The Site of Advancement of the History of Redemption
U.S. Mission Trip
Rev. Hong Bong Joon
Quickly heading for Incheon International Airport after second service on Sunday, July 3rd, we were running on a tight schedule, having to catch a flight to LA at 3 PM. Head Pastor Philip Lee, Reverend Cho Jong Sam (head director of Berit Theological Seminary), Reverend Hong Bong Joon (Dean of academic affairs), Elder Shin Gwi Hwan (secretary-general of the Center for the Movement of Redemptive History) and Berit employee Ms. Grace Kim safely boarded the flight on Korean Airlines. After landing from a ten hour flight, we were warmly greeted in LA by Reverend Park Hee Chang and other saints from Evergreen Hill Church.
After arriving at the church which was thirty minutes away, preparations were made for the US Berit Theological Seminary Commencement Ceremony that was to be held at 1:30PM. However, the ceremony had to start at 3 PM due to inevitable circumstances when Rev. Philip Lee was caught up at the airport security check for four hours. Three students of the Biblical Studies and Master of Biblical Studies program and five students of the Doctorate of Biblical Studies program graduated in LA Evergreen Hill Church, and graduates Lucy Ham and Won-sam Ham became the late blooming doctorate couple after submitting their dissertation on the Covenant of the Torch. The graduation service was held with Rev. Hong Bong Joon, Dean of Academic Affairs as the presider and Rev. Philip Lee giving the sermon titled “Graduation is the Gift of Grace”(Eph 3:7-10), followed by the presentation of diploma and degree. LA Evergreen Hill Church was founded 31 years ago with only three saints, including Eldress Lucy Ham, and became a center of the movement of the history of redemption and evangelism in the coastal southern California region. With the retirement of Reverend Kim Jung San in April and inauguration of Reverend Joseph Cho, the saints of the church and its assembly were working together as one for a new start.
As soon as the commencement ceremony finished, we left for the airport and boarded the flight to Philadelphia. Reverend Kang Sun Man of Myungsung Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia picked us up and served us a hearty breakfast of Korean food, relieving our fatigue. We left his house for the Elder Ordination and Eldress Appointment Service and Berit Theological Seminary Commencement Service, which was to be held at Myungsung Presbyterian Church at 11 AM.
First, there was an ordination service at 11 AM. Two elders (Song Jung Hun?, Ha Sang Yup) and Eldresses (Seo Jun Ae, Song Joo Hee) of True Path Presbyterian Church of Chicago and two eldresses (Lee Soo Nyeo, Lee Young Soon) of Myungsung Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia were appointed. After the appointment service and lunch, the Berit Theological Seminary Commencement Service of Eastern US was held. A total of nine saints, including Evangelist Kim Eun Ji (M.Div), Kim Kyung Ah, Ahn Kyung Mi (D.B.S) of New York Evergreen Church, Lee Eun Shin, Choi Byung Sung, and Jung Il Jo (D.B.S) of Tree of Life Church, had completed the Masters and program, participating in the glorious graduation.
Right upon finishing the graduation ceremony, we immediately headed to New York by car for the new church initiation service for Tree of Life Church of New York. We were greeted with the saints of the Tree of Life Church, who were preparing praise and food for the initiation service that evening. Reverend Lee Eun Sik, the former senior pastor of New York Evergreen Church, and about 120 saints were holding an initiation service just three months after their separation in April.
During the initiation service, Rev. Philip Lee blessed the New York Tree of Life Church to become a church centered in spreading the Word of the history of redemption to the world by absolute obedience to the Word and thorough accession of faith through his sermon titled “The Blessing of the Tree of Life” (Gen 2:15-17). Also, Rev. Lee Eun Sik boldly proclaimed the vision of the church in his greeting speech, saying “New York Tree of Life Church will take on the vision and will of Huisun Reverend Abraham Park, to become the center of world missions with this initiation and to become a church that leads the way in succeeding and spreading the Word of redemptive history which he has left behind.”
