Shincheonji Church of Jesus maintained a high standard of crowd management at the graduation of 108,084 theology students of Class 114 on November 12th 2023 in Daegu Stadium and Daegu Auxiliary Stadium, South Korea.

The Department of Internal Affairs of Shincheonji Church of Jesus was responsible for providing guidance inside and outside Daegu Stadium, where the graduation ceremony was held, and gathered in the early morning despite the near-freezing temperatures.

In light of the sheer number, the challenge was not only to welcome and guide 100,000 graduates and guests into the stadiums, but also to regulate traffic to prevent safety accidents.

The Department of Internal Affairs established an organic cooperation system with the Department of Volunteering & Transportation of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which oversaw the 2200 buses that graduates and congratulatory guests rode to the event venue, and began meticulous and pre-emptive crowd management. To achieve this, an information centre was established, volunteer guides were assigned to each section, and team leaders were appointed on all 2200 buses.

Despite the cold and early start, volunteers never lost their smiles and greeted and provided directions to those visiting the event venue at every corner. Team leaders were strategically placed so that even if there was a risk of overcrowding or the possibility of crowds deviating from the line, cooperation could be achieved by communicating with the team leaders in real time to direct the crowd. Thousands of information volunteers were deployed to the site to guide and supervise the entire event. Moreover, the Ministry of Internal Affairs provided guidance training and first aid training for emergency situations.

As the graduation ceremony ended at around 2pm on the 12th, an announcement rang out in the stadium. From then on, team guide leaders, who were assigned to 30 to 40 graduates, guided graduates safely out of the stadium. In the words of Team leader Joseph Lee (28), “I think that order and safety are the most important as 100,000 people gather. To achieve this, we practised by running a guided simulation before the event.”

At the same time, outside the stadium, guide volunteers wearing fluorescent vests with the word 'Guide' written on them were lined up about 5 metres apart to prevent crowding.

However, regardless of how excellent a system is, it is useless if members do not follow instructions. The graduates, who were the protagonists of that day's event, faithfully followed the instructions from the beginning to the end of the event and created a safe graduation ceremony. In addition, event officials agreed that 'the event was able to be held safely because of the graduates' 'high sense of order.'

Volunteer Young-mi Lee (42, female), who was in charge of guiding the graduates, said, “The graduates must have been shattered as they had to move early in the morning to accommodate the spread of the travel time, but no one complained and they all participated brightly, energetically, and willingly.”

Meanwhile, Zion Christian Mission Centre, a free Bible education institution of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, produced 108,084 students through a graduation ceremony on that day. This is the largest number by any single denomination, and the third graduation of more than 100,000 students by Shincheonji, following 103,764 students in 2019 and 106,186 students in 2022.

On the 25th November, the Wonju branch of Shincheonji Volunteer Group carried out regular volunteer work to clean up the natural environment around Wonju Express Bus Terminal in Dangye neighbourhood.

The Rose Park and Wonju Express Bus Terminal areas, which have a large floating population, are places where citizens continue to complain about the littering of cigarette butts and various household waste.

Accordingly, members of the Wonju branch of Shincheonji Volunteer Group worked hard to carry out the regular 'Green Nature' environmental clean-up volunteer work in these areas.

First, 30 volunteers, who wanted to provide a pleasant environment for citizens, picked up about 300 litres of rubbish along a 1.2km section that day. Refuse bags were provided by the Wonju Volunteer Centre.

In particular, the Wonju Branch of Shincheonji Volunteer Group not only completed its activities by simply cleaning up the environment, but also launched a campaign to ban cigarette littering with citizens.

According to the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements, a nationwide survey of household waste showed that cigarette butts ranked first among all litter. There was also time to communicate about what cigarettes are made of and their role in ensuring clean oceans.

This is because when plastic cigarette butts flow into the sea, they decompose into microplastics and have a negative impact on the marine ecosystem.

Accordingly, the Wonju branch carefully informed citizens that cigarettes are made of plastic, not clean paper, which is the main culprit of pollution not only to the human body but also to the environment, and that the start of clean oceans is a ban on the littering of cigarettes.

Eun-ji Kim (28, female), who was passing through the terminal, said, “I thought smoking was only bad for the body, but it is also having a huge impact on the environment, so I need to raise awareness.” She continued, “I hope to raise awareness about the anti-cigarette littering campaign in the future so that it can be improved - I must do this.” She added, “I've friends around me who smoke, so I'll be telling them not to throw away their cigarette butts carelessly. I hope campaigns like this happen more often.”

