Shincheonji Church of Jesus 40th Anniversary Ceremony Attracts Over 30,000 Congregants

Press Release: March 20, 2024

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Shincheonji Church of Jesus 40th Anniversary Ceremony Attracts Over 30,000 Congregants
GYEONGGI PROVINCE, SOUTH KOREA. 20th March, 2024 - March 14, a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of Shincheonji Church of Jesus was held at the Cheongpyeong Shincheonji Peace Training Centre. Over 30,000 on-site attendees and church members from around the world participated simultaneously through live and online broadcasts.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Chairman Lee Man-Hee, hereinafter referred to as Shincheonji Church of Jesus) held a commemorative ceremony and service at the Cheongpyeong Shincheonji Peace Training Centre to celebrate its 40th anniversary, including excellent safety management and order maintenance. 

The commemoration ceremony was prepared as an opportunity to look back on the growth of Shincheonji Church of Jesus since its founding on March 14, 1984. In addition, plans and visions for the year ahead were shared, and pledges made to fulfill the role of the church in civil society and serve and practice as light and salt. 

About 30,000 congregation members attended the event, and it was also broadcast live from the site and simultaneously transmitted to 66 countries, including the Republic of Korea. Hundreds of thousands of congregation members participated in the 40th anniversary, both physically and virtually.

Considering the large number of people gathered compared to the size of the Cheongpyeong Shincheonji Peace Training Centre, Shincheonji Church of Jesus prepared the event with maintaining order and safety management of site attendees as top priority.

The organisers established a detailed safety management plan, reflecting the experience of holding three 100,000 graduation ceremonies safely and smoothly. The congregation members also displayed high civic consciousness, actively followed the guides’ leadership, and helped maintain smooth order. 

Chairman Lee explained the meaning and background of the church’s steady growth, saying, “It was a very humble beginning. However, many people have come to this day because God sent angels from heaven as stated in the Bible.” He continued, “Jesus also gave up his whole body and wanted to do God’s will. So today, we must not have blind faith, but we must know God and our wishes and have His will done.” He added, “We must follow God’s will and come out to our neighbors. “We must love together,” he emphasized. Lastly, he said, “The number of people learning about the Book of Revelation, which is God’s purpose written in the Bible, is increasing. I am grateful,” and added, “let’s ensure that more people are saved through the Word. Let’s work together to create a better world.” 

Meanwhile, Shincheonji Church of Jesus has achieved continuous development without a single episode of negative growth since its founding, despite the atmosphere of global Christian stagnation. Since the establishment of the Zion Christian Mission Center in Sadang, Seoul in June 1990, there has been a steady increase in the number of graduates. Over 30,000 congregation members gathered in person at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus 40th anniversary on March 14, 2024. 

At the class of 110 graduation ceremony in 2019, 103,764 graduates graduated, opening the era of 100,000 graduates. Afterwards, in 2022 and 2023, 106,186 and 108,084 students completed the course, respectively, achieving the achievement of enrolling more than 100,000 students for two consecutive years. 

At the same time, as a result of promoting scriptural exchange between churches with the value of mutual growth through harmony with religious communities at home and abroad, an MOU for scriptural exchange between churches was signed with 443 churches in the Republic of Korea and 9,462 churches in 77 countries overseas. 1,382 churches in 38 countries have recognized the excellence of Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ teaching by changing their signage to “Shincheonji Church of Jesus.” 

An official from Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “as we prepared the event with an emphasis on safety and order, we feel rewarded for the smooth progress of the event.” 

He also said, “We would like to thank the congregations who actively participated in the guidance,” and added, “This year, we will establish ourselves as a church that sets an example for society and fulfills its social role as a church community, becoming a church that is light and salt.”

ENDS

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