"...after taking a course at the Zion Christian Mission Center for three days, I fell in love with the word of truth, and immediately started preaching in worship using the word I had learned."
PAJU, KOREA, November 15, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Zion Christian Mission Center (Director Tan Young-jin) of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Chairman Lee Man-hee, hereinafter referred to as Shincheonji Church of Jesus) held the 'Zion Christian Mission Center 115th Class 110,000 Joint Graduation Ceremony' at Shincheonji Cheongju Church on October 30th. A total of 111,628 people completed the course.
Despite foreign graduates who traveled from overseas, as well as religious figures from home and abroad being invited to the graduation ceremony, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization notified the cancellation of the venue rental the day of.
In his sermon at the graduation ceremony, Chairman Lee Man-hee said, "Shincheonji Church of Jesus masters the entire Bible, including the Book of Revelation. How proud and good this is," he said, emphasizing, "Let's not condemn or persecute each other, but rather cooperate and help each other to make our country truly shine."
Nevertheless, the number of graduates this time was the largest in the history of a single denomination, and the fourth time after 2019, 2022, and 2023, that the number exceeded 100,000. Although the location was changed in one day, traffic guidance and service were provided with an emphasis on safety and order, so the event ended smoothly without a single safety accident.
On this day, about 10,000 overseas graduates and 1,000 domestic and foreign religious figures attended the Shincheonji Cheongju Church. Additionally, there were 3,377 pastors who completed the course on this day, and there are 6,203 pastors currently taking classes at the Zion Christian Mission Center.
In addition, a special performance was held in the square in front of the Shincheonji Cheongju Church building to encourage religious people to stop conflict and hostility and come together to end war and achieve peace, which received loud applause from attendees.
Graduates who were unable to attend due to limited space participated in the graduation ceremony online on the same day at each Shincheonji Church of Jesus and overseas churches across the country.
Chairman Man-hee Lee said to the graduates, "In the Bible, it is said that the tree of life bears 12 kinds of fruit every month. You are the reality," he said, congratulating them, saying, "Therefore, I am so grateful and grateful for this completion that I cannot express in words."
Chairman Lee also said, "I must have a grateful heart for the church where I grew up. Because of that church, I was able to receive the word and grace," he said. "It is a believer's freedom to choose which church to attend. The important thing is to teach the Word to people who don't know it, so that we can learn and grow together," he explained.
Lastly, he said, "Now that you have completed the course, I hope you can freely give the words you learned to many people. This is the basis of being a believer who has received grace and is also an expression of gratitude. Let's not swear or curse in any way. Even if we are persecuted, let us do good deeds," he urged.
After receiving the certificate, graduate student Kang, who presented his speech as a representative, attracted attention by revealing that he served as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church of Korea for 25 years and that he still runs a church.
He said, "I thought I should learn properly, and after taking a course at the Zion Christian Mission Center for three days, I fell in love with the word of truth, and immediately started preaching in worship using the word I had learned. I was once again deeply touched and blessed by the sight," he said.
He also said, "After signing an MOU with Shincheonji Church of Jesus, church members' participation in worship, evangelism, and volunteer work became more enjoyable and active, and the church also found vitality." He added, "On the 11th, all members were confident and changed the sign to Shincheonji Church of Jesus," he said.
In addition, the excellence of the Word was also proven in a preliminary survey conducted by Shincheonji Church of Jesus of 1,485 of the 115th youth (19-39 years old) graduates for a week from the 20th. 99.59% of respondents responded 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with the 'mission center lecture content and system', and the overwhelming majority of respondents (92.66%) cited 'biblical teachings' as the reason for being satisfied.
The average score of the completion exam taken by the 115th domestic and foreign graduates was also calculated to be 96.5 points, proving the excellent education system.
An official from Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, "The 115th graduates, as well as all those who completed the Zion Christian Mission Center, have studied the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation in depth and even took the exam," adding, "Thanks to this unrivaled education system, Shincheonji Church of Jesus was able to achieve rapid growth, and seeing this, there are cases where not only domestic and foreign churches, but also entire denominations requested cooperation," he said.
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