An official from the Wonju branch of Shincheonji Volunteer Group said, “We conducted environmental clean-up services to create a more pleasant environment and safer streets for the region and our neighbours. We plan to actively promote this campaign to prevent cigarette butts from being carelessly thrown away and protect the environment.”

New Heaven New Earth Shincheonji Church of Jesus is receiving praise for its orderly maintenance of the facilities used for its November 12th graduation of 108,084 theology students.

Before and after celebrating the graduation of Class 114 from the Zion Christian Mission Centre, volunteers thoroughly disinfected and cleaned the stadium where the event took place in Daegu, South Korea.

“I was quite astonished when I came for litter inspection before and after the event,” said a professional cleaning company representative from the Daegu region. “Not only was it impressive that such a large number of people were able to move orderly during the event, but also the cleanliness after the event was remarkable. It made me see (Shincheonji Church of Jesus) in a new light.”

In preparation for its latest graduation, Shincheonji Church of Jesus emphasised safety and order and paid close attention to environmental cleanup and sanitation. Beginning two to three days before the event, church members gathered to clean Daegu Stadium, install temporary toilets, and purchase supplies.

“We made every effort to ensure that anyone who sees it, even after the event, can say that it was an orderly and beautiful event from beginning to end,” said Geun-young Jung, head of Shincheonji Church's environmental clean-up department.

The November 12th ceremony was the third occasion commemorating the graduation of over 100,000 students who completed an in-depth course explaining the entire Bible, including the Book of Revelation. Its ability to consistently produce 100,000 graduates every year is just one of the many impressive achievements of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

The church's online seminar series providing its introductory, intermediate and advanced Bible course content has exceeded 32 million cumulative views on YouTube. As many as 9593 churches in over 80 different countries have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Shincheonji Church, vowing to work together and exchange Bible teaching materials.

Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-heaven-new-earth-church-of-jesus-praised-for-clean-and-orderly-maintenance-of-facilities-during-third-100-000-graduation-301996881.html

In November, the end of autumn, to end the remaining two months of the year on a meaningful note, the 'Shincheonji Year-End Invitation' was held under the theme of 'Together 100,000, Review 100,000'.

This event was created to commemorate the ‘100,000 Graduation Ceremony of the 12 Tribes of Shincheonji: Class 114 of Zion Christian Mission Center’ held in Daegu on the 12th November.

Shincheonji Gwangju Church (Peter Tribe, tribe leader Jeong-Woo Lee) of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, incorporated the ‘Shincheonji Year-End Invitation’ into the monthly 'Happiness Lecture' on the 17th, with over 2000 attendees attending.

In particular, this invitation event was prepared to once again convey the emotion of the graduation ceremony, which produced 108,084 graduates - the largest in history by any single religious institution - through photos and videos to citizens who were unable to experience the graduation ceremony in person.

Shincheonji Gwangju Church began exhibiting large photos displaying the grandeur of the 100,000 graduation ceremony on the first and second floors of the temple, and included the meaning of the graduation ceremony, an explanation of the 100,000 graduation ceremony process, the history of the graduation ceremony showing the growth of Shincheonji, the lively scenes of graduates on site, and the various domestic and foreign media reports of the 100,000 graduation ceremony. Works such as volunteer activities and blood donation campaigns that are bringing light to the local community were also exhibited.

Next, on the third floor, several experience booths were set up, including a hanbok (Korean clothes) experience for foreign visitors, traditional games, personal colour diagnosis, and a photo zone, providing joy and warmth to visitors. On the 4th floor, high-quality performances, graduation ceremony videos, and lectures were held at 2pm and 8pm.

Tribe leader Jeong-woo Lee, who was the lecturer, first explained the fundamental reason for holding the invitation lecture, saying, “Many people are coming here. Although the number of believers in existing churches is rapidly decreasing after COVID-19, Shincheonji held 100,000 graduation ceremonies three times during the COVID-19 period, last year, and this year.” “Allow me to explain to you why these two churches are so different,” he said.

The tribe leader emphasised that the two churches are ultimately competing with the 'Bible' and that the Bible is not something to be interpreted according to one's own liking, but was written with Heaven's thoughts, so we can only understand it when Heaven informs us. At the same time, he testified that the Bible is trustworthy for the following reasons: it is written as it is, it fulfils the promised prophecy, and the contents are the same even though the writers and times are different.

