“Anyone Can Serve”

It required a tremendous amount of effort and dedication to serve at the Summer Conference at Yeoju Pyungkang Cheil Center. It was not quite easy to accommodate such a large number of people deep in the mountains for an entire week. There were a number of both domestic and international guests who required extra attention, from meal preparation to cleaning and traffic control. The biggest concern, however, was the deadly heat.

In previous years, the Pyungkang Cheil saints mainly served as volunteers, but throughout the 10 years of our Yeoju Summer Conferences, the system of volunteering shifted from one group to multiple groups, regardless of their origin. The huge guest-turned-family transition was so great that I started to believe that “both Logos and Volunteer are one.” It became very common to find our overseas congregation members serving at the retreat center’s hotspot, Beersheba. Many also helped by translating to English, Indonesian, Chinese, etc.

Local branch church members had spread out within the whole retreat center to volunteer. The Honam, Youngnam, and Choongchung Gangwon congregations respectively took turns in keeping the restrooms clean in the Zion Sanctuary, also taking part in dishwashing at the restaurant on the 3rd floor. Evangelists from our branch churches served as ushers on the top floor of Moriah Sanctuary and cleaned the Cross Altar. Seminary students and young adult group members from Daegu San Sung Church and Busan Eun Hae Church took part in one of the most exhausting labors of recycling trash and yet they were very much satisfied with the working environment as we had fans and refrigerators to cool off the heat this year.

Many have stated that the passing of founding pastor, Rev. Abraham Park, was what triggered the mass volunteering at Yeoju. The event made them reflect on all that they took for granted, and it made them seek to work as hard as they could as saints of the church. In their hearts formed the responsibility to carry on the services at Yeoju as well as pass on their faiths. During the retreat, the Word that they received while working in the heat acted as refreshing water for physical and spiritual states.

“Traveling From Germany To Yeoju To Make Burgers”

Joseph Reopell

A traditional whopper burger you can only taste at Yeoju! During the retreat, the barbecue chef responsible for producing this burger’s taste was Joseph Reopell. As an American soldier stationed in Germany, Joseph flew all the way to Yeoju to help cook these patties. In the middle of a heat wave, the Beersheba team set up tents and began to cook food. One tent down from boiling corn was team working at the scorching barbeque grill. It was here that Joseph never failed to work without a smile on his face and a song on his lips. Needless to say, his whoppers took their place in representing Beersheba at the retreat.

“I waited a whole year for this years BBQ. I know how to BBQ but I have no other skills. The founding pastor said to me, ‘Go to the army! That is your path.’ That’s how I chose the path of a soldier. But as a soldier, it was very difficult for me to receive the Word, so I would wait for the summer retreat. Finally, the summer retreat approached and I had the opportunity to come to Korea. Upon arriving, I could definitely feel God’s love upon us. A long time ago, Rev. Park would sit in Beersheba and all the servers would stay and continue to work. Although he is not with us right now, everyone continues to work hard. In the past years, I had the skills to BBQ and I would like to use it again this time around.”

“I’ve never worked this much in my life!”

Nicholas Chiang King Hung

Nicholas is a member of the Zion Church in Singapore. Regardless of his beginner level in Korean, he sought to work hard alongside the Hep- hzibah group. Before the Yeoju retreat began, he followed the Hephzibah members to prepare for the retreat. During those days he realized that many people would pour out a great amount of effort into the retreat’s preparation. Upon reflection, he believes the retreat became a significant event in his life.

“I came to Korea to attend the Hephzibah retreat and the Yeoju summer conference. And I decided to help out with the preparation work because I feel that even though I am an overseas church member, I am of Hephzibah age and I should work as hard as the people in Hephzibah. My Korean isn’t very good, but it was just barely good enough for me to be useful to the other team members during the time of the preparation work in Yeoju. During the preparation work, I’ve realized that an immense amount of effort is put in every year for the Yeoju summer conference to take place. The Yeoju Summer Conferences are the main events in my life. Every year I look forward to the month of August so that I can experience God’s grace in Moriah sanctuary, Huisun garden, Engedi cave and Mt. Gerizim.I think “oh Father, I’m watching the fulfillment of Your covenant” and I cannot help but give thanks to the point of tears. The Word that is proclaimed in Moriah Sanctuary is the final trumpet of the end times. Many foreigners come every year to receive this Word, and we go back to our home countries to share it. Truly, Pyungkang Cheil Church is the church that will fulfill the work of God. I will work hard in Singapore, so let’s work together as one body of Christ to bring about the completion of the history of redemption that our Father is so eager to accomplish.”

Reporter: Lee Pu Reum