On
27th of May 2018, Shincheonji Multicultural Centre (SMC) - which currently
has a membership of 130 students from 13 overseas countries including Bangladesh,
Vietnam, Myanmar and Uzbekistan - expressed its loving gesture by inviting 60 of
these foreign residents to participate in a day of cultural and sporting activities
across three cities with the purpose of learning more about Korean culture. Students
were taught martial arts, sled-racing, archery, guitar and ocarina. The event helped
many who are separated from their families to feel loved and embraced. As one participant
said, “I felt like we are a real family”.
Five days before, on 22nd of May, Shincheonji Volunteer Group celebrated the birthday of
the Buddha in a country where roughly 25% of the population (12 million) are Buddhist.
Volunteers visited a Buddhist temple as an act of overcoming the divide between
the religions of the world. As the largest
Korean-based non-governmental organisation currently operating in the Republic
of Korea, over 100,000 volunteers have participated in various acts of voluntary service including disaster relief, blood
donations, support for veteran groups, regional development and public service
campaigns in 67 of the 84 cities in Korea
(refer to my article “Achievements of
Shincheonji Volunteer Group”). The main purpose of all this work is to unite religions.
As one volunteer who visited the Temple said, “religion should cooperate first
and be on the front line when making peace.”
Links
Shincheonji Church's multicultural center offered an opportunity to experience Korean culture
On the day of Buddha's birthday, Shincheonji Volunteers overcome religious barriers by giving hands
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