Nearly every pastor in America attended this initiation service and gave congratulatory addresses (Reverend Paul Kim, Levi Kim, and Kim Jong Sang) and words of encouragement (Reverend Joseph Kim and Oh Yong Hwan). Rev. Kang Sun Man read the scriptures, Pastor Kim Jeong San gave the benediction and not only that, the president of Ivy Christian College, David Park attended to give words of encouragement. 178 saints and guests attended the initiation service that lasted about two hours and the service was translated simultaneously into four different languages (English, Indonesian, Spanish, and Spanish dialect). Thirty saints from six different countries abroad also attended the initiation service. The Tree of Life church has redemptive history studies three times a week during the weekdays and studies for Southern Americans in Connecticut and Asians in Flushing and Elmhurst, at in New York City on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, working hard to grow into a true international church.
After returning to the lodging past 10PM, I was able to sleep with my legs stretched out for the first time in three days. I repented for considering Senior Pastor’s international missions as a simple “mission trip” in the past, realizing that we bear the fruits today because of his ceaseless journey in spreading the Word in the midst of tight and overwhelming schedules.
At 8 PM on July 5th, Tuesday, there was a Senior Pastor Inauguration Thanksgiving Service for Reverend Andrew Pak. The inauguration service that was supervised by the General Presbytery of Southern Seoul began with a prayer from Rev. Min Jeong Jae (Living Waters Presbyterian Church of Washington), and scripture reading by Rev. Moon Ki Chul (Green Pastures Church of Connecticut), and the sermon was given by Head Pastor Philip Lee, titled “Arise and Go to the Land Which I am Giving You” (Josh 1:1-9). Reverend Philip Lee prayed that just as how Joshua who was Moses’ servant became the servant of the Lord and stood up as the new leader after the conquest of Canaan, Evergreen Church would become together in one with Reverend Andrew Pak as the center and stand up to become a church that spreads the Word of redemptive history to all nations of the world.
The second part of the service consisted of the vows of ordination and official proclamation by Rev. Cho Jong Sam, congratulatory greetings by Rev. Paul Kim and Daniel Oh and words of encouragement by Doctor Kang Shin Taek, Rev. Joseph Kim and President David Park. The new senior pastor, Andrew Pak expressed great appreciation for the attending guests and congregation, asking for fervent prayer and support so he can lead well by seeking the grace of God by taking on this glorious place despite his weaknesses.
New York Evergreen Church was a church that has been responsible for the mission work of the Word in New York, the central city of the world, after purchasing and repairing the current sanctuary with the prayer and support of Huisun Rev. Abraham Park back in 1994. The call and inauguration of Rev. Andrew Pak was significant in that second generation of Koreans, with English as their first language, will now be taking up the teaching of faith and spreading of the Word of redemptive history worldwide. Under Rev. Andrew Pak’s guidance, preaching and teaching to this second generation in English, the church will not only bring a revival in the center of spreading the history of redemption but become responsible for raising up the next generation missionaries in the American region.
At 10:30 AM on July 6th, Wednesday, we went to the John F. Kennedy airport to head for the Covenant of the Torch Church(John McCurly) in the marine city of Savannah, Georgia. After a two hour plane ride, we were greeted by the hot air of the southern region. We headed straight to the church after unpacking at the hotel and took a look around the newly purchased education center and land. The clean church struggled to spread the Word of redemptive history and establish Abraham’s covenant of the torch, just like its name “Covenant of the Torch Church.” The 8,000 pyeong land and education center purchased showed a new vision for the spread of the word of redemptive history through the US Berit Theological Seminary administered by Reverend John McCurly and the church. Like its name “Reverend Abraham (Yoon-Sik) Park Education Center, the church was working hard as the new center of the history of movement in the US region. The purchase and completion date of this education center was December 17th, 2014, specially dedicating and commemorating this on a sign.
