First English Worship
Yesterday was a very exiting day at Kkotjae (Blooming Hill) Methodist Church! We held our first English worship service for adults. Kkotjae has offered an English ministry for children that is similar to a Bible school experience. The children sign in, sing, hear a lesson, play a game or make a craft, and sometimes have a snack. It gives kids an opportunity to practice English in a low-pressure environment. But nothing has been offered to adults until now.
Kkotjae has an English-speaking missionary from the Netherlands and several adults - both young and older - who speak English very well. There is also a professor from Boston University on sabbatical right now in Seoul. We are blessed with a relatively large number of people who feel comfortable speaking English. I have been working with this team since my arrival to prepare a new worship service and provide feedback from a non-Korean speaking foreigner’s perspective. The group has been wonderful to work with! The goal of English worship is to provide a spiritual home for nearby foreign college students and English-speaking visitors.
Our English worship service happens at 3 PM on Sunday afternoons and lasts around an hour. There’s no translation; the music, prayer, scritpure reading, and sermon are given entirely in English. I’m very proud of the work the team has done and cannot wait to see how God moves in this new, small Kkotjae congregation.
Pictured below, left to right: me with Missionary Joost and Rev. Dr. David Cho on the church roof patio; English worship rehearsal; me reading scripture during worship; Joost giving the sermon.
This coming week, I am busier than usual. Today (Monday) I met a new friend for lunch and toured an older area of the city. Tomorrow, we Americans (the third pastor from Ohio arrived yesterday!) will visit Lotte World, a large indoor amusement park. I preach on Sunday at English worship and am preparing to co-lead an online Bible study next week with Joost. All this activity makes the time fly by. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here over four weeks!
