11월 첫 주일 밤 예배는 예기치 않았던 한원홍 전도사님의 선교보고가 잠깐 있었습니다. 한 전도사님은 친척의 도움으로 91년 7월 돈을 벌러 중국에서 한국으로 나오게 된 조선족입니다. 6개월 정도 본래 계획대로 돈을 벌기위해 일하다가 92년 2월 5일 예수님을 믿게 되었고 그 해 3월 2일부터 울산교회에서 새생명 훈련(제11기)을 받으므로 삶의 목적이 바뀌었습니다. 돈을 위해 노동력을 팔던 사람이 복음을 위해 남은 생을 드리기로 결단하고 그 해 7월 15일 중국으로 돌아갔습니다.
중국 사람들은 일반적으로 선행을 하면 구원을 받는다고 믿고 내세와 부활을 부인하는 풍토라고 합니다. 그러나 중국으로 돌아가자마자 조선족 교회 개척과 동시에 교회당 건축을 하게 되었습니다. 말하자면 예수 믿고 반 년 만에 설교를 시작한 셈입니다. 그러나 하나님께서 사용하셔서 100명 넘는 교회로 성장했고, 50킬로의 거리를 비포장 길을 따라 자전거로 오가며 또 다른 조선족 교회를 모두 황무지에서 개척한 사람입니다. 그리하여 조선족 교회 총 3개 교회와 한족 교회 2개를 고향에서 개척했습니다.
그러던 가운데 신학공부의 필요성을 느껴서 자신은 중남신학교에서 4년 과정을 부인 권명옥씨는 심양 동북신학교에서 3년 과정을 각각 끝내고 주위의 모든 사람이 죽도록 고생하고 추방될 것이라는 반대에도 불구하고 680만 인구 중에 크리스찬 십만도 안 되는 심양 시에 개척을 시작했습니다. 한때는 번듯한 교회당도 없는 셋집에서 오토바이를 타고 다니면서 사역을 하기에 이단으로 지목되어 고생을 하기도 했지만 하나님이 도우셔서 불과 개척 3년 반에 약 600명 정도 모이는 교회로 지금 성장했습니다.
그리고 한국 돈 2억 5천만 원에 예배처소를 구입해서 1억 7천은 갚고 잔금을 지불해야 하나 지금 자체로 3천만 원이 준비되고 나머지 5,000만원 모금을 위해서 한국에 왔습니다. 지금 중국은 진리의 말씀에 갈급한 영적 기류이나 기성 교회는 시기, 질투, 자리다툼으로 제 구실을 하지 못하는 가운데 있기에 하나님께서 중국인 13억을 한국교회에 맡겠다고 역설하며 조선족을 통해서 중국을 복음화하는 사명을 감당하도록 촉구했습니다. 지난 주간에 여성도 한 분의 헌신으로 일본 개척교회 설립예배를 드렸듯이 13억 중국 복음화의 한 몫을 감당할 분을 우리는 기다립니다.
During the evening service on the first Sunday of November, Evangelist Won-Hong Han briefly shared an unexpected mission report. Evangelist Han is an ethnic Korean from China who originally came to Korea in July 1991 with the help of relatives to earn money. After working for about six months as planned, he came to believe in Jesus on February 5, 1992. Beginning March 2 of that year, he underwent the New Life Training (11th class) at Ulsan Church, which completely changed the purpose of his life. A man who once traded his physical labor for money resolved to dedicate the rest of his days to the gospel, returning to China on July 15 of that same year.
It is often said that people in China generally believe one attains salvation through good deeds, while denying the afterlife and the resurrection. Yet, as soon as he returned to China, he embarked on planting a church for ethnic Koreans and building a chapel at the same time. In essence, he began preaching merely six months after coming to faith in Christ. Nevertheless, God used him mightily, allowing the congregation to grow beyond a hundred members. Roving across fifty kilometers of unpaved roads on a bicycle, he planted yet another ethnic Korean church in what was truly a spiritual wilderness. In this way, he planted a total of three ethnic Korean churches and two Han Chinese churches in his hometown area.
Along the way, recognizing the necessity of formal theological education, he completed a four-year course at Zhongnan Theological Seminary, while his wife, Myung-Ok Kwon, finished a three-year course at Shenyang Northeast Theological Seminary. Despite vehement opposition from those around them who warned that they would suffer terribly and face deportation, they stepped forward to plant a church in the city of Shenyang—a metropolis of 6.8 million people where Christians numbered fewer than one hundred thousand. At one point, because he ministered from a rented house without a proper chapel, getting around on a motorbike, he was falsely branded a heretic and endured severe hardship. Yet, with God's gracious help, in just three and a half years after the plant began, the church has now grown into a congregation of about six hundred souls.
