The dedication service for the Dongtan Church in Hwaseong, Korea, was held on November 3. Dongtan in Gyeonggi Province is a representative new city with a rapid increase in the population, as a large-scale residential site and advanced IT and BT complexes are developed. Overseas visiting members too participated in the dedication service on the Sabbath day, and shared joy of dedicating the temple and brotherly love beyond national boundaries.
On November 1, the Arise & Shine 2018 Global Bible Seminar was held at the New Jerusalem Pangyo Temple. It was held with a motive to help all mankind have correct knowledge of God so that they could be saved. Seven experts in the fields of education, medicine, engineering, and so on, gave presentations at the seminar. A total of about 2,500 people, including visitors from overseas, the members from the Church of God, and their neighbors interested in the Bible, attended the seminar.
In celebration of 100th anniversary of the birth of Christ Ahnsahnghong, about 140 pilgrims from 87 churches in 25 countries such as the U.S., U.K., India, Nepal, Philippines, Mongolia, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, visited New Jerusalem in Korea as the 72nd Overseas Visiting Group.
The 15th Foreign Language Bible Preaching Contest was held at the Okcheon Go&Come Training Institute on October 14 to produce global talents who will lead the world according to God’s will. This event was attended by more than 5,000 members, including Korean pastoral staff members and members who have been studying foreign languages steadily with the vision of overseas mission.
On September 24 (the fifteenth day of the seventh month by the sacred calendar), the Sacred Assembly of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is the last feast among the seven feasts in three times, was held at the Churches of God all over the world. The members who had been cleansed through the Day of Atonement kept the Feast of Tabernacles with joy, expecting the Holy Spirit of the latter rain to be poured down on their souls abundantly.
The autumn feasts in the third time among God’s seven feasts in three times began with the Sacred Assembly of the Feast of Trumpets on September 1. Ten days later, on the 19th, the Sacred Assembly of the Day of Atonement was held. This year, which marks the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Christ Ahnsahnghong who restored the new covenant which was ruined after the Apostolic Age, the members of the Church of God in 175 countries participated in the services all together, ruminating on the meaning of the feasts and the grace of God.
New temples have been built consecutively in the first half of the year 2018 in Korea, and in July, the first month of the second half, dedication services were held in Mungyeong, a scenic tourist city, and in Yeongju, the city of seonbi [virtuous scholars], in the northern part of North Gyeongsang Province of Korea.
Keeping in step with the movement to preach to seven billion people, the Churches of God are now being established even in small cities of each country. New churches have been built in some areas of Korea, too: Cheolwon in Gangwon Province; Banghak-dong, Dobong-gu in Seoul; Gyeyang-gu and Nam-gu in Incheon.
The IWBA Entrance Ceremony 2018 was held at the Okcheon Go & Come Training Institute on June 17. In the entrance ceremony, more than 7,000 people attended, including enrolled students, freshmen, transfer students, the pastoral staff, and teachers in charge of young adults. In addition to the IWBA photo exhibition, there were booths to show the activities at workplaces, providing useful information to the young adults who want to live both their social life and their religious life meaningfully and to spend their golden age without regret.
On June 14, 2018, the 15th World Blood Donor Day, the Church of God received the plaque of recognition from the Korean Minister of Health and Welfare.