More than 175,000 Seventh-day Adventists in the Republic of Korea are in the midst of a year-long centennial celebration that will culminate on Nov. 6 this year. During this celebration of 100 years of Adventism in Korea, major plans for evangelism, Bible study and publishing are under way.

“We thank and praise God for guiding our Korean church for 100 years,” said pastor Chun Jung Kwon, president of the Adventist Church in Korea. “Through this centennial ceremony, we want to look at the footprints that have been made for the last 100 years, create a firm Adventist identity, renew our dedication, and encourage a new motivation to put all the church members’ power into evangelism and to develop the church.”

He added, “At this historic point, we are going to start our second century with a new resolve to prepare for His coming. This is essential to our mission.”

Seventh-day Adventist Christianity arrived in Korea after a Korean heard about the Advent message in Japan. In May 1904, Son Heung Cho and Lyu Un Hyun were baptized at the Kobe, Japan Seventh-day Adventist Church. Son returned to Korea to spread the Adventist message to his neighbors, and was joined by Lim Ki Ban with whom he had shared the message on board the ship.

In spite of hardship and trial during the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula, the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, and seeing their land divided into North and South Korea, Adventists believe that God has blessed their church with continuous growth over the past century. There are currently 890 congregations in Korea and that number is growing by more than 6,000 every year. There are also nearly 140 Korean-speaking congregations around the world.

A wide range of additional celebrations, special events and meetings are planned for this year.

The church will also offer stop-smoking classes, temperance, drug-free, and HIV/AIDS control campaigns as part of a community outreach. Culminating a four-year effort, Korean church members will have a finished translation of the “Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary” in their own language. The church plans to publish the volumes before the November celebrations.