BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (BP) – The South Korean Conference of South Korean Baptist Churches in America will deviate from its usual practice from June 12-15 at the Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, not in the same city as the United States. An annual general meeting was held at the center. SBC Annual Meeting.

The fellowship leaders, informally known as the Korea Council, decided it was necessary to stay in North Carolina, where the SBC had originally scheduled its annual meeting for this year.

“When SBC decided to move the conference from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans, we weren’t able to adjust our plans accordingly,” said executive director James Kang of Baptiste. told the press. “We finally decided to host our 42nd Annual General Meeting at the Ridgecrest He Conference Center.

“We really missed the SBC annual meeting,” Kang continued. “We were really worried about what was going to happen at SBC this year. We wanted to be there and make our voices heard.”

As was the case at the SBC annual meeting, there were mixed opinions among pastors in South Korea over the exclusion of the three churches.

The 2023 Chongtai Council Annual Meeting will be held under the theme of the SBC Annual Meeting, “Serving the Lord, Serving Others.”

Breaking with the tradition of serving Korean food and snacks throughout the four-day gathering for the first time, attendees enjoyed American cuisine served by Ridgecrest staff.

Guest speakers included Young Min Paik, President of the Korean Baptist Theological Seminary in Daejeon, South Korea. James Linton, director of Wellspring of Life, the North Carolina-based ministry that drills wells in North Korea.Alex Sands, 2022 SBC Second Vice President, Founding Pastor of Kingdom Life Church, Simpsonville, South Carolina

Perhaps the biggest piece of news to come out of the ministry division’s press hours for the Clash Council is the recent agreement with Lifeway Christian Resources.

“We have a contract with Lifeway to manage all of our Korean translations. explore the bible It’s a series of Sunday school materials,” Kang said. “Previously, Lifeway handled everything, but now we have given our council a contract to translate and publish the Korean version.

“Because we are doing this, we have decided to use better paper, better binding, and better design for the Korean church,” explained the secretary-general. “Our council will provide it free of charge during the fall semester of our church. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of churches in South Korea are experiencing spiritual demoralization.Our hope is to revitalize Sunday School. and our church will be a vibrant church again.”

One of the seven breakout sessions was titled “Growing the Church Through Sunday School.” Others included the history of the Korean Baptist Church. Provides an overview of the Bible through the “big picture”. An effective way to memorize the Bible. Local church mission strategy. the IMB partnership; and the North Carolina-based ministry “Friends of North Korea.”

Tuesday afternoons typically do not have sessions so members can attend the SBC Annual Meeting, but instead offer Koreans a tour of the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, the Billy Graham Training Center in Cove near Asheville, Chimney Rock State Park is located about 40 miles southeast of Ridgecrest.

“The location was great,” Kang said. “Ridgecrest is a beautiful retreat with a rich spiritual heritage. All speakers emphasized the importance of serving others through renewal and the love of God. We were blessed with a warm environment, perfect 70-degree weather, and a peaceful atmosphere that nurtured our spirituality – it felt more like a retreat than just a gathering.”

Wednesday’s business session ended without controversy and with three hours to spare.

A budget of $1.9 million was approved. This includes $700,000 for international missions and $150,000 for church tree planting and church revitalization in the United States.

Kang said in the executive director’s report that the Korean Council continues its Vision 2027 goals, which include sending 70 Korean missionaries, establishing 30 churches across the country, and included revitalizing the church by encouraging it to reconsider its interests. A fulfilling Sunday school that can be enjoyed not only by children but also by adults.

“We must do our part to reach every city, every country and every person with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Kang said. “This is Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20.”

Each officer was elected without opposition. Its president is Joseph Cho, pastor of Tidewater Korean Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. First Vice President Yong Ha Kim, Pastor, Shalom Mission Baptist Church, Orange County, California. Second Vice President Te Du Kim, pastor of Vision Korean Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Re-elected was Treasury Secretary Jeong Hae-oh, pastor of Hanmaum International Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. Chung Kuk Oh, Secretary of Records, Pastor of Arizona New Right Baptist Church of Phoenix.

As a further reason for celebration, Kang said 1,000 churches across the SBC conducting services in the context of South Korea have been mobilized for the victims of the earthquake that devastated Turkey near the Syrian border on February 6, 2023. As of June 10, it announced that it had raised over $550,000.

Individuals and churches in South Korea have responded generously to the plight of Turkey and its Syrian refugees, who died earlier this year in a magnitude-7.8 earthquake and thousands of aftershocks that killed more than 46,000 people.

Contributions donated by Koreans, in addition to regular missionary contributions, may be donated as specified by the donor or divided into thirds by Send Relief of SBC, the United Protestant Church Foundation of Turkey, and Distributed to Last Call for service activities. Among the Syrian refugees in Turkey.

As of May 2022, the Korean Council has sent over $258,000 for Ukraine relief and refugee assistance.

“Our people are considerate to help those in need,” Kang said. “Not only is it a biblical mandate, but Koreans have also experienced crises and received help in times of need.”

The 2024 Annual General Meeting of the South Korean Council of Baptist Churches in America will be held in Indianapolis during the SBC Annual General Meeting.