The South East Korean Conference (SEKC) held an opening ceremony for their new mission center in late 2020, at the site of the new building in Alpha City District in Daegu, Korea. The SEKC Mission Center was completed 14 months after groundbreaking at a cost of US $10 million, including land purchase and construction. The building has two basement floors (about 24,000 ft²) and four ground floors (about 27,000 ft²), including office facilities, parking lots, machine rooms, and convenient facilities. A new chapel hall was built on the fourth floor. In the process, the Shiji New Heaven Church and the Gyeongsan Western Church were merged to become the Alpha City Church. 

The construction of the mission center was a long-cherished hope of Adventist members in SEKC; the previous Daemyung-dong office building, which was set up in 1991, was a continuous reminder of the need for relocation or reconstruction due to its narrow space and inconvenient traffic. The SEKC unveiled a blueprint for the construction of the mission center, and in September 2018, the Construction Committee was formed. Construction began on September 26, 2019, with a groundbreaking ceremony. The SEKC made plans move its offices to the new building by the end of 2020.

At the opening ceremony, church leaders from the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD), the Korean Union Conference (KUC), other local conferences; pastors; builders; and members from nearby churches attended to celebrate this new chapter for the conference.

“There were a lot of challenges to get through in each step, from planning to completion, but God prepared things in advance and gave us the strength to keep up the work,” said SEKC president Kim Won-sang in his sermon at the service. He cited Psalm 136: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” He also expressed his gratitude to the people for their generous devotion and prayer support. 

Wong-sang also thanked those who voiced opposition. He said, “Those opinions helped me to maintain a balance. Thanks to them, we were able to set a more precise, detailed budget and raise funds more carefully.” 

He continued by saying, “I hope this valuable building will serve as a turning point in the history of the SEKC and will give all church members an opportunity to have confidence in God’s guidance.”

NSD president Kim Si-young gave a congratulatory message, quoting Nehemiah 12:27: “At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.” 

Si-young said, “Through this place, the Three Angels’ Messages will be delivered to all the people of this region.”

Pastor Hwang Chun-kwang, KUC president, also gave his congratulations: “The completion of the SEKC Mission Center is one of the historical moments where God has taken the lead in accomplishing the task. It is the result of tearful prayers, strong faith, and amazing devotion of church members of SEKC, as well as evidence of God’s grace and power. May God bless all those who have worked together to make this possible.”

Adventist church members who attended the ceremony thanked and praised God that the mission center was completed without any accidents despite the COVID-19 pandemic. One prayed, “Please make this place an important part in the history of evangelism and revival, so that it can become a center of Adventist faith.”

It is worth remembering that stories of devotion and sacrifices of Adventists are marked in every corner of the building. All pastors and staff members affiliated with the SEKC gave their one-month salary. Adventists institutions in SEKC, including Busan Adventist Hospital and Sahmyook Food Factory, provided financial support. A retired pastor who lives in the SEKC region devoted his one-month retirement pension. Another pastor gave his three-year savings. A retired pastor who used to serve in the SEKC and who now lives in the United States sent a part of the savings for his funeral expenses in order to help his home conference. 

There were other people who donated money in gratitude for God’s grace and mercy. Han Ji-man, a Korean medical school student who won a lawsuit against a medical school regarding Sabbath accommodations in January 2019, gave half of his compensation from winning the lawsuit. A patient who is recovering from cancer offered a large part of her insurance compensation, saying that she thanks God that she hasn’t lost her hair during chemotherapy and has had little side effects. 

The hope of all who have prayed for the completion of this building is that the great commission of Jesus will be fulfilled in the new mission center by continuous prayer.

http://www.nsdadventist.org/news/news_1_read.html?no=1048