President David Park, the President of Ivy Christian College and also a member of the Education Committee of the Federal Government of the U.S., came with us to Philadelphia, New York, Savannah and even to Green Hill Church of Orlando. He witnessed the spreading of the Word of redemptive history and the vision of the Berit Theological Seminary with his own eyes, and promised to collaborate with Berit Theological seminary to work for its accreditation.
On July 7th, we arrived at Green Hill Church of Orlando by car. Greeted by the blazing sun of the southern state of Florida, we experienced the amazing advancement of the history of redemption at the new sanctuary and attended the wedding of Kim Myung Soo and Lee Do Sun, the son of Elder Kim Young Hee of Orlando and daughter of saint Lee Young Hwan of Korea. With the presiding of Rev. Yoo Sung Joon, prayer by Rev. Paul Kim and sermon given by Rev. Philip Lee, the wedding service enabled us to experience the beautiful fellowship and vision of the congregation within the fence of the Word in the U.S., transcending language and race.
After five days of a grueling schedule, Reverend Philip Lee departed to Korea the following day (July 8th, Friday), arrived in Korea Saturday evening, and preached for Sunday Service the next day. It was truly a rigorous mission trip. However, we were able to see that the sacrifice, dedication and passion to carry out the will not only bore fruit in fulfilling the spread of the Word of redemptive history not only in Korea but in the U.S, Southeast Asia as well as the entire world.
On Saturday, July 9th, the first lecture for the History of Redemption Seminar began. Rev. Hong Bong Joon gave a lecture titled “My Son, My Firstborn Israel” with approximately 150 saints, neighboring Koreans and foreigners attended even though it was on a Saturday evening. Rev. Cho Jong Sam gave the sermon titled “Contemporaneous Living and the Succession and Passing Down of Faith” for the main service at 11 AM Sunday (July 10th) and Reverend Hong Bong Joon gave a lecture titled “The Reality of the Sin During Noah’s Time and its Redemptive Historical Administration” after lunch at 1:30 PM.
During this redemption seminar, the lecturers wrote on the blackboard in English for the foreigners and many people attended with fervent ardor. This redemption seminar was the second seminar held in this year with the last seminar held in May.
Attorney Seo Min Ho, president of the Korean Association of Central Florida attended for the third time, saying he was surprised by the novelty and depth of the content every time. He stated that he repented for neglecting God’s Word after learning that the construction of Noah’s Ark took 70-80 years. Chairman Lee Seung Bong, the publisher of Florida’s Hankyoreh Journal, President Jang Mary, the publisher of the KOA Life and other leaders of the Korean community attended and were captivated by the history of redemption lectures.
“I learned that the Word of God was ‘passed down’ to me from Adam, through Noah and Abraham and other descendants of faith. I realized that this is the end times like that of Noah’s time and that we must work hard to spread this Word,” said Carlos J. Kavetsky, a member of the Green Hill Church and also a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army.
On Monday, July 11th, the party headed for Atlanta. Atlanta a city where Koreans are gathering and receiving the limelight as the new place for evangelism. After arriving at Gerizim Hope Church of Atlanta (Rev. Kook Joong Il) and sharing fellowship with the congregation, Rev. Cho Jong Sam shared the sermon titled “The Redemptive Historical Administration Fulfilled by Those Who Believe” for Wednesday Service (July 13th). The main sanctuary that can fit 200 people, the dining area, the yard and learning center on the 4,000 pyeong site was a foundation for redemptive history prepared beforehand by Senior Pastor Abraham Park, the central mission center in southeastern America.
After about ten days of a tight schedule mission trip around the U.S., we boarded a plane to Incheon at 12:20 PM on July 14th. Despite the rigorous schedule around the eastern, western and southern states of America it was a trip full of thanksgiving and effervescence that allowed us to experience the heat and the work of God at the site of the word of redemptive history. The summer conference is coming up in two weeks. For 4 days and 5 nights in Yeoju, saints from all over the world will become together in one by grace in the furnace of the Word. I believe that we will advance God’s redemptive providence with the dynamics of mission work in gathering and spreading through this conference.
