"The earth is the LORD’s...and those who live in it" (Psalm 24:1)

Dear Friends around the world,

We were asked about the Korean church and environment issues. It just happens that Art was asked to give congratulatory remarks at the Beautiful Holy Light Church’s opening worship on the first Sunday in November last year. This church decided to move ten miles south from Ansan industrial city to be able to have beautiful natural surroundings and a place for families to appreciate nature in the ample space of their churchyard. In Ansan City, where we helped start this church 16 years ago, land is expensive and there is not much space for children to play.

When we arrived on the afternoon of November 4, we were delighted to see the beautiful wooded site and over two hundred people, mostly church leaders and friends, gathered to join this small congregation in praising God for the blessing of the new white church building with large windows through which to view God’s natural creation. Of course there was a good church supper and fellowship time after the dedication, and Sue discussed with Pastor Huh her visits to help in China and North Korea. The point was well made that Korean Christians must preserve the earth and restrain the rampant damage to nature that rapid industrialization has brought. Now more and more church leaders teach and encourage members to work to restore the integrity of creation. The highly educated people of crowded Korea realize that since most have moved beyond mere survival they must rid their land of the pollution and poisons and follow appropriate land-use plans.

The Holy Light Church started out ministering to single factory workers and the surrounding community with a library, credit union, and counseling as a part of the small church movement in Korea. Pastor Huh Choon Joong sacrificed by putting some of his own family funds into building their first real church building and working during the week for church mission organizations. That building had an attractive worship sanctuary but it only seated about 50 persons and had a sales point for organically grown food on the first floor and the pastor’s apartment on the third floor.

In 2001 Pastor Huh and the church leaders felt that their church could be an expression of city dwellers concern for the earth and need to experience nature by moving to a site on a forested hill and putting up an attractive prefabricated church building large enough for future growth by being able to accommodate 250 people. Now many church members have their own vehicles. By sharing rides and using a church bus, transportation can be arranged for all. To stress the new emphasis on God’s natural world the word "beautiful" was added to the church name.

Christmastime is a time for Christians to share. Again we noticed in the church we attend that sharing included bags of rice for families that need them, scholarships for young persons, and giving a dinner for certain groups that help maintain the community like garbage collectors or police. Of course special offerings are used to help many Christian and welfare organizations to aid orphans, the poor, and the disabled.

I know of a special kind of sharing. In recent years, the number of foreign workers who have come to Korea stays at about 400,000 men and women, 60 percent of whom have no work visas. Although originally xenophobic, Korean Christians are learning to reach out with good news and love to these from overseas. A number of Protestant churches provide worship services, meals, a place to rest or stay overnight if injured or between jobs, counseling and other needed help.

Last December Art was invited to speak in Korean and English at the dedication of the Salt Field Church’s newly provided facility for foreign workers in the basement of a building in the market area of Ansan City. We shared a good meal after the worship with workers from Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and other countries of Asia. At holiday times these church-sponsored ministries for foreign workers like to have sharing parties, retreats, and special athletic events because most guest workers have no families to go visit during the days off from work. One recent event for Koreans from China had 8,000 attending in a stadium.

Two of our mission volunteers, Kim and James "Jack" Wattleworth have recently made the ministry to foreign workers their main emphasis, as they help preach, teach the Bible, and do counseling with Rev. Hae Seong Kim, who has a large program in three different locations in the metropolitan Seoul area. During last Christmas’s worship Jack helped with the baptizing of 200 foreign workers who have come to accept Jesus Christ as Lord.

A special prayer request at this time is for God’s special blessing on our son Ross who is preparing for marriage to Maria in Honolulu on August 3. Sue and Art both hope to visit North Korea this spring, but on different trips.

Serving Christ for you in Korea,

Art and Sue Kinsler

The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 181