry disaster, the Korean churches’ mid- and long-term ministry to help the victims is becoming more defined. At first the focus was on emergency relief activities at the scene of the accident, but recently the weight is shifting to specialized support including psychological healing and counseling.

IsraAID, an international support agency for disaster victims, Ansan City Council of Churches (ACC; Rev. Yu Jae-myeong, moderator) and Good People together signed a memo of understanding (MOU) at Ansan Bitna Church on June 15, coming out strongly in support of psychological treatment for the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster. From June 19th, these organizations will hold a workshop for Ansan-area church pastors and their wives, on the theme “Preventing and Healing Post-traumatic Stress Disorder,” with a speaker invited from IsraAID,.

Earlier, on May 26, ACC launched Mirae Ansan, a network of 47 churches in Ansan area, and centralized the donations and support work for the Sewol ferry victims.

The churches’ volunteer service activities in Jindo and Ansan started the day after the accident and have continued up to now. Church circles’ serving ministry during the past two months has also been evaluated as helpful to the united ministry of the churches in the region. Rev. Jo Weon-shik (Jindo Shinjin Church), immediate past moderator of the Jindo Council of Churches, said, “As more than 100 Jindo churches from a total 16 denominations carried out this service ministry with one mind, it became an opportunity to confirm the strength of united ministry… Following this disaster, I hope each church in the area will try to develop plans for their effective participation in disaster relief.”

Reporters Lee Saya & Jaechan Park (jeep@kmib.co.kr), Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)


Click here for the original article in Korean

Related Article