Worth a Month’s Pay

With more than 1.5 billion people, the Northern Asia-Pacific region faces some of the most difficult mission challenges in the world. It is the most populated territory in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and includes some of the world’s largest cities. Metropolises such as Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, and Beijing host millions of people who have not been reached by the gospel message.

Reaching these vast cities seems daunting, and the work in territories like North Korea is even more difficult to measure. Despite these challenges, Seventh-day Adventist Church members are working hard to share the light of Jesus throughout this land.

South Korea is a rapidly growing country in the Northern Asia-Pacific region. As the population increases, so do the needs of the people. South Korea has embraced the idea of opening Urban Centers of Influence to reach various communities, social classes, and age groups.

One church congregation has decided to reach the elderly population in their city. Seniors are a large demographic here, and church members want to show them respect and care.

Church members are always looking for new ways to interact with their community. They provide health care and host events such as senior picnics, musical performances, exercise classes, and special meals. One of their biggest projects is repairing houses. They find people whose houses are in need of care and do all the work for free.

Through creative forms of outreach, this group has been able to share Jesus with hundreds, if not thousands, of people in their city.

Just a few hours outside of Seoul, Sejong City is soon to be the new center of Korean administration. Many government agencies have moved here, and others plan to relocate here over the next few years. With new construction happening year-round, this city is quickly growing.

An Adventist congregation was established in Sejong City about a year ago. Members have been meeting in a space within a commercial building. Over the past 12 months, church membership has more than doubled. Church members know that God is blessing their mission.

Shin Yong Peom pastored the church for the past year and recently accepted another position in church administration. He has learned a lot about the growing needs and challenges ofSejong City and has shared these insights with the new pastor.

The current church’s location is difficult for visitors to find and is not an ideal layout for their needs. Church members in Sejong City want to build a mission center to connect with their neighbors and serve the needs in this area.

“In these days, the Korean Adventist church members are getting older and older. But there are so many young people in this city, so we have a big mission to reach the young people of this city.”

“In that building, we’ll have many rooms, and we can teach many things to our neighbors. For example, we can teach them English, we can share the health message, and we can take care of their children.”

Creating a mission center like this is no easy task. Property and construction costs are extremely high. To make this dream a reality, church members have given a lot of money, and every pastor in this conference has donated the equivalent to one month’s salary to contribute to this mission. They look forward to the day they can use the new building to build bridges with the community.

“If we don’t have this church in this area, many people would not have any chance to know our church and our God.”

“To share our truth of the gospel, we need to mingle with the people around us.”

“I hope that the new building is the center of worship for our Adventist church members. But at the same time, I hope that the building will be a center for people in this city to come and take rest in God, and they will do many things in that building.”

Please pray as faithful members work in Sejong City. Pray that God will bless them with the strength and understanding they need to reach this growing urban area. Thank you for supporting mission!