ec·u·me·nism: the principle or aim of promoting unity among the world's Christian Churches

NCCK 100th Anniversary International Conference & PROK General Assembly

I know this already sounds boring, but I promise to only include interesting content. And by interesting, I mean my reflections on ecumenism, faith, reunification, and peace. 😄

Day 1: 📍 Hanshin University Graduate School of Theology

International Conference for the 100th Anniversary of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) Sept 20-21, 2024

The main topic of the conference was peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula. Until now, peace and reunification were always discussed together as though synonymous. However, at this conference, there was a shift towards distinguishing the two and first prioritizing peaceful coexistence between North and South Korea. Then, with peaceful coexistence as the foundation, reunification may become a possibility. With the rising tensions between the two states, it was a difficult, yet important, reality to accept.

Meeting WSCF-Asian Pacific Regional Secretary Yowanda Yonggara

Day 2: 📍 Ramada Hotel

We started the second day with worship led by Taize Brother Shin Han-Yol. It was so peaceful and so powerful.

With World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, an old friend of my father's from South Africa

Yowanda Yonggara gave an excellent presentation about the power and potential that youth and women have to lead in this generation:

We, the youth and women, are not just the leaders of tomorrow—we are the leaders of today... Our creativity, digital fluency, and empathy can help bridge the gaps of misunderstanding and address the root causes of division.

As a young woman, this inspired me to address the plenary to share my personal ideas for how to increase youth engagement in the peace movement. One idea was "Peace Solidarity Houses" in which young people of diverse backgrounds live together, receive training on peace education and activism, and practice leading workshops for fellow young adults. If properly funded, young adults could receive housing, employment, and leadership training, while spreading the peace movement all at the same time. I made it clear that young people today are really struggling financially, socially, and mentally. We need concrete support in order to develop into the kind of leaders we want to become.

Building greater solidarity with our Chinese brothers and sisters was also mentioned as a priority, especially as China has emerged as the US's greatest rival in the twenty-first century. I shared my observation that we have many international students on our college campuses, including from Korea and China, remarking that these might be sites with high potential for international solidarity-building.

Day 3: 📍 Yeondong Church

The NCCK 100th Anniversary Service was held on Sunday, September 22, 2024. I signed my name in the guestbook (so official!), sat with international guests from the US, Philippines, and Taiwan, and watched all the TV crews set up to broadcast this momentous occasion.

A Hanshin MDiv student plays the gong to commence the service.

Then there was a procession that included beautiful dancing!

100-person choir in honor of 100 years of NCCK

Hearing the choir, composed of members from different denominations, races, and nationalities, made me wonder if there would be any country against letting their citizens join a choir with people of other countries. I mean, we let hundreds of athletes from different countries compete against each other in the Olympics. As the genocide in Palestine continues, as well as the war in Ukraine, and as the Korean peninsula remains divided, the following question weighed heavy on my heart: If we can sing together, why can't we eat, play, and work together? Why can't we live together? Why can't we co-exist? The more I learn, the less I understand.

After taking communion, we joined hands in a circle and prayed together. Having partaken of the broken body of Christ, it truly felt like we became the living body of Christ.

I think ecumenical, inter-faith, and international exchange is critical to maintaining and restoring our collective humanity. For, through something as simple as singing a song together, you realize that the other person is just another normal human being like you. For our fear comes from our mistaken assumptions, and our assumptions come from our ignorance, and our ignorance comes from our separation. The gap between me and you is the breeding ground of fear. And fear is what we use to justify our hate, violence, and war.

Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) General Assembly, Sept. 24-26, 2024

📍 Buan, Jeollabuk-do

I met (more) friends and colleagues of my father's here at the PROK GA, including from PCUSA and National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches (NCKPC). I also got to meet my friend from WSCF-US Rev. Seyo Oh's father and took a picture with the newly elected general secretary of the PROK, Rev. Hunsam Lee (last photo). I was also able to spend some time at the beach and enjoy the ocean, where I always feel strongly connected to the Creator.

I believe growing in faith is like learning how to float. Life is like the vast ocean, with big waves and small waves. As long as you don't know how to float, it takes a lot of energy to stay abreast of the water. Whether you swim or tread or struggle, you have to do it continually in order not to sink. But when you lean back and become still, you stop sinking and no longer have to do any work to stay afloat. This is what it's like to trust God. A state of true rest.