Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Chairman ManHee Lee) held its third ‘100,000 Graduation Ceremony’ and once again certified that it is a ‘trend’ in the religious world.

Zion Christian Mission Centre (Director Young-jin Tan), a free Bible education institution of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, held the 'Class 114 Graduation Ceremony' at Daegu Stadium and Daegu Auxiliary Stadium in Suseong district, Daegu at noon on the 12th November 2023.

A total of 108,084 students graduated on that day, making it the world’s largest graduation by any theological institution. In particular, among the 100,000 graduates of this ceremony, 6274 are former and current pastors and seminarians at home and abroad. This is more than a 10-fold increase compared to last year's graduation ceremony, when 522 pastors graduated.

The number of graduates is 35,792 from Asia, including 11 from Nepal, 32 from Taiwan, 15 from East Timor, 35 from Lebanon, 220 from Malaysia, 3509 from Mongolia, 1 from Bhutan, 4 from Saudi Arabia, 4 from Sri Lanka, 3 from the United Arab Emirates, 1 from Afghanistan, 13 from Jordan, 59 from Uzbekistan, 1 from Iraq, 2 from Iran, 5 from Israel, 8795 from India, 153 from Indonesia, 229 from Japan, 4 from Qatar, 230 from Kazakhstan, 23 from Cambodia, 4 from Kyrgyzstan, 6 from Tajikistan, 60 from Thailand, 294 from Turkey, 2114 from Pakistan, and 1273 from Philippines. There were 18,691 from other countries outside South Korea.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus produced a total of 103,764 graduates in 2019 and a total of 106,186 graduates last year amidst the negative news of COVID-19.

For safety reasons, the number of people participating in the graduation ceremony in Korea was limited to 80,000, and the number of congratulatory guests was limited to 10,000. The vehicles were distributed across three locations: Dalseong district, Changnyeong district, and Ulsan Metropolitan City, and a total of 2200 vehicles were mobilised.

Due to a lack of space, this graduation ceremony was held all over the world. The graduation ceremony was broadcast live on YouTube and broadcast simultaneously around the world in 13 languages, with more than 300,000 people participating both online and offline.

In his commemorative speech, Chairman Lee emphasised, “For 6000 years, God has been working to achieve what we have today,” and added, “If God and heaven come to our country, our country will become a truly holy and blessed country.” He said, “The Book of Revelation that we learned records the creation of a new era,” and added, “Pain and death have occurred, but I believe that in the future, unlike that, a good world will be created where death moves to life.” “This is what we have believed in,” he explained.

He added, “When everyone in our country becomes one and becomes a beautiful country and beautiful politics in God’s eyes, God will want to come quickly,” and “Let’s pray for our country to do well.” He said, “If things go well, good will return to the people”, and emphasised, “May our country become a light that shines to the whole world.”

On that day, Daegu Stadium was filled with Shincheonji graduates and believers, giving an impression of the 'Shincheonji trend' in the religious world. Despite the cold weather, about 80,000 graduates, church members, and social figures wearing blue graduation uniforms gathered about two hours before the event started to show off their enthusiasm. The crowds of Shincheonji believers welcoming the graduates were full inside and outside Daegu Stadium. In particular, the smiles could not be wiped off the faces of the believers who filled the outside of the stadium.

Yong-beom Kim (male, 29), who attended the 100,000 graduation ceremony for the first time, said, “I hope that through this graduation ceremony, everyone will come to realise that there is truth and the Word in Shincheonji.”

The event was held with an opening ceremony for the first part, commemoration ceremony for the second part, and a graduation ceremony for the third part. Part 1 started with a praise service, followed by a national ceremony, opening declaration, and congratulatory remarks. Part 2 consisted of a hymn of glory, a representative prayer, a speech by Chairman ManHee Lee, and a blessing prayer. Part 3 consisted of a video broadcast of the World Graduation Ceremony, followed by a card section, a congratulatory speech by Director Young-jin Tan, presentation of certificates, turning of the tassels of the graduation cap, presentation of certificates (perfect attendance award, evangelism award), presentation of graduation testimonials, congratulatory performance, and commemorative photo taking.

In particular, the large-scale card section, in which more than 10,100 people participated, expressed the reality of betrayal, destruction and salvation in the Book of Revelation through mass cardgames, creating awe-inspiring performances that were pleasing to the eyes and ears.

At the site, safety and order were strictly observed due to concerns about large numbers of people gathering at the same time. Entrances were limited to two, and attendees lined up at a distance and moved one by one, following the guidance of assigned security guards.

According to the organisers, as concerns were raised about safety in the large crowd of 100,000, more than 4,000 people worked as guide staff, and a total of 14,000 staff, including safety guards, were mobilised to put safety as the top priority.

Shincheonji medical volunteers, including doctors, nurses, and oriental medicine doctors, said they were grateful to be able to serve with their talents. Ji-hoon Ahn (41, male), a member of the John Tribe, said, “People who are sick after staying in cold places or who come from far away cannot eat properly, so they come to the treatment room and receive acupuncture or medicine before leaving.” “I’m grateful that I can help people,” he said. Gong-hee Kong (37, female), a member of the Thomas tribe, also expressed her feelings, saying, “I'm truly grateful that I can be of help by participating in the 100,000 graduation ceremony.”

Ho-hyeon Kim (38, male), who attended as a safety guard, said, “Seeing the graduates entering brought me back to the past, and seeing how pure they all were made me look back on my original intentions in many ways.” He said, “This place is said to be a so-called heresy or a cult, but if you think about how they can hold a graduation ceremony for 100,000 people three times, I think you need to open your mind a little more and look into it.” He added, “It is clear that the faith is healthy and the standards are correct.”

After the event, a total of 848 people from the Environmental Management Department were deployed to provide environmental clean-up services.

This is the reaction of residents around the event venue. Mr. Kim (59, male), who believes in Buddhism, said, “I briefly saw on TV that the event was held here last year, and I am surprised to hear that it is being held again this year.” He continued, “If you listen to the stories about believers in Shincheonji, it seems like there is a very special and sincere exchange, and the believers are coming together a lot,” and predicted, “From what I can see, it seems like it will develop further and further.” He added, “Currently, Protestantism in our country is quite corrupt, and other religions are also being commercialised, but unlike this, Shincheonji seems to have broken that down and is sincere.”

Mr. A (male, 50s), a member of a media company who attended the 100,000 graduation ceremony this year as well as last year, said, “I was very impressed by how orderly it still was,” and “I think it was a good experience in many ways.” He continued, “Now I want to listen to the Book of Revelation.”

Mr. B, who requested anonymity, said, “I was stunned and amazed to be able to witness firsthand so many graduates from around the world. Today, I was able to hear the word from God through Chairman Lee, who is called the promised pastor.” “I hope that more people will be transformed into light through these words,” he said.

Gye-sik Choi, publisher of the Korea Issue Journal, said, “100,000 people have completed the course each year, and this is already the third time. It's a phenomenon that has never been seen before,” adding, “Shincheonji is the only denomination that achieves such miracles.” He also said, “This kind of event should be included on the front page.”

On that day, Director Tan Young-jin announced another graduation ceremony next year. Director Tan said, “In addition to the students who graduated today, there are already more than 83,000 students currently studying at the Centre,” and added, “Of course, the number will inevitably exceed 100,000 when they complete the course next year.”