He continued, “The first book in the Bible, ‘Genesis,’ is about God's leaving because of sin, and the last book, ‘Revelation,’ is about God's return.” He continued, “In Chapter 21 of Revelation, God and heaven come down and be with people.” “The Bible is trying to make you into these people,” he said, explaining that the most important book is the Book of Revelation.

He emphasised that the difference between the established denominations mentioned above and Shincheonji, and the secret of why people flock to Shincheonji, is '65 vs 66.' “The Bible has 66 books, but the established church teaches on the 65 books, excluding the Book of Revelation, so there is no conclusion,” he said. “If you know the Book of Revelation, you will also know that there is a ‘harvest’ recorded in it.”

At the end of the lecture, a video of the '100,000 Graduation Ceremony' held on the 12th was introduced. He said, “This graduation ceremony shows that the promises in the Book of Revelation are being fulfilled. Isn't it good to know that many people are coming to an understanding of the Book of Revelation and are flocking to Shincheonji Church of Jesus?” “I hope we have the opportunity to understand this together,” he said, concluding the 1 hour and 30 minute lecture.

Meanwhile, Shincheonji Church of Jesus produced 103,764 graduates in 2019, 106,186 in 2022, and 108,084 this year. In particular, at this graduation ceremony, a total of 6274 current and former pastors and seminarians from Korea and abroad graduated, taking the religious community by surprise.

The '100,000 Graduation Ceremony of the 12 Tribes of Shincheonji: Class 114 of Zion Christian Mission Center' was successfully held at Daegu Stadium on the 12th  November and produced 108,086 graduates. Despite being labelled as a heresy by the established churches, why are so many pastors and believers from around the world flocking to Shincheonji Church of Jesus? What follows are some testimonials by recent graduates.

Deok-hee Cho (60), one of 6274 graduates of Class 114, was a practising Catholic for 15 years. His wife has been attending Shincheonji Church of Jesus for 20 years. Tensions were rife at home as Mr. Cho persecuted his wife by telling her not to go to Shincheonji Church. However, after studying the revealed word from Shincheonji, Mr. Cho said, “At the recommendation of my wife, I listened to the word from Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and I found out that it was not heretical as people had said, and that it was clearly different from other faiths in that it only testified according to the Bible.” He added, “The testimony of the prophecies and fulfilment of the Book of Revelation are so accurate and consistent with the Bible that I decide to practise a life of faith at Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and I sincerely apologised to my wife whom I had persecuted for so long.” He added, “Currently, I'm leading a content religious life with my wife.”

Gyu-han Kim (55), a graduate who practised a life of faith in the Protestant Presbyterian Church for 25 years, said, “I was taught that everyone except the church I attended was a cult. I heard and learned that I should keep my distance, but while taking classes at the Zion Christian Mission Centre, I later realised that the cult spoken of in the Bible was not Shincheonji and that the church I was attending was teaching the opposite.”

Jang-seong Lee (64), a graduate from Incheon who had practised his faith at the Presbyterian Church for about 10 years, said that he had had a negative view of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, but the misunderstandings have been resolved. This graduate said, “At first, my perception of Shincheonji Church of Jesus was very negative. I was obsessed with false information about heresy, assault, and loss of property, but when I learned the Word from the Zion Christian Mission Centre, I realised that that was a serious misunderstanding.” He said, “Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which testifies based on the Bible, is the true church and the place where the truth is,” and added, “I think Shincheonji Church of Jesus is growing rapidly because it shows the New Testament as it is without adding or subtracting from it.”

Shincheonji Church of Jesus' graduation ceremony is granted to students who have completed the entire introductory, intermediate, and advanced theological education course at the Zion Christian Mission Centre and have attained the minimum passmark of 90% for the graduation exam. The 100,000 graduates say that the reason they chose Shincheonji Church of Jesus is because it has the word of truth based entirely on the Bible without external interpretation or commentaries.

Of the 108,086 graduates of Shincheonji Church of Jesus on that day, 6274 were pastors.

Ki-yeon Lee, a lecturer at the Seoul Church of the Seoul James Tribe of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, recounted memories of lecturing to overseas students. In particular, the lecturer explained that it would not have been easy for students to adapt or attend classes due to the time difference, but students woke up early in the morning and studied hard.

