기 요한, John Egger

  On November 12 I accompanied the young adult volunteers (YAVs) from PC(USA), as well as several others, on a trip to the DMZ. Our stopping point was Cheorwon, which lies above the 38th parallel, so was at one time part of North Korea, but since the signing of the armistice in 1953 it has been part of South Korea. With members of the Peace Border School as our guides, we hiked up Soi-san Mountain (362m) to have a panoramic view of the entire area, including the Pyongyang Plateau on the North Korean side of the border. One of the teachers from the Peace Border School, Ms. Yu Hyeri, welcomed us and told us a little bit about what it is like to live in Cheorwon, and what her involvement in the Border Peace School means to her. I want to share with you parts of her message. She was born and grew up in Cheorwon ,  and still lives there. When she was a child, her father was a soldier in the South Korean army. If war broke out, she explained, Cheorwon would need to hold out for ten ...

Here are some videos I am posting to be part of my "virtual booth" at the United Church of Canada's online "Engage with Love and Justice" gathering, November 3-7. This looks like it will be an exciting event! And registration is free! To register, go to: https://united-church.ca/events/engage-love-and-justice-gathering You'll find my booth under "exhibitors." And be sure to pick up some virtual Korean rice cake at my booth when you are there! VIDEOS 1. ARRIVING AT THE OFFICE. I work in the Department of Partnership and Ecumenical Relations in the General Assembly Office of the PROK. Here I am surprising everyone as I arrive filming a video (1 minute, 8 seconds): 2. BEING INTRODUCED TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. The PROK held their 106th General Assembly this year in Cheongju. Here I am being introduced to the Assembly (in Korean), along with my mission co-worker colleagues (2 minutes, 9 seconds): 3. GREETINGS FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE UNITED CHURCH, RI...

The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea held its 106th General Assembly in the city of Cheongju (about two and a half hours south of Seoul) from September 28 to 29, and I was privileged to observe, if only briefly. Korea remains in its fourth wave of COVID-19, so the PROK was not able to host an in-person General Assembly as originally planned. Instead, delegates gathered in four churches in the Cheongju area and met online as one assembly, but distributed with social distancing throughout the four venues. the view from Cheongju Jeil Church the view from Seong Dong Church the view from Wooam Church the view from Cheongju East Church all together online One notable event was the installation of Rev. EunKyoung Kim as the first female Moderator of the PROK, and the first female leader of a major Protestant denomination in Korea. Rev. Kim has her work cut out for her in that there are very few women serving as senior pastors in PROK congregations, and of the 644 delegates to the G...

  To continue with my plan of interviewing some of my mission co-worker colleagues, today I am interviewing Rev. Yuki Nagao, who is working here in Korea as a mission co-worker from the United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ). Following her ordination in Japan in 2015, Yuki came to Korea to study in the SEST program at Hanshin University’s Graduate School of Theology (which is the seminary of the PROK), and has continued here ever since.   John: Can you explain what SEST is, and how does it relate to you becoming a mission co-worker?   Yuki : SEST means Studies in Ecumenism and Social Transformation. It is a two-year theological program for foreign students. When I came here I had classmates from Taiwan, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malawi, and Ghana. Also, we had short-term exchange students from USA and Hungary. Since I was already ordained, I was sent to the PROK as a mission co-worker. After my graduation from the program, the plan had been for me to return...

  Join me on Wed., June 23 for my upcoming webinar with the United Church of Canada:   “Intercultural Encounters of a Mission Co-worker in Korea” 7 pm Eastern Time   You are invited to a Zoom meeting. When: Jun 23, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)   Register in advance for this meeting: https://united-church.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwldeGrrDwpHNdowZuIw3R1OBf1Hd41L1P2   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  

  Just to try something a little bit different, I’ve decided to interview some of my mission co-workers who are working with me in the PROK. It is interesting to hear about some of the different ministries they have been involved with here in Korea. Watch for more excerpts from these interviews in upcoming blogs.   I want to start off with my colleague Thomas Smith, since he has just completed his term and is on his way back to USA this month. Thomas is a Global Ministries Intern from the Disciples of Christ in the USA. He arrived in Korea in August 2019 and for most of his time here he was working in the English language program at Yangmuri church in Haenam, which is quite far from Seoul, on the southern tip of Korea.    John: What are some of the things you’ve been involved in while you were here? Thomas: Mostly teaching ESL to students, ranging from about age 6 to 16, but sometimes as old as 18. John: What did you find the most challenging? Thomas: The really litt...

  The numbers of new cases have dropped recently in Seoul, but there are still fears of a “fourth wave.” Some restrictions have recently been eased, but the current restrictions will remain in place for at least another two weeks. This means no group gatherings of more than 4 people. Some churches are able to gather, but only if they are at less than 20% capacity. Still, the work of the church continues. I continue to go to the office every day during the week and I am starting to get used to attending church services online on Sundays.   Meanwhile, the PROK held their annual “mission academy” last month through Zoom, preparing mission co-workers for mission assignments overseas. In this photo you can see the system we managed to set-up for the facilitators to communicate online with the participants. Because the COVID-19 crisis is a world-wide pandemic, the PROK sent thousands of masks and other equipment to partners in Indonesia and elsewhere. In January I accompanied my col...