Long-time partners of the Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH), the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) held their 103^rd General Assembly. Ecumenical officer, Rev. Balázs Ódor represented the RCH.

PCK held their general assembly 10-13 September with the theme Make us a Companion of the Nation by Spiritual Revival in Iksan City, Jeollabuk-do, Korea. Celebrating 103years of the denomination, PCK also remembered the centennial of the Independence Manse (hurrah) Movement of 1919 (commonly known as the March 1^st Movement, or Sam-il Movement), during which many people were killed, wounded, arrested, and 47 churches were burnt down. “Ever since the March 1^st Movement, the Korean church has been a nation-loving and praying church; praying for our faith and our nation every day at dawn,” said PCK moderator, Rev. Hyeong-seok Lim.

PROK held a pre-assembly, 14-18 September, for ecumenical guests titled Beyond Unification: Asia-Pacific Peace-Zone Consultation, and following it, the general assembly, 17-20 September, along the theme Love of Christ, Peace on Earth in Seogwipo City, Jeju, Korea. While commemorating 70 years of Jeju’s April 3^rd (Jeju 43) incident, the assembly was held with the purpose of sharing in the pilgrimage for peace with long-standing partners of faith, in order to strengthen and deepen partnership relationships, and to identify commonly faced issues and provide a space for partners to contribute with available resources and experiences from their own respective contexts, ultimately creating a foundation on which to explore possible areas of collaboration. At the consultation, Rev. Balázs Ódor shared greetings referring to the common journey of the RCH and PROK not only supporting each other, but also challenging each other for the better. He described the partnership as a wonderful gift of God, “his ‘methodology’ of keeping both of our communities open for the transforming presence of His spirit, instead of the isolating power of our own ideologies.” In reference to the location at which the consultation was being held, he said, “Jeju Island is a symbolic place which reminds me that the community of PROK can share very similar stories of distress of being occupied by other nations, and the gratefulness for liberation; the pain of separation through artificial borders, set up by ‘alien’ powers, and the hope for reunification that can be a sign of the uniting power of God’s irrevocable reconciliation in Jesus Christ.”

The general assemblies of PCK and PROK were held in ecumenical commitment with partners from all over the world, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America. At the general assembly of PCK, Dr. Agnes Abuom, moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee was also present and addressed the participants on behalf of the global ecumenical organization.

Priscilla Yang

Via The Kukmin Daily

Photos by Rev. Dileep Kumar Kandula