Issue 34
August 25, 2020
Greetings from Seoul!
The pandemic has been testing us humans in many ways for months now. The struggle to contain the virus has been a particular challenge for the churches, due to restrictions on gatherings, a basic condition and virtue of church life up to now. Here we introduce some efforts being undertaken for a balance between preventing infection and educating the next generation.
Last year, ecumenical circles in the Korean and Japanese churches started a joint initiative for reconciliation and peace between the two countries. This year, they came together with more concrete plans for action, and issued a declaration, as reported in this issue.
We also include a praise song video clip by Fijian vocalist Soko, who has explained that although he’s the first trained vocalist in Fiji, he’s not the best, because everyone in his country sings well, and people don’t consider singing as something that requires professional training. =)
We pray for God’s solace to bring us through our many different struggles.
Different kind of children’s retreat: “Thorough coronavirus prevention measures”
The COVID-19 epidemic is changing the contours of summer ministry, viewed as the best time for next-generation church education.
“Children’s Jesus Army United Korea Vision Camp,” held at Seohaean (west coast) Youth Complex in Seosan, South Chungcheong-do, is the church circles’ only offline children’s retreat this year. Ordinarily a large-scale camp held twice with more than 500 participants, this year it was reduced to one third its normal size to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Before each lecture, the 149 children and 45 staff applied sanitizer to their hands, and they sat in chairs 1.4 meters apart. All had passed a temperature check in order to enter the hall. The organizers had repeatedly sprayed sodium hypochlorite, using an ultrafine atomizer. There was air conditioning, and the windows were opened wide. At mealtimes, the children moved by groups, holding on to a “distancing rope,” and only 65 persons were allowed in the 300-capacity cafeteria at one time. Meal time was lengthened to 90 minutes, with five teams eating by turns.
Better-known churches are carrying out summer ministries by utilizing Sunday worship time, as well as attracting participation through indirect two-way communications such as online education for families.
Seoul’s Somang Church (Rev. Kim Gyeong-jin) is holding an online retreat for one week from August 23, with church members participating each day. The church presents online contents and tasks for families three times a day, via its homepage and an application. There are attendance sign-in corners in the app and the homepage, and feedback is given on the tasks, to encourage participation. Somang provides the same contents to small churches, at no cost.
Seoul’s Oryun Community Church (Rev. Kim Eun-ho) is holding a four-week “New Camp” consisting of family camping plus Sunday worship. It has also prepared a real-time online gathering, the “Future With a Dream” program, which includes a weekly video titled “Family Mission” with tasks that children can join in carrying out. Teachers provide guidance via the Zoom chatting platform. “Future With a Dream” has created five kinds of retreat models to fit the situations of churches around the country, and it is available for free on the church’s homepage.
Future With a Dream Director Ju Gyeong-hun commented, “To the extent that the education environment has changed due to COVID-19, it is time to reformulate the roles of parents and teachers as ‘promoters’ of faith education.”
“For peace in North East Asia, Japan must reflect on its past colonial domination”
On August 12, the Korea-Japan Reconciliation and Peace Platform held a press conference marking the 75th anniversary of Korea’s liberation and Japan’s defeat at the end of World War II. At this event, the Platform, an alliance of religious and civic groups, announced an “August 15 Declaration” for peace in North East Asia, calling for Japan’s reflection on its history of colonial domination, promotion of the peace process on the Korean peninsula, Japan’s preservation of Article 9 in its Peace Constitution, East Asia’s denuclearization and armaments reduction, and peace and human rights education for the next generation.
Though the declaration was drafted by the Japanese organizations, it refers directly to past history, starting with the 1905 Eulsa Treaty, which according to international legal conventions was invalid. Continuing with other historical problems, it urges enforcement of the South Korean Supreme Court’s ruling on compensation for victims of forcible mobilization, expresses concern over the erasure of the history of forced mobilization on Gunhamdo (Hashima Island), calls for apology and compensation to the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery, and confirms Japan’s responsibility for the massacre of Korean and Chinese residents at the time of the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923.
“We are convinced that if there had been no colonial rule by Japan, the people of the Korean peninsula would not have been divided,” the declaration said. “We support the devoted efforts of Korea’s civil society and religious community to overcome the national division.” Going on, it said the two countries’ civil societies will cooperate in the movement against the Abe Shinzo government’s amendment of Article 9; and called for immediate restarting of negotiations between Japan and North Korea, relief measures for North Korean atomic bombing victims, and the opening of a citizens’ forum on Korea-Japan history.
The Korea-Japan Reconciliation and Peace Platform is organized around the National Council of Churches in Korea (Rev. Lee Hong-jeong, general secretary) and the National Christian Council in Japan (Rev. Kim Sung-jae, general secretary), which began discussions last year to gather the voices of religious and civil society amidst the freeze in Korea-Japan relations. Preparations went on for about a year, during which the Platform was widened by the entry of Catholics and Won Buddhists, labor groups and citizens’ groups; and on July 2 this year it was formally inaugurated as a conciliar body. Significantly, the declaration is Protestant-centered, and has brought together a large number of religious and civil organizations to speak in one voice.
[This month’s anthem] Phantom Singer 3 Soko - “How Great Thou Art”
Phantom Singer 3’s first Fiji vocalist, Soko (full name: Sunia Soko Vulivavalagi Loga), sings this month’s anthem. Soko is known for singing better in Korean than Koreans do. We hope his anthem will bring you solace.
Soko’s story in Korean can be found at:
[Jesus and I – Soko] “As I was praying to be a Phantom Singer, the broadcasting station called me first…It gave me goose bumps”: First Fiji vocalist Soko
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