On 20th November 2022, Cheonji Ilbo (Cheonji Daily) published an article in Korean, entitled, “[100,000 Graduation Ceremony] Pastor graduate 'signs an MOU with Shincheonji from theological seminary and evangelises 294 people'”. This is a translation of that report. (Photo) Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Chairman Man-hee Lee) held its first face-to-face graduation ceremony after the COVID-19 pandemic on the 20th November and produced 106,186 graduates. Mr. D. Jackson presents his graduation testimony as a representative of overseas graduates

[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Su-kyung Kang] Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Chairman Man-hee Lee) held its first face-to-face graduation ceremony after the COVID-19 pandemic on the 20th November and produced 106,186 graduates. For the graduates of Class 113, the ratio of pastors compared to the previous graduation ceremony increased.  A total of 522 pastors, 37 in Korea and 485 overseas, completed the Bible study course in an environment of online learning due to COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Shincheonji Church of Jesus released educational material via YouTube. As an environment was created in which students could take classes without being conscious of others, the number of pastors and seminary students increased rapidly.

D. Jackson, the representative of overseas graduates, is also a pastor in India. After encountering Shincheonji Church of Jesus' online Bible classes in October 2021, he signed an MOU with Shincheonji and changed the name of the theological college he was operating to 'Hepto Zion Christian Mission Center'. Currently, 294 members of the church he runs, including pastors in charge of two branch churches, have completed the entire Zion Christian Mission Center course, and are registered as graduates of Class 113. Like D. Jackson, there are currently over 1,000 churches and pastors that have signed MOUs with Shincheonji Church of Jesus. What follows is the full text of D. Jackson's graduation speech made at the graduation ceremony.

https://www.newscj.com/article/20221120580229

[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Bit-na Kim] Even amid the coronavirus pandemic, 'Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus)' has produced a large number of graduates - '106,186' on the 20th, causing a sensation within the religious community. Attention is shifting on who Shincheonji Church of Jesus' Chairman Man-hee Lee, who led the graduation ceremony, is.

Chairman Man-hee Lee was born in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province as the 19th generation descendant of Grand Prince Hyoryeong, the second son of King Taejong of the Joseon Dynasty and older brother of King Sejong the Great. When the Korean War broke out, he participated as a student volunteer and witnessed the deaths of many comrades at the forefront. His experiences at that time served as a catalyst for his decision to launch a global peace movement.

After being discharged from the army, he worked in the countryside and prayed to God every morning and evening in the fields of the farmhouse. Then one day a star in the night sky appeared in front of where he was praying. After that, he climbed the mountain with the guidance of a big star, swore allegiance to God in blood, and began a life of faith.

According to Chairman Lee, he came to the realisation that the Book of Revelation was being fulfilled, and in the early 1980s, he experienced receiving the open book recorded in Revelation 10. Afterwards, he said he realised that he was the messenger of Jesus and the messenger of prophecy sent for the churches.

Chairman Lee declared March 14, 1984 the founding day of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, harvested those who were born of God's seed, and established the 12 tribes by sealing them.

In addition, Chairman Lee became a 'messenger of peace' for the cessation of global wars and world peace, transcending borders, races, and religions and touring the world 31 times. Former and current presidents of each country, chief justices of the Supreme Court, and heads of the National Assembly were appointed as Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) Peace Advisory Committee members, and  religious leaders, heads of organisations, and reporters from every media outlet were appointed. They were appointed as peace ambassadors and worked together for peace.

In particular, on January 24, 2014, Chairman Lee personally visited Mindanao, the Philippines, where more than 120,000 people were killed in the 40-year conflict, which was the bloodiest in Asia. He played a crucial role in ending the war and bringing about peace by bringing together the representatives of the two religions, Catholicism and Islam, who were the parties to the conflict, and mediated through the signing of a peace treaty.

In addition, Chairman Lee, together with world-renowned experts in international law, is conducting peace activities to present the 10 articles and 38 clauses of the 'Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)' to the United Nations. The DPCW contains content such as preventing war at the source and developing a culture of peace for sustainable peace.

https://www.newscj.com/article/20221124580346

[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Bo-young Hong] “Unlike the COVID-19 epidemic two years ago, I don't think the risk is high even if a large-scale rally is held.”

An 80,000-strong rally was held in Daegu. Some pointed out safety and quarantine issues, but it concluded without any safety incidents, and even in terms of quarantining, experts agree that large-scale gatherings are not dangerous in the current epidemic.

