A wave of signboard replacement is blowing in Protestant churches in South Korea.
The Shincheonji Daejeon Church (Matthias Tribe) held a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing ceremony with the Western District Durumari Open Church and with the Eastern District Sky Church on 10th and 15th October, respectively.
The existing MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), which serves to clearly establish the basic direction and will of cooperation between the two parties, has developed into an MOA which specifically stipulates the roles and responsibilities of each church, thereby further enhancing the binding force of cooperation.
The most notable event at this signing ceremony was the unveiling ceremony where the Shincheonji Church of Jesus signboard was officially installed for the first time in the partner church. The existing 'Presbyterian Church' sign was replaced with 'Shincheonji Church of Jesus', becoming a symbol of new change within the local religious community.
Explaining the reason for the sign change, Pastor Il-Hyeon Oh of the Sky Church said, “I have been working in ministry for a long time, but I always felt a sense of inadequacy. In particular, I had a hard time understanding the Book of Revelation, so I visited several seminaries but could not find a clear answer.” He added, “Through the MOU with Shincheonji Church of Jesus, I gained a deep understanding of the Book of Revelation, and it feels very natural to participate as a partner church today.”
Then, on the 11th, Shincheonji Busan Church signed an MOU with a church affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of Korea and held an unveiling ceremony.
Pastor Koh of the partner church said, “I have been serving as a pastor belonging to the Presbyterian Church for over 20 years, and at first I had prejudice against Shincheonji Church of Jesus, but I visited the Busan church to find out why many people go to Shincheonji. Through Bible discussions, I realised that my existing knowledge was like a frog in a well, and all my questions about the Bible were resolved, so I signed this agreement for the ministry that God wants me to do.” He also said, “After coming into contact with the revealed word, my concerns about preaching disappeared, and the congregation’s understanding of the Bible deepened, making my ministry happier. I hope that there will be more pastors who put down their prejudices, accept the revealed word, and believe according to the Bible.”
Finally, on the 22nd October, Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Seoul signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with a church affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of Korea and held a signboard unveiling ceremony.
Explaining the reason for signing this MOA, Pastor Kim, head pastor of the partner church for over 20 years in a family with long Presbyterian roots said, “When I finally understood the Book of Revelation properly (through Shincheonji Church of Jesus), I thought every Christian pastor in Korea should learn this word and teach it to the congregation”. He said, “Taking down the Presbyterian signboard and putting up the Shincheonji Church of Jesus signboard is not something that was lightly done.”
In conclusion, a Shincheonji official said, “Shincheonji Church of Jesus is always open to believers, and he hopes that through this agreement, more churches will cooperate with Shincheonji and become one in God and reach heaven.”
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