True Jesus Church in Korea
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The True Jesus Church is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination begun in China, growing out of the Pentecostal movement. Since it's foundation it has spread to other countries including Korea.
On 30 July 1941, Elder Lyong （배상룡/裵相龍）a Korean national who was living in Nagasaki (長崎市), Japan thirsted for the true teachings regarding the Holy Spirit so he visited the True Jesus Church in Sumiyoshi （粉濱）and asked to see Elder Uwai （上井）.
After Elder Uwai described the teachings and beliefs of the church, Mr. Lyong accepted the laying of hands from the Elder and began speaking in tongues. So on the 31 July, Mr. Lyong accepted the correct way of baptism and became the first Korean True Jesus Church believer.
In April 1943, another Korean that resided in Japan named Tai-Joon Jung(정태준/鄭泰俊) also became a believer of our church after truth-seeking with Elder Uwai.
Seeing that the second world war in the Pacific and Japan was gradually losing, Brother Lyong and his family returned to Korea on January 1945 and lived in Kimcheon (김천/金泉) and in May that same year, our Brother Jung also left Japan and lived in Pusan (부산/釜山).
[edit] Gimcheon church
As Brother Lyong moved to Gimcheon with his family on January 1945, he preached to a Korean that lived in Osaka, Chang-Hwan Park (박창환/朴昌煥).
After accepting the gospel, Brother Park voluntarily offered himself to serving the Lord and started the missionary work in June 1947. Brother Park then spread the gospel to a Korean Presbyterian church members Jong-Bae Hong (종배/洪鐘培), Pi-San Park (박필선/朴必善) and 30 others who later became our church members and started holding services and held the first evangelical service in October that same year.
During that period, the Korean brethren proposed forming a centralised church governing structure to keep the order so Brothers Lyong and Park were chosen as Elders, Brothers Hong, Park and Chun-Mei Sun were appointed as Deacons.
In 1948, a Seventh-day Adventist Church theological student studying named Mr. Yu (우/禹約翰長老) came to deacon Park with the intention of distributing some of his church's magazine publications. But after hearing deacon Park's testimony, he joined our church in October. The first True Jesus Church in Korea was then established with Elder Lyong elected as committee member.
[edit] Hong-gok Li church (홍곡리/鴻谷里)
- In August 1948 the Gimcheon church received a message which read, "In Yongmunsan (용문산/容門山) there are people willing to receive the gospel, please hurry!".
- So the church sent the two deacons Sun and Hong to the area and a result of their preaching, a former Presbyterian church pastor Seok Joo Yi (이석주/伊錫柱) and another presbyterian believer Mun-Ryeol Ryu (유문열/劉文烈) from Gangwon-do (강원도/江原道). (강원도/江原道) joined our church and received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Brother Yi returned to their church in Hong-gu and shared their experiences with the others. After hearing their testimonies, Elders James Heo (許雅各長老) and Sang Ho (許守真) and several members believed. After the laying of hands by Brother Yi on the believers during prayers, some people received the Holy Spirit but others received evil spirits which were powerful and extremely difficult to cast out. So the church believers called to the Kimcheon church to help solve the problem. So they sent Elder Hong to hold an evangelical service there and through the power of our Lord Jesus, the evil spirits were cast out from the believers. In February 1949 during the second evangelical service, the second Korean church was established with Brother Heo appointed as a committee member.
[edit] Seodo church (서도/書道)
During and after the evangelical sessions held by Elder Heo in February 1949, Dal-Sun Jang (장달순/張達順), a female Presbyterian pastor from Seodo and fellow church members were invited to attend. After holding family bible sessions many believed and several prayer houses were established so by May that year, the third True Jesus Church in Korea was established with Brother Jang chosen as committee member.
- In April 1950 the first major Church delegation conference was held.
[edit] Period of trouble and strife
During the outbreak of the Korean War, a portion of the believers went into safe hiding while others like Elder Park, Jung, Yu and Li fled across Rakdong Kang (낙동강/洛東江), with their entire family and relatives and hid in Cheongdo (청도/清道) and Mae-Jeon (우메다/梅田).
After the ceasefire between North and South Korea, the believers returned to their homes in Kimcheon.
There are currently (2004) 23 churches, 8 prayer houses and 3727 believers in the South Korean cities of Busan, Mokpo, Andong, Donghae, Cheongju, Namwon, Jeonju, Daegu, Daejeon.
