>>Current Status
Saemoonan Church’s overseas missionstarted in Mexico in 1966. As there was a need for Protestant missionaries in Mexico, a predominantly Roman Catholic nation, Saemoonan Church sent Pastor Sang-bum Woo. However, when Pastor Woo had a Sabbatical year after his missionary work for six years, the missionary work in Mexico stopped.
In 1986, the church sent Pastor Junhyung Cho as a missionary to Thailand. Previously in 1956, the association of churches had sent Pastor Soon-il Kim and Pastor Chan-young Choi,but the division of the association caused the missionary work to stop
1) Missionary work to Thailand
Saemoonan Church chose Thailand as the first target country for overseas missionin Southeast Asia and sent a missionary in collaboration with the Church of Christ in Thailand to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the founding of Saemoonan.Saemoonan Church currently works with the First District Association of Churches in Chiangmai in running the Korean-Thai Mission Center in Lamphun
Chiangmai, the second biggest city in Thailand, has become a center for missionary work in Southeast Asia. Saemoonan Church established two institutes near this city. One is the Korean-Thai Mission Center in Lamphun, the other is the Christian Education Center to train Thai Christian leaders in Maesuai.
The Korean-Thai Mission Center in Lamphun is located on 6600 m2 of spacious ground with a total floor space of 1320 m2which includes a sanctuary, service hall,dining hall,residence, and additional facilities. The Center has several programs including nursery school; volunteer medical service; and piano, Korean,and Taekwondo class for Thai residents in the area. Missionary Jang-won Kim is in charge of the center, and missionary Chul-bum Park serves as a deputy manager.
The Christian Education Center in Maesuai sits on 26400 m2 of land and includes a sanctuary, education hall, dormitories, and residences. Close to 50 middle and high school students are provided meals,accomodation at the dormitories, and receive Christian education through attending early-morning prayer meetings and Bible Study. This center runs an official Christian Academy (6 years course) as well as a dormitory program. The Christian Academy is a registered official school which currently enrolls 30 students. In 2015, it will produce the first graduates. Among them, the best student was provided an opportunity to study in Korea and is training to be a leader. As those students have been trained on the basis of Christian faith, they are excellent and exemplary students at school. Therefore, manyhave entered universities including Payap Theological Seminary. As this center provides good facilities and teaches English, Computer, Korean and Taekwondo, it is popular among applicants. Pastor Jang-won Kim visits the hill-tribes and lectures at the Lahu seminary to train and prepare Christian workers for the hill-tribes.
A. Chiangmai area
-increasing support to missionaries on site and local churches.
-Supporting and maintaining ties with Thai churches and organizations since the time of Missionary Junhyung Cho
B. Enabling the Korean-Thai Mission Center in Lamphun to play a key role in Southeast Asia
- supporting and recharging missionaries working in Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia
C. Maesuai Christian Education Center
-providing dormitories for students from the hill-tribes, and training them to be faithful Christian Thai leaders through Bible Study, early morning prayer meeting and plays with biblical themes, etc.
-supporting educational programs including English, computer,agriculture, or fishing techniqueswith plans to gradually expand facilities for culture and sports.
-training local Thai leaders to become deeply rooted in faith
-training center for Thai and hill tribe leaders
D. Church Planting
-About 20 churches have already been planted in the mountain areas with supportfrom Saemoonan Church and many church members. They have become a united community and have gained in strength.
2) Mission in Russia
About 30000 Koreans from Central Asia live near the Volga River in Volgograd, which is located 1100km south of Moscow. The Koreans migrated to the city from other states of the Soviet Union due to difficult living conditions elsewhere. Saemoonan Church decided to establish a mission center for Koreans and native Russians in the area who had lost their livelihoods when the Soviet Union collapsed. The mission work focuses on preaching the gospel while teaching the Korean language to second and third generation Koreans, who are not only unfamiliar with Korea, but also its history and language as well.
