What an amazing experience it was to meet Christians in Korea
in-person. The Institute for Clergy Excellence (ICE) study group of which I am
a part traveled there August 2-12. It is certainly good to be home, but I
continue to have a deep admiration for the Christian Church there. It’s not
simply about huge churches, though there are huge churches there (Yoido Full
Gospel Church – 850,000, Kumnan Methodist Church – 120,000, Young Nak
Presbyterian Church – 60,000, Onnuri Community Church – 60,000 to mention
a few). Virtually every Korean Church is built upon small cell groups that
usually meet in homes during the week … so they don’t get lost in the crowd.
But we were curious as to why the church has grown so much in Korea.
Christianity is now the largest religious affiliation in this traditionally Buddhist
country.

One of the things that stood out quickly was their hospitality. It was
overwhelming, and we know ours was not an isolated case. Many from other
countries visit Korean churches every week, and it was clear that they too
received the same royal treatment that we did. You know, warm hospitality is a
tremendous witness to our Christian faith. It is a universal language. When
people feel genuinely welcome, it increases their interest in what the church
has to say and do whether it be in Korea or Tuscaloosa. We certainly felt the
powerful effect of genuine hospitality as they greeted us enthusiastically,
ushered us in, escorted us on tours, fed us meals, showered us with gifts, and
even drove us over 50 miles to their Prayer Mountain retreat center.
But without a doubt the most significant aspect of the Church in Korea is
prayer. Christians there are some of the “prayingest” (not a word, but it
communicates) people I have ever met. Six days a week virtually every church
is open at 5 AM for prayer, and many of these churches are packed to
over-flowing. The service I attended had people there praying before 5; the
actual prayer service was 5:30-6:30, but then soft music was played for the
next 30 minutes, and many continued praying. Also many churches have their
own “Prayer Mountain” retreat where members go often to pray for extended
periods from a day to a week or more. Plus the Sunday worship service we
attended at Yoido packed six times of prayer into a one hour service. They
really take prayer seriously. So I come home profoundly impressed by their
prayerful example. It was clear that praying was not merely an obligation to
them … it was a privilege to spend time with God whom they love
passionately.

It is intriguing to me that as I came into our Prayer Chapel the day after I
got home … I found a book by Richard Foster, “Prayer: Finding the Heart’s
True Home” (he also wrote “Celebration of Discipline”). As I began to read, it
was clear that Richard was describing the same kind of prayer that the
Christians in Korea practice. One line especially stood out to me – “Real
prayer comes not from gritting our teeth but from falling in love.” Prayer is
literally our Life Line. As the book of Acts describes the early church who
“devoted themselves to prayer”, so also do we find that in other times and
places that whenever God’s people will do that … amazing things happen. So,
I’m hearing God calling here too for the church to pray, and I commit myself to
be in much more prayer. I would encourage you to respond to that call as well.
I especially hope that in the months ahead we will begin having people praying
in our chapel during our Sunday worship services. I hope you will consider
being a part of this. Thank you!

Chris