Presbytery Meeting and Worship at HaeIn

It has been a busy week.  On Thursday the bi-annual meeting of Incheon Presbytery began.  The meeting runs for three days.  We were there only for a short time.  It took HyeRan and I about 3 hours to get there by public transport and then three hours to get back to meet the kids after school.  We only had time to be formally introduced at the meeting and to share lunch together.  But in that time we met many friendly faces among whom were some of those who came to Riverbend Presbytery last June.

This is a picture of Rev. Bae immediately after his installation as president of the presbytery for the coming year.  He gave a short speach in his usual soft and gentle voice about wanting especially to focus on youth and children's ministry in the coming year.

 This is a picture of HyeRan with the father of JiSang, one of the university students on the visit to Riverbend, (middle) and another presbyter who knows HyeRan from way back.(right)

 Rev. Park KyeongSeo, the new president of presbytery (right) with a church elder. (middle)  Note the black suits and ties.  Presbytery is a different animal in South Korea!  This is not just because of the formality.  Presbytery is one of three courts in the PROK and has direct responsibility for many things Riverbend Presbytery doesn't.  Ordination of ministers is one example.

 Rev. Kim YeongSeon from HaeIn Church.  She is the corresponding secretary of Incheon Presbytery this year as she was for last year.

 In the middle is a dear friend of HyeRan's who is the new recording secretary for the presbytery and one of the people we will definitely meet during our visit in October.

 Elder Seo, who came to Riverbend and impressed everyone with his energy and positivity.

 Rev. Kim YeongSeop is the incoming corresponding secretary for presbytery and a friend of mine from the days when I was an exchange student at HanShin University.

 Lunch break.

  Cherry blossoms!

 Another friend and member of presbytery.

What HyeRan and I took away from the meeting is that people are beginning to prepare for our arrival.  One of the issues they are most concerned about is sleeping arrangements.  I tried to assure them by saying we had spend a lot of time thinking about this too and in the end decided to go with home-stay even though we were unsure that our guests would be comfortable in Canadian homes because it was the best way to meet people.  I also said that we would be prepared for something different than we are used to in Canada.

On Sunday the Kim-Cragg family when to HaeIn Church, Kim YeongSeon's congregation.  The church is socially very active and is running a number of programs for seniors and unemployed people.  They also have partnership programs with rural congregations in Korea where they will visit and trade things between the communities.  I did not ask what they usually send but after the service we were treated to so very tasty cookies and rice cakes that had been prepared in rural churches.

   My sermon focused on partnership.  I talked about the on going need to work together with one another in the face of disasters like the SaeWol Ferry sinking because helping one another was the only way to keeps God's covenant alive in this new age.

HyeRan gave the closing benediction after which we when outside for a few pictures with the congregation.  The bush with the yellow ribbons hanging on it is a symbol of the congregations commitment to justice in the case of the SaeWol Ferry.  The anniversary of its sinking is this Thursday, April 16.

The Congregation is very much looking forward to seeing us.  They are a warm and friendly group with a lot to share and to teach.

SaeWol Solidarity in Holy Week

The Kim-Cragg's Holy Week was particularly meaningful this year. We embarked on a pilgrimage with other Christians representing Anglican, Salvation Army, Pentacostal, Presbyterian, Methodist and other demoninations in Korea. The pilgrimmage was to mark the SaeWol Ferry disaster in which 303 lives were lost (200 of them highschool students) and to do so in the context of the betrayal and death of Jesus. This act of solidarity was at once deeply spiritual and profoundly political as there is great resistance in the country against a full disclosure of what happened. Indeed the ferry is still at the bottom of the sea and 9 bodies have yet to be recovered, an unimaginable situation in a country with so much wealth and technical know how. The families of the lost continue to grieve and receive little comfort.

 HyeRan read scripture at the Good Friday service on the warf stretching out into the sea where the SaeWol went down.  The service was lead by an officer of the Salvation Army.  We wrote notes to the families of the bereaved.  The depth of the tragedy, a tragedy that otherwise seemed to be incomprehensible, was lovingly cradled within the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and somehow that helped me both to connect to Jesus and find hope for the present situation.

 This was our pilgrimage walk to the warf.  10kms in the rain!  We wore vests with the things we are asking of the government: 1.That the 9 last bodies by recovered as soon as possible.  2. That the ship be raised from the bottom. 3. That an inquiry be held so that we can know the truth about what happened.  On the front was written words for the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Luke that read: "You are witnesses to these things."

Some of you may recongize Rev. Bae YeongHo who visited Saskatoon with the Incheon delegation.

Easter worship was at HyangNin Church this Easter. HyangNin is in Seoul, not Incheon but I am hoping that we will visit it none-the-less.  The reason is that it is the only "Affirming" congregation that I know of in Korea.  Of course they don't use that term but they are very active in supporting and affirming the LGBT community.   I hope that Riverbend Presbytery can form a meaningful and mutually encouraging relationship with them to further the Kindom of God.

HyangNin maybe the only church to incorporate traditional Korean forms of music and art in its service. It is so beautiful I don't know why others do not! Apart from the aesthetics of the service, the minister delivered a very moving service focusing on the SaeWol disaster and reflecting on his experiences at Riverside Church in NewYord at the time when people were protesting the VIetnam War. He mentioned other events in Korean modern history of struggle against injustice. I was very moved and grateful that my limited Korean language afforded me enough to be able to understand what was being said. The church was so full that people were standing and the pieces of rice cake that were served for communion had to be divided again so that there would be enough for everyone.

It was another sacred moment for me. Following the service we were warmly greeted by many who were glad to meet folks from the UCC. One who was particularly happy to see us was the artist-wife of a minister who will soon be serving in Watrous, SK!  Of all places!!!