Lecturer Eun-seon Geum of the Ulsan Church of the Andrew tribe of Shincheonji Church of Jesus gave lectures to students who were former pastors. She said that at the time, pastoral students had deep prejudices, such as believing that carrying out the work of harvest at Shincheonji Church of Jesus was rooted in an intention to 'steal believers from the church.' However, as pastoral students listened to the lectures, they learned exactly what 'Shincheonji' means, and they have now completed evangelism training. Lecturer Geum said, “I expect that the pastoral students will perform a great evangelistic work next year as evangelists spread the revealed gospel of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.”

For the third time in recent years, New Heaven New Earth Shincheonji Church of Jesus has held a graduation of 100,000 theology students. The Zion Christian Mission Centre of Shincheonji Church offers an in-depth course that explains the entirety of the Bible, including all 22 chapters of the Book of Revelation. Graduates include pastors and everyday believers around the world who have taken the rigorous course for approximately 6-8 months.

Shincheonji Church has experienced explosive growth at a time when traditional churches have grappled with a significant decline in membership. Many people testify that the church's tremendous growth, even amidst extreme persecution, is due to its clear and concise explanation of the Book of Revelation.

Its ability to consistently produce 100,000 graduates is just one of the many impressive accomplishments of Shincheonji Church. Including the online seminar series, which has exceeded 32 million cumulative views on YouTube, Shincheonji Church has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)* with 9593 churches in over 80 different countries, promising to work together and to teach its Bible course free of cost.

On Sunday, 12th November 2023, more than 108,000 students from around the world participated in the third of its kind record-breaking graduation ceremony after successfully completing a theological course presented by Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

The main ceremony was held at Daegu Stadium in South Korea and broadcasted live to hundreds of locations worldwide where thousands more graduates joined and participated.

In Southern Africa just under 3000 students graduated with 2322 from South Africa, 228 from Namibia, 67 from Zimbabwe, and numerous others from Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini. Local ceremonies were held in Cape Town, Gqeberha, Durban, Johannesburg, Windhoek, Harare, and many other Southern African metropolitan municipalities.

According to Shincheonji Church officials, this marks the third occasion in which more than 100,000 students graduate from the church’s Bible courses. Previously 103,764 in 2019 and 106,186 in 2022 graduated during similar ceremonies.

Amongst the students graduating were 6274 former and current Christian pastors and leaders from different denominational backgrounds. “My experience was so marvellous, because before I thought I knew the whole Bible, but now I came to know the revealed Word of God (Bible), which is the one that gives salvation,” said Pastor Philip Mathebula from Gqeberha.

Pastor Tjaheja Meroro added that, “It was a great honour to be among 108,084 students graduating today. It was well-organised and well-planned. I will invite lots of people to come and join this, because it’s a great event. But most importantly we study the book of God (Bible) to have peace in the world. If we don’t know the word of God then we have war in this world, but I don’t want that. I want peace. So here we are learning to have peace.”

To celebrate the ceremony, important figures from different fields of different countries, including a regional governor, a former Constitutional Court judge, a chairperson of a Buddhist council, an Imam, a vice chief monk of a royal temple, and a chief monk of a Buddhist temple.

In his congratulatory speech, ManHee Lee, the chairman of Shincheonji Church said, “God will witness our gathering. Let's strive to make a better world according to the will of God.”

The director of Shincheonji’s theological centre, Young-Jin Tan, urged graduates to take what they had learned and put it into practice to have a positive impact on their local community, saying, “Now, let us take the lead in healing the nations and achieving global peace.”

Jessica De Leuw, a graduate from Cape Town said, “Shincheonji is the only church where more than 100,000 saints gather annually to celebrate such a glorious occasion. This is truly a beacon of hope, especially in a world faced with so much turmoil, conflicts, wars, and disasters. So many people studied because the true Word is here, and God and Jesus are present. I sincerely hope that everyone will verify the Word and strive to become one within the Bible.”

During the graduation ceremony a 15-minute card section performance entitled “The New Testament Revelation testified by Shincheonji: The Events of Betrayal, Destruction, and Salvation” uniquely told the story of the entire chapters of Revelation in the Bible in a compressed form. Over 10,000 individuals took part in this card section receiving enthusiastic cheers and applause from the crowds.

Due to the large-scale nature of the event, great focus was placed on safety, security, and order. “We also placed significant emphasis on emergency response training, deployment of medical personnel, and the establishment of a medical system to prepare for cold weather and unforeseen circumstances,” the church said in a statement.