They have purchased a place of worship for 250 million Korean won. Having already paid off 170 million won, they still need to clear the remaining balance: 30 million won has been raised on their own, and he has returned to Korea to raise the remaining 50 million won. He stressed that while China is currently swept by a spiritual hunger longing for the Word of truth, established churches are failing to fulfill their role due to envy, jealousy, and struggles for power. He passionately proclaimed that God has entrusted the 1.3 billion people of China to the Korean church, urging us to embrace the calling of evangelizing China through ethnic Koreans. Just as we held an inaugural service for a church plant in Japan last week through the devoted offering of a female congregant, we now look forward in faith to those who will take up their share in evangelizing the 1.3 billion people of China.
Tydens die aanddiens op die eerste Sondag van November was daar 'n kort en onverwagse sendingverslag deur evangelis Won-Hong Han. Evangelis Han is 'n etniese Koreaan uit China wat in Julie 1991 met behulp van familielede na Korea gekom het om geld te verdien. Nadat hy sowat ses maande lank volgens sy oorspronklike plan gewerk het, het hy op 5 Februarie 1992 tot geloof in Jesus gekom. Vanaf 2 Maart van daardie jaar het hy die Nuwe Lewe-opleiding (11de groep) by Ulsan Gemeente ontvang, waardeur sy lewensdoel volkome verander is. 'n Man wat vroeër sy fisieke arbeid vir geld verkoop het, het besluit om die res van sy lewe aan die evangelie te wy, en het op 15 Julie van dieselfde jaar na China teruggekeer.
Mense in China glo oor die algemeen dat verlossing deur goeie dade verkry word, terwyl die hiernamaals en die opstanding ontken word. Tog het hy, sodra hy in China teruggekeer het, dadelik begin om 'n gemeente vir etniese Koreane te plant en terselfdertyd 'n kerkgebou op te rig. Eintlik het hy dus skaars ses maande nadat hy tot geloof gekom het, al begin preek. Maar God het hom kragtig gebruik, sodat die gemeente tot meer as honderd lidmate gegroei het. Deur 'n afstand van vyftig kilometer op 'n grondpad per fiets af te lê, het hy nog 'n etniese Koreaanse gemeente vanuit 'n totale woestyngebied geplant. So het hy altesaam drie etniese Koreaanse gemeentes en twee Han-Chinese gemeentes in sy tuisstreek tot stand gebring.
Met verloop van tyd het hy die noodsaaklikheid van teologiese opleiding ingesien. Hy het 'n vierjarige kursus aan die Zhongnan Teologiese Kweekskool voltooi, terwyl sy vrou, Myung-Ok Kwon, 'n driejarige program aan die Shenyang Noordoos-Teologiese Kweekskool afgehandel het. Ten spyte van al die waarskuwings van omstanders dat hulle vreeslik sou swaarkry en gedeporteer sou word, het hulle 'n gemeentestigting begin in die stad Shenyang—'n metropool met 6,8 miljoen inwoners waarvan minder as honderdduisend Christene was. In 'n stadium, aangesien hy vanuit 'n huurhuis sonder 'n behoorlike kerkgebou op 'n motorfiets bedien het, is hy as ketter gebrandmerk en het hy baie beproewings deurgemaak. Maar met God se genadige bystand het die gemeente binne skaars drie en 'n half jaar sedert die stigting tot sowat 600 siele gegroei.
Hulle het 'n aanbiddingsplek vir 250 miljoen Koreaanse won aangekoop; 170 miljoen won is reeds afbetaal, en om die oorblywende bedrag te vereffen, het hulle self 30 miljoen won ingesamel en na Korea gekom om die orige 50 miljoen won in te samel. Hy het beklemtoon dat daar tans in China 'n geestelike dors na die Woord van die waarheid heers, terwyl gevestigde kerke weens afguns, jaloesie en magsbeheptheid faal in hul roeping. Hy het vurig verklaar dat God die 1,3 miljard mense van China aan die Koreaanse kerk toevertrou het, en ons aangespoor om die opdrag uit te voer om China deur die etniese Koreane te evangeliseer. Net soos ons verlede week danksy die toewyding van 'n vroulike gelowige 'n stigtingsdiens vir 'n sendinggemeente in Japan kon hou, wag ons biddend op diegene wat hul deel sal bydra tot die evangelisasie van China se 1,3 miljard mense.