며칠 전 서재를 나서기 전에 마지막 메일체크를 했더니 “<제6회 지역사회와 함께하는 교회상> 수상을 진심으로 축하드리며 이 상이 울산교회가 지역을 섬기는데 있어 조그마한 위로가 되길 소망합니다.”라는 메일이 들어와 있었습니다. ‘지역사회와 함께하는 교회상’은 교회가 신앙의 당연한 실천으로 사회복지 활동에 적극적으로 참여하는 것을 격려하고 구체적으로 돕기 위해 기독교윤리실천운동이 주관하는 행사로 2003년부터 매년 시상해 올해 6회째를 맞아서 우리교회가 올해의 수상교회 가운데 하나로 선정되었습니다. 심사 기준이 되는 문항에 대한 대답도 특별히 감동적으로 쓴 것도 아니고, 실사를 나온 분들이 인근에 있는 가게와 병원에 들러서 밝은미래복지재단에 대해서 알고 있는지를 물었는데 별로 긍정적인 답을 들지 못했다는 이야기를 들은 바 있어 수상을 하리라고 생각지 못하고 있었는데 뜻밖의 기쁜 메일을 받은 것입니다.
이렇게 밖에서는 우리가 하는 일을 알고 시상을 하는데 정작 우리는 밝은미래 복지재단의 사역을 제대로 알고 있기나 할까 하는 기우 때문에 밝은미래 복지재단에 대해서 소개하고 싶습니다. 특히 밝은미래 복지재단 산하에서 이루어지는 일들은 중구지역 기초생활수급권자, 차상위 계층 또는 저소득층 한부모 가정의 아동, 청소년, 65세 이상 어르신들을 섬기는 사역까지 많은 일들을 하고 있습니다. 꿈마을지역아동센터, 청소년센터, 밝은미래 경로대학, 어린이도서관 ‘꿈이 자라는 책마을’을 비롯하여 남구지역의 60세 이상의 어르신들을 위한 여가시설인 문수실버복지관, 울산 전 지역 폭력피해자들을 지원하고 폭력피해예방교육 등을 실시하는 울산성폭력상담소와 성폭력피해자보호시설 ‘징검다리’는 물론 장애아동들을 위한 일요백합아동교실에 이르기까지 총 8개의 기관으로 이루어져 있으며, 우리 재단 산하 기관 전체 사역자들은 총 32명입니다.
이 모든 것이 울산교회가 지역을 가슴에 품고 하나님의 사랑을 실천하는 밝은미래복지재단을 만들었기 때문이고, 그럴 수 있었던 힘은 울산교회 성도 여러분들에게서 나온 것이라 생각합니다. 우리 울산교회 성도님들이 밝은미래복지재단 사역에 동참할 수 있는 길은 다양합니다. 월 5천 원 이상의 정기적인 물질후원으로, 또는 매주 1회 1시간씩 이용 아동, 청소년들의 공부를 가르치는 일, 월 2회 아동 목욕봉사, 문수실버 복지관이나 지역아동센터 급식봉사, 차량봉사, 이미용봉사 등 등. 우리들의 가까운 이웃, 지극히 작은 자들을 섬길 수 있는 일들은 무궁무진합니다. 울산교회 교육관 2층에 위치한 밝은미래복지재단 사무국의 문은 넓게 열려있습니다. 남들도 알고 시상을 하는 이즈음에 성도 여러분들의 따뜻한 관심과 격려가 더해진다면 법인 산하 모든 직원들이 더욱 힘 있게 사역을 하게 될 것입니다. 우리 울산 교회가 세운 밝은미래복지재단으로 여러분의 사랑과 관심이 향할 때 간접적인 복음전파의 길이 새로 만들어지고, 이웃사랑을 실천하는 장이 확장될 것을 기대합니다.
A few days ago, before leaving my study, I checked my email one last time and found a message: “Warmest congratulations on receiving the 6th Church in the Community Award. We hope this award brings a small measure of comfort and encouragement as Ulsan Church continues to serve the local community.” Organised by the Christian Ethics Movement of Korea since 2003, the ‘Church in the Community Award’ encourages and offers practical support to churches that actively engage in social welfare as a natural expression of their faith. Marking its sixth year, our church was selected as one of this year’s recipients. I had not written our evaluation responses with any particular flair, and I had heard that when the evaluation team visited nearby shops and clinics to ask whether people were familiar with the Bright Future Welfare Foundation, the responses were not especially glowing. Consequently, I had not anticipated receiving the award at all, which made the joyful email an unexpected surprise.
Seeing that those outside our church recognise and honour what we do, I found myself gently wondering whether we ourselves truly understand the ministries of the Bright Future Welfare Foundation. For that reason, I would like to introduce the foundation's work to you. Through its various branches, the Bright Future Welfare Foundation serves basic livelihood recipients, the near-poverty tier, children and youth from low-income single-parent families, and senior citizens aged 65 and older across the Jung-gu district. It comprises a total of eight institutions: the Dream Village Local Children's Centre, the Youth Centre, the Bright Future Senior College, the children's library ‘Dream-Growing Book Village’, the Munsu Silver Welfare Centre (a leisure facility for seniors aged 60 and older in Nam-gu), the Ulsan Sexual Violence Counselling Centre and the victim shelter ‘Stepping Stone’ (providing support and violence prevention education throughout Ulsan), and the Sunday Lily Children’s Class for children with disabilities. Together, 32 dedicated staff members serve across these affiliated institutions.
