In the Ilsan district of Koyang City, Korea, northwest of Seoul, Sabbath, or Saturday, morning worship is now rather different for some Seventh-day Adventists than in the nearly 700 other Adventist churches in Korea. Instead of singing, praying and hearin
In the Ilsan district of Koyang City, Korea, northwest of Seoul, Sabbath, or Saturday, morning worship is now rather different for some Seventh-day Adventists than in the nearly 700 other Adventist churches in Korea. Instead of singing, praying and hearing sermons and Bible readings in the Korean language, church members will be immersed in the same faith rituals, but in English.
April 29 marked the official beginning of the new Ilsan English Church of Seventh-day Adventists, started with 30 members. The Ilsan district with approximately 700,000 residents, is famous for its beautiful Lake Park, as well as an annual international flower exhibition; the area produces 10 percent of Korea’s floriculture exports and 70 percent of its grafted cactus exports.
Although members informally held English services for several of months, Glenn Mitchell, communication director for the Adventist church in the Northern-Asia Pacific region, said the idea for such a church surfaced a few years ago.
The Adventist church in that region has long used English-language training institutes as a means of sharing the gospel, and according to church officials this new church will do the same. Dr. Jairyong Lee, president of the Adventist church in Northern-Asia Pacific, gave the keynote address during the inauguration service. He reminded those in attendance of the plan to plant 30 new English language churches in the region within the next 10 years. The Ilsan church will be a model for additional church plantings.
Before the inauguration service church staff distributed some 1,600 pamphlets on the streets of Ilsan, inviting people to come to the church.
Mitchell explained that the church hopes to reach “the educated Korean business person. In Ilsan where we live and work is considered a bedroom community for Seoul. Many of the management type live here and commute to their offices in Seoul.”
The church is located in the newly constructed chapel on the seventh floor of the Adventist church’s Northern Asia-Pacific administrative building in Ilsan. In addition to the approximately 30 charter members for this new church plant, another 20 invited guests attended Bible study and church worship. One of the guests who attended learned about the church from a staff member when they met during an early morning exercise program.
Mitchell said there is one other English language. It meets at Sahmyook University, an Adventist institution in Nowon-gu, Seoul. He explains that there are a number of native English speakers either teaching at the university or working nearby.
The Adventist church in Japan also tried to start an English language church in the past.
“Their experience was that as long as a native English speaker was giving the sermon people would attend. Because of the difficulty [meeting] this expectation the church did not grow to maturity. But they have indicated that they might be willing to give it another try. They have recently formed a group of Portuguese-speaking individuals because there was enough interest,” Mitchell said.
Pastor Daniel Walter, senior pastor for this new church plant, is a retired missionary who is also serving as an English language teacher at the Language Institute. Pastor Charleston Kim is the associate pastor.