On the 20th, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus) hosted a graduation ceremony for 100,000 people at Daegu Stadium for about 3 hours. In light of concerns over safety issues for large-scale gatherings following the Itaewon tragedy, the organisers said that they made every effort to ensure safety.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “Above all, in order to hold the graduation ceremony safely, we prepared with safety as the top priority for the first, second, and third stages, including order maintenance, operating a monitoring room with the police, fire department, Daegu City and Suseong District Office safety-related personnel at the site.”

In addition, “The church itself deployed a total of 14,000 security personnel to maintain order inside and outside the venue, and had them enter and exit over 4 hours to prevent crowding,” and also said, “Emergency rescue training was conducted for all safety personnel, and all trainees also watched the video about emergency rescue. This graduation ceremony emphasises the fact that safety was especially well taken care of.”

Thanks to these preparations, the event concluded without any safety incidents. The organisers are said to have made every effort to prevent quarantine. It is known that all participants in the event wore KF-94 masks and did not remove their masks at any point from the beginning of the event until the end.

Experts also diagnosed that the risk of large-scale outdoor gatherings is not high in the current COVID-19 climate.

Jae-hun Jeong, professor of preventive medicine at Gachon University Gil Hospital, said, “The current COVID-19 situation is different from two years ago. There have been many large-scale events recently, but it is difficult to say that there is an increased spread with these events.”

“Certainly, if precautions are taken as directed by health authorities (social distancing, etc.), it falls within the scope of being low risk,” he added.

Joong-sik Eom, head of department of infectious medicine at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said that the risk of transmission from indoor events could vary depending on whether or not masks were worn, the time of the gathering, and the local epidemic situation, but in the case of outdoor events, he said, “I think the risk is very low.”

https://www.newscj.com/article/20221121580258

[Cheonji Ilbo = Correspondent Hye-in Choi] “I was deeply impressed by the exemplary behaviour of Shincheonji, which did not leave even one single piece of rubbish behind, even though it was an event held on a global scale. This 100,000 graduation ceremony has overcome the harsh winds of discrimination and maltreatment.” (Hyuk-bu Kwon, former vice chairman of the Korea Communications Standards Commission)

“In terms of scale and content, everything to do with the graduation ceremony was unmistakably international, and it was nice to see that, despite their scale, the taste of 'Korea' always took centre stage. I've come to believe that 'Shincheonji' will benefit our national interest.” (Reporter A of a certain daily newspaper)

“Shincheonji has been subjected to tremendous political, social, and religious persecution centred on the coronavirus crisis, but it was a tremendous experience to see them overcome all of that and rather spread acts of sacrifice, service, and love. What other church would hold an event on this scale?” (Jae-jun Lee, historical researcher and columnist)

On that day, for safety reasons, the number of participants in the graduation ceremony was limited to 80,000 in Korea, and over 300,000 people participated in the graduation ceremony both online and offline via YouTube Live, broadcast worldwide in 9 languages

In addition, he said, “I wish to show my appreciation to the mayor of Daegu who permitted the use of this stadium without partiality, while everyone is caught up in their prejudices and pointing fingers.” He added, “I've seen fresh leadership.”

A reporter from a daily newspaper also said, “The constant smiles of everyone who attended the event as well as the guides left a deep impression and created a good image of Shincheonji. The orderliness was willingly and voluntarily practised by each participant in consideration for the other.”

Jae-joon Lee, a historical researcher, also said, “It was wonderful to witness such a beaming event despite the severe persecution. Since ancient times, Korea has been called the 'light of the East'. I hope that we will remember the beautiful faces of those who are keeping their faith and carrying out good deeds even in this chaotic world.”

Shincheonji Church of Jesus held the 'Class 113 Graduation Ceremony' at Daegu Stadium in Daegu City on the same day. A total of 106,186 people graduated on that day, making it the largest theological education institution in the world. Among the graduates of Class 113, there were a total of 522 pastors, 37 domestic and 485 overseas, who graduated, marking a significant increase on previous years.

The number of participants in the graduation ceremony was limited to 80,000 in Korea for safety reasons, and over 300,000 people participated in the graduation ceremony both online and offline via YouTube Live, broadcast worldwide in nine languages.

https://www.newscj.com/article/20221121580388

[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Hyun-bok Lee] Shincheonji Volunteer Group, Gangwon Branch, divided into 3 teams in Yeongseo, Yeongdong and North Chungcheong Province from the 14th to the 27th of October to conduct the 'Wall Story' volunteer initiative.