As I process my time in Korea, I'm looking back on 2022, which was a year of exciting new developments as Korea went from delta to omicron to "living with covid," and my work started opening up again. Here are a handful of images showing some highlights of the year for me.
The year began with some restrictions still in place on group gatherings. Nevertheless, people still found ways to meet. For myself, I was particularly busy with the global mission interns/young adult volunteers (and associated folks) as together we educated ourselves more and more about the social and political realities of Korea. Here I am pictured at one of our online meetings, with Hyeyoung, Yuki, Lydia, Grace, Kate, Lydia, Marie, Hans, Abigail (representing collectively USA, Germany, Japan and Canada).
At the beginning of February I got my Pfizer booster—it didn't prevent me from getting covid in March, but I must say I came out of it okay and I was sure thankful I got the booster!
In February I participated in the PROK's mission academy. Korea sends out more mission co-workers to other countries per capita than any other country, and the PROK is no exception. Every year several new PROK mission co-workers are trained in mission history and practices, and here I am giving an online presentation to the participants.
In March we said goodbye to our dear colleague Yuki, as she returned to Japan to begin the next stage of her ministry there.
In April I attended the funeral service for Rev. Kim YongBok, a beloved figure in the ecumenical movement in Korea, here with tribute being given by Chris Ferguson, United Church of Canada figure and former general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
On May 2nd I participated in the 249th Monday Night Prayer Service for Peace and Reunification, pictured here with Rev. Kim EunKyung, Moderator of the PROK, Rev. Martin Han from PCUSA and my colleagues Rev. Park Sungkook and Rev. Chong DoYong from the General Assembly Office.
In May I attended the PROK Women's Association General Assembly, with a front-row seat!
In June I went with a group of interns and other interested foreigners to Gwangju to learn first hand about the events of 1980, in which the military government brutally cracked down on protestors.
Hearing about those events can be really overwhelming—it was important for us to work in lots of time for sharing, reflecting, and processing.
In June I went to Jeju with the executive of the PROK to bear witness to the events that took place on the island in the late forties and early fifties (see my blog post from August). Here the group is in the memorial hall: it is too far away for you to see in the photo, but the names etched on the walls are the names of those who were killed in the various massacres. Seeing all the names makes you realize something of the scale of suffering that took place.
In June I also made a special expedition with a few of my colleagues to the PROK's former mission training centre in Seodaemun (area of the west gate in Seoul). At one time this site was mission property of the United Church of Canada, but it was turned over to the PROK in the 1970's.
Lydia and me in front of "the big red brick house," which used to be the women missionaries' residence.
Early in September a new intern, Emily, arrived from Germany. Lydia and I guided her to her new place.
On September 18, right before the PROK's General Assembly, I attended a special joint ecumenical worship service at Yeongdong church in Seoul, involving the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), the Presbyterian Church in Korea (PCK), and numerous overseas partner churches which had sent representatives to the two assemblies. Here Rev. Kim Eun-Kyung, the first women moderator of a Presbyterian Church in Korea, is giving the address.
The 107th General Assembly of the PROK took place in the city of Gyeongju from Sept. 20 to 22. Here, Lydia, Abigail, Emily and I are following the proceedings closely.
But we were also able to get out and explore the city a little, here relaxing outside a Buddhist temple on a bright day.
In October I got to meet the SEST students at Hanshin Seminary (overseas theology students in their program on "Studies in Ecumenism and Social Transformation"). Some of them are depicted here at a gathering of the Monday Night Group of mission co-workers.
On November 9th, Yonsei University held a memorial service for the victims of the crowd crush at Itaewon, which I found particularly moving. This was ten days after the event and the grief and distress was still very raw (see my blog post from November).
On November 13, I started leading an English language program on prayer for the children of Yaedarm church in Seoul, here gathered around me!
On November 17, I took part in the first seminar of the Ecumenical Mission in Korea Study Group (with participants from the Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist Church, Uniting Church of Australia, and myself from the United Church of Canada). It was my moment to shine, as a departing mission co-worker giving a presentation on the important Canadian contribution to ecumenical mission in Korea.
On November 27, I visited Yangseong Church in Anseong with Patti Talbot from the United Church of Canada.
In November I also had an opportunity to give a farewell speech to the PROK at the meeting of the executive.
In December some of the interns and I went to visit the War and Women's Human Rights Museum in Seoul, learning about the experience of the comfort women during the Second World War: here the silent woman statue invites us to consider our response.
Finally in December, Lydia, Emily and I went to Wonju to see the students at the Yeonggang Shema Christian school perform at their Christmas concert, where our colleague Abigail teaches English.
There was just enough snow in front of the school that night for us to have a little bit of fun and build a teeny tiny 눈사람!
Watch for more highlights of my time in Korea as I continue with
my home assignment between now and the end of April.
Also watch for me in person as I visit various regions
of the United Church across the country:
first week in March - Northern Spirit (specifically Edmonton)
second week in March - Living Skies (specifically Saskatoon)
third and fourth weeks in March - Chinook Winds (specifically Calgary)
mid-April - Shining Waters (specifically Toronto)
end of April/early May - Regional Council 15 (specifically Truro and Halifax)
(contact me if you want me to speak to your group!)
I will also send out an invitation to the online event to be held at St. Andrew's College in Saskatoon coming up in the middle of March!
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