A. Volgograd region
-Missionary: Pastor Kyun-ho Jung for Koreans.
-Plan: Establishing Mission Center
B. Vladivostok region
-Missionary: Pastor Ho-sang Jung for the seminary.
-supporting local churches and missionaries on site
-supporting pastors who have graduated from the seminary to plant churches
Pastor Kyun-oh Jung was sent to this region. Saemoonan Church purchased land (1980 m2) and a building (1155 m2) on this land which had basic framework. The building was later completely built through the offerings of Saemoonan Church’s members. It has a sanctuary, a dining room, accommodations and a hall for exchanging cultures with Russians. Currently, several programs are run for youth, Koreans, and the elderly.
Saemoonan Church received formal governmental permission to build and operate a seminary.The most important task for mission work in Russia is the training and development of Russian church leaders. About 30 students have graduated from this seminary so far and currently 15 students are enrolled. The graduated students have been working at several churches. Pastor Ho-sang Jung, a cooperating missionary, is in charge of this seminary.
3)Mission in North-east Asia
China has a huge population which accounts for one fourth of the world’s population. Christianity was introduced to China earlier than Korea. In spite of being a Communist country, the number of Christians has risen sharply since the Cultural Revolution and recently reached up to 120 million. Saemoonan Church sent a missionary to this region. The missionary is now pursuing a Doctorate degree at a university in Beijing after having completed a Master’s course at Yanji University. It is hoped that the missionary will play an important role in deepening the relationship between the Korean and Chinese church. He has sought various waysto preach the gospel in China by helping other missionaries, supporting Chinese seminaries, Bible school andlibrary operations. However, there are challenges to even doing indirect and subtle missionary work in China because the Chinese government forbids missionary activities.
As Harbin is far from the border with North Korea, the Korean churches’ influence has not often reached this area. 700-800 Korean-Chinese have rented Chinese churches and hold worship services there. Saemoonan Church is looking to purchase land to build a 2 story church building for them and is supporting a Korean-Chinese pastor to take Doctorate courses at the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in in Korea to further train Chinese church leaders.
A. Supporting a missionary who is studying in China
B. Cooperation with a third-party church
-financially supporting children who are attending churches by providing scholarship and basic necessities
C. Expanding mission work to bigger cities
-Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Harbin, Hong Kong, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, etc
D. Supporting a Chinese pastor to study at Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Korea
-Chinese bible study
E. Exploring ways to preach the Gospel in Japan
-supporting a Japanese pastor to study at Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Korea
4)Mission in Vietnam(mission for Vietnamese migrant workers in Korea)
God has sent foreign migrant workers to Korea, which has given us a special opportunity to share the gospel without having to go abroad. Saemoonan Church has early recognized the importance of preaching the gospel to migrant workers and started a Vietnamese worship service and volunteer work 10 years ago in recognition of the deep cultural and linguistic ties between Korea and Vietnam.
A. Mission, worship service, baptism, and ministry for migrant workers who have returned to Vietnam
-visiting homes and delivering leaflets
-participating in regular Sunday worship service (4:40pm on the first Sundays of the month at the main sanctuary)
-3rd worship service for Young Adults and college students on Sundays which is translated by Pastor Youn-woo Lee
-Bible study (after the 5th worship service on Sundays) with Pastor Youn-woo Lee
-baptism and infant baptism
- connecting returning Vietnamese workeres with local churches and helping them with their faith and lives
B. Korean class (pm 1:00-3:00 on Sundays with Korean college students majoring Vietnamese
C. quire practice (pm 2:00-3:00 on Sundays) with Deaconess Kim
D, Special event
-joint meeting of Vietnamese on Chusuk(Traditional Korean Holiday) since 2001
duration: 2 nights and 3 days on consecutive holidays on Chusuk
place: Saemoonan cultivating hall
invitee: Vietnamese employee or residents in Korea and concerned pastors or missionary