Korea Evangelical Holiness Church marks 120 years by funding renovations at about 130 small churches

The Korea Evangelical Holiness Church held its 120th-anniversary ceremony and a two-day prayer conference for pastors, elders and their spouses at Shingil Church in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo district on Oct. 4–5. Korean outlets put attendance at 2,500 to 3,000. Christian Daily Korea called it the denomination's largest gathering since its centennial.

The practical centerpiece was what the denomination calls its "120 Church Remodeling and Revitalization Project." Its pledges went to small, financially dependent congregations, Kukmin Ilbo reported. General Assembly President Rev. Lee Ki-yong, who is also Shingil Church's senior pastor, said in remarks reported by Christian Daily Korea that about 240 churches applied. After document reviews, interviews and site visits, 120 were chosen. The plan started at 20 million won (roughly $14,000) per church. As more congregations chipped in, Lee said, the list grew to about 130, adding three churches from another Holiness body plus overseas and mission-related churches. He said he hopes to help 50 churches a year, more than 500 over a decade, and eventually 1,000. All of these figures come from the church.

In his address, Lee pointed to the denomination's history. He said it was forcibly dissolved in 1943 under Japanese colonial rule after members refused Shinto shrine worship, and some pastors died for that refusal. It was rebuilt after liberation, with a reconstruction assembly in 1953 after the Korean War. He named low birth rates, an aging population, falling public trust in churches and a shortage of successor pastors in local churches as current challenges, and urged a return to the "wild power" of the gospel. A former General Assembly president, Rev. Lee Jung-ik, preached on Samuel's "Ebenezer" stone ("thus far the Lord has helped us"). The denomination presented a golden key to its mother congregation, Joongang Holiness Church. Bishop Kim Jung-seok of the Korean Methodist Church, a fellow Wesleyan body, praised the support project as a model for other denominations. Regional revival gatherings in 14 regions begin Oct. 7 in Seoul.