Kukmin Daily with Korean Church: Ten Highlights of ‘Mission Life’ (2)
2013-12-08 22:45
6. Publication and Distribution of 20,000 copies of ‘How to Handle Shincheonji’
Shinchoenji (‘New Heaven and Earth’) is a strong, well-known heretical group that increases its members by various means. From 2009 to 2011, its membership grew by 47%. Shinchoenji brainwashes its members with its ‘gospel room education,’ disguised as Bible study, so it is important for people to know the facts about it. Kukmin Daily has published special reports such as ‘The reality of Shincheonji,’ ‘Dissection of Shincheonji,’ etc.; and with Korean church funding, has put out a 150-page manual on how to handle Shinchoenji.
7. Communicating WCC Assembly News to the World Church
For 10 days starting last October 30, the World Council of Churches (WCC) held its 10th Assembly ?the largest assembly in WCC history? at Haeundae Bexco in Busan. Ahead of the assembly, Kukmin Daily produced a special English edition for distribution to the participants of this world Christian festival: delegates from WCC member churches in 110 countries, and believers from 30 visitor countries. We dispatched a special 14-member news team to the assembly site for concentrated reporting throughout the event; and its communication of Assembly news to the Korean and world churches was evaluated as successful.
8. Raising Theological Understanding by Laity
Kukmin Daily’s “Mission Life” has made efforts to enhance the level of readers’ faith and theology. A key example was the conference held this past October 1 in commemoration of the newspaper’s 25th anniversary. Great spiritual and faith leaders including global “theologian of hope” Jurgen Moltmann (photo, professor emeritus of Tubingen University) participated as lecturers and presented lessons on life and faith. The weekly “Easy Theological Lectures for Laity” by Prof. Kim Dong-geon (Youngnam Theological College), included in “Mission Life” from the beginning of this year, is greatly loved by ordinary churchgoers.
9. Eighth Annual Evangelical Festival: 600 Events, 3 Million Participants
“Wind, Wind, Holy Spirit Wind Evangelical Festival,” an event to promote the revival and growth of the Korean church, is sponsored by Kukmin Daily and managed by Jindogae New Wind Evangelical School. Started eight years ago, this festival has been held more than 600 times at churches around the country, with the total number of participants exceeding 3,000,000. Famous speakers such as Rev. Jang Kyeong-dong and Deacon Park Byeong-seon deliver messages of courage and hope for evangelism. The event offers believers a new opportunity for prayer and for the setting of new evangelical goals.
10. Extending a Hand to Churches in Difficulty
“Let’s Help Churches in Difficulty,” a campaign in support of churches that cannot stand on their own, is carried out jointly by Kukmin Daily and the World Evangelical Alliance. It was started with the desire to give at least a little help to rural churches in poor mission environments, and to urban churches in crisis due to fire or other misfortune. A church that is having a hard time spreading the gospel due to financial or other difficulty, may submit an application along with an introduction to the church. If selected, its situation is published in the paper, and donations subsequently designated for that church are forwarded to it. A list of the contributors is also published.
