With the increasing importance of churches’ community service, the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries (SS/PM) Department of Korean Union Conference (KUC) held a seminar on “Ministries of Compassion Through Local Churches.” The seminar took place at the Jooksan Dasarang Church in Gyeonggi, Korea, from March 11 to 12, 2017. Around 200 church pastors and members from all over the country attended the seminar in order to find ways of giving help and hope to their neighbors.
The seminar introduced not only the biblical theories that serve as a basis of “Ministries of Compassion,” but also practical examples of community service. Attendees found the seminar meaningful, particularly in that speakers suggested ways of effectively combining community service and mission work. The Jooksan Dasarang Church, the venue of this seminar, is itself a good example of doing ministry through involvement in the community. Currently they run a center for local children, a center for the youth, and a welfare center that provides care for the elderly in their homes.
The seminar introduced not only the biblical theories that serve as a basis of “Ministries of Compassion,” but also practical examples of community service. Attendees found the seminar meaningful, particularly in that speakers suggested ways of effectively combining community service and mission work. The Jooksan Dasarang Church, the venue of this seminar, is itself a good example of doing ministry through involvement in the community. Currently they run a center for local children, a center for the youth, and a welfare center that provides care for the elderly in their homes.
After the presentations, attendees were divided into groups to discuss the following topic: “What kind of community service could my church run?” After the discussion, they had a prayer time for the ministries of compassion.
The KUC SS/PM department drew up a plan to support local “Centers of Influence” as one of the plans for 2017, and have spurred local churches to be a “good neighbor.” A manual and a casebook on how to run a center of influence will be developed and distributed to local churches. The department aims to establish more than five centers of influence per each local conference this year.
The KUC SS/PM department drew up a plan to support local “Centers of Influence” as one of the plans for 2017, and have spurred local churches to be a “good neighbor.” A manual and a casebook on how to run a center of influence will be developed and distributed to local churches. The department aims to establish more than five centers of influence per each local conference this year.