International Worship in English
Encyclopedia
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
ministry of Young Nak Presbyterian Church
Young Nak Presbyterian Church
Young Nak Presbyterian Church was founded in Seoul on December 2, 1945 by 1992 Templeton Prize recipient, Kyung-Chik Han. Inaugurated by twenty-seven refugees from Soviet occupied Korea, Young Nak steadily increased in membership as more refugees sought religious freedom below the 38th...
in Myeongdong
Myeongdong
Myeong-dong or Myong-dong is a dong in Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea between Chungmu-ro, Eulji-ro, and Namdaemun-ro. It covers 0.99 km² with a population of 3,529 and is mostly a commercial area, being one of Seoul's main shopping and tourism districts.-History:Myeongdong dates back to the...
Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
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
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
in 1998 by a volunteer pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, Bill Majors
Bill Majors
Bill Majors is an American Christian missionary to South Korea. He is the pastor of the International Worship in English of Young Nak Presbyterian Church in Seoul. He arrived in Korea at the age of 21 in 1982 and began working for Young Nak Presbyterian Church in 1988. He founded IWE in 1998 with...
, who, for his efforts, was made an Honorary Citizen of Seoul (2005). Young Nak Presbyterian Church
Young Nak Presbyterian Church
Young Nak Presbyterian Church was founded in Seoul on December 2, 1945 by 1992 Templeton Prize recipient, Kyung-Chik Han. Inaugurated by twenty-seven refugees from Soviet occupied Korea, Young Nak steadily increased in membership as more refugees sought religious freedom below the 38th...
was founded by Rev. Kyung-Chik Han
Kyung-Chik Han
Kyung-Chik Han was a Korean pastor and church planter and the recipient of the 1992 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.-Biography:...
, winner of the 1992 Templeton Prize
Templeton Prize
The Templeton Prize is an annual award presented by the Templeton Foundation. Established in 1972, it is awarded to a living person who, in the estimation of the judges, "has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical...
, in 1945. Rev. Han, who died in 2000, lived to see the foundation of an English-language ministry at his church.
Young Nak Presbyterian Church
Young Nak Presbyterian Church
Young Nak Presbyterian Church was founded in Seoul on December 2, 1945 by 1992 Templeton Prize recipient, Kyung-Chik Han. Inaugurated by twenty-seven refugees from Soviet occupied Korea, Young Nak steadily increased in membership as more refugees sought religious freedom below the 38th...
's IWE has a website where weekly internet TV broadcasts of the 10am and 3pm worships can be seen. 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.
External links
- http://myiwe.com
- http://iwe.youngnak.net
- http://www.youngnak.net (Korean)
- http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/07/30/young-nak-presbyterian-church/