All of this has been possible because Ulsan Church embraced our community with an open heart and established the Bright Future Welfare Foundation to put God’s love into practice—and the strength behind it all comes from the congregation of Ulsan Church. There are many ways for our church members to take part in the foundation’s ministries: through regular financial support of 5,000 KRW or more per month; by tutoring children and youth for an hour once a week; by assisting with bath care for children twice a month; or by volunteering with meal services, transportation, and hair grooming at the Munsu Silver Welfare Centre or local children's centres. The opportunities to serve our nearest neighbours—the least of these—are truly boundless. The door to the Bright Future Welfare Foundation office, located on the second floor of the Ulsan Church Education Hall, is wide open. At a time when outsiders recognise and honour this work, if the warm interest and encouragement of our congregation are added, all the staff members of our foundation will be renewed with even greater strength for their calling. When your love and care turn towards the Bright Future Welfare Foundation founded by Ulsan Church, I believe fresh avenues for sharing the Gospel indirectly will open up, and the field where we practice love for our neighbours will expand ever wider.
'n Paar dae gelede, voor ek my studeerkamer verlaat het, het ek my e-pos 'n laaste keer nagegaan en 'n boodskap gevind: “Hartlike gelukwensing met die ontvangs van die 6de Kerk in die Gemeenskap-toekenning. Mag hierdie toekenning vir Ulsan Gemeente 'n klein troos en bemoediging wees terwyl julle voortgaan om die plaaslike gemeenskap te dien.” Die ‘Kerk in die Gemeenskap-toekenning’, wat sedert 2003 jaarliks deur die Beweging vir Christelike Etiek gereël word, moedig kerke aan en bied praktiese bystand sodat hulle as 'n natuurlike uitlewing van hul geloof aktief aan maatskaplike sorg kan deelneem. In hierdie sesde bestaansjaar is ons gemeente as een van vanjaar se ontvangers aangewys. Ons antwoorde op die evalueringsvrae was geensins besonder meesleurend geskryf nie, en ek het boonop verneem dat toe die evalueerders plaaslike winkels en doktersspreekkamers besoek het om te vra of mense van die Helder Toekoms Welsynstigting weet, die antwoorde nie juis oorweldigend positief was nie. Daarom het ek dit glad nie verwag nie, en die vreugdevolle e-pos het as 'n heuglike verrassing gekom.
Noudat mense van buite raaksien wat ons doen en ons daarvoor vereer, het die besorgdheid by my opgekom of ons eie lidmate werklik besef wat die bediening van die Helder Toekoms Welsynstigting behels. Daarom wil ek graag die stigting se werk aan u voorstel. Onder die vaandel van die Helder Toekoms Welsynstigting word daar talle take verrig wat wissel van die versorging van staatstoelaagontvangers en die nabye-armoedeklas in die Jung-gu-distrik tot kinders en jeugdiges uit lae-inkomste enkelouergesinne, asook bejaardes bo 65 jaar. Dit bestaan uit altesaam agt instellings: die Droomdorp Plaaslike Kindersentrum, die Jeugsentrum, die Helder Toekoms Senior Kollege, die kinderbiblioteek ‘Boekedorp waar Drome Groei’, die Munsu Silwer Welsynsentrum ('n ontspanningsfasiliteit vir seniors bo 60 in Nam-gu), die Ulsan Sentrum vir Berading oor Seksuele Geweld en die skuiling ‘Trapklippe’ (wat bystand en voorkomingsopleiding regoor Ulsan bied), asook die Sondag Lelie-kinderklas vir kinders met gestremdhede. Altesaam 32 toegewyde personeellede dien binne hierdie instellings van ons stigting.
Dit alles is slegs moontlik omdat Ulsan Gemeente ons plaaslike omgewing in die hart gesluit het en die Helder Toekoms Welsynstigting tot stand gebring het om God se liefde tasbaar uit te leef—en die krag daaragter spruit uit julle, die lidmate van Ulsan Gemeente. Daar is baie maniere waarop ons gemeentelede by die stigting se bediening betrokke kan raak: deur 'n gereelde finansiële bydrae van 5 000 Koreaanse won of meer per maand; deur een keer per week vir 'n uur lank kinders en jongmense met hul studies te help; deur twee keer per maand met die versorging en was van kinders te help; of deur maaltye voor te berei, vervoer te voorsien, of hare te sny by die Munsu Silwer Welsynsentrum en plaaslike kindersentrums. Die geleenthede om ons naaste—die geringstes onder ons—te dien, is oneindig groot. Die deur van die Helder Toekoms Welsynstigting se kantoor op die tweede verdieping van die Ulsan Gemeente se Opvoedingsentrum staan wyd oop. In 'n tyd waarin buitestanders hierdie werk raaksien en bekroon, sal die hartlike belangstelling en bemoediging van ons eie lidmate al die personeellede van die stigting besiel om hul roeping met hernieude krag voort te sit. Wanneer u liefde en aandag uitgaan na die Helder Toekoms Welsynstigting wat deur ons gemeente opgerig is, vertrou ek dat nuwe weë vir indirekte evangelieverkondiging geopen sal word en dat die akker waarop ons ons naasteliefde uitleef, nog verder sal verbreed.