International Worship in English
37°33′48″N 126°59′21″E / 37.563243°N 126.989062°E
International Worship in English (IWE - pronounced "I" "WE") is a Christian ministry of Young Nak Presbyterian Church in Myeongdong Seoul, South Korea that in English offers traditional worship at 10am and contemporary worship at 3pm on Sundays. Weddings, counseling, small group studies, fellowship and retreats are provided for the international community in the greater Seoul area. The ministry is like a church (mega-church) within a church (international church). It was formed on Easter in 1998 by a volunteer pastor, Bill Majors, who, for his efforts, was made an Honorary Citizen of Seoul (2005).[1] Young Nak Presbyterian Church was founded by Rev. Kyung-Chik Han, winner of the 1992 Templeton Prize, in 1945.[2] Rev. Han, who died in 2000, lived to see the foundation of an English-language ministry at his church.
Young Nak Presbyterian Church's IWE has a website where weekly internet TV broadcasts of the 10am and 3pm worships can be seen.[3] English services in Korean churches are popular, with almost all the large churches having a service in English. This ministry is unique in two ways: the target of the ministry is to be a "home away from home" for those who come to Korea from abroad, also a non-Korean full-time pastor (Bill Majors who started as a volunteer) was hired in 2002 to pastor people in the international community. The services are open to be attended both by people who do not speak Korean (people from abroad) and by Koreans who attend for many reasons one of which is to practice their English.[3]
References
- ^ Seoul Metropolitan Government - "A Clean, Attractive & Global City, Seoul!"
- ^ Templeton Foundation Press: Sir John Templeton
- ^ a b Jin-Hee, Park, "Youngnak Caters to Foreign Worshippers", The Seoul Times. 16 December 2003. 2 January 2007. theseoultimes.com.
Bibliography
Kim, Sun-jung. "Church with patience and grit." The JoongAng Daily. 10 October 2004. <www.joongangdaily.joins.com/200410/10/200410102227084939900090409041.html> Archived
Scott-Ashe, Richard. "Preaching in a much-changed place." The JoongAng Daily. 19 December 2007. 29 December 2007. <http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2884070>.