By Heather Sells
ICC Note: While North Korean leadership wont allow Christians to attend this church regularly, God can do amazing things just by having it there and by the using the periodic opening of the church as a way to reach more people for his Kingdom
2/23/07 North Korea For full story
..(CBNews.com) – The Bongsoo Church – currently under renovation – is one of two official Protestant churches in North Korea . It has become a point of connection for North and South Korean Christians.
That’s because they’re working to rebuild it together.
Last fall, a delegation of 90 Christians from South Korea came to the church to celebrate completion of the first phase of renovation.
The Presbyterian Church of Korea in the South is partnering with the Christian Association in North Korea to rebuild Bongsoo Church . The church’s pastor says he hopes this partnership will help bring the two Koreas together after more than 50 years of separation.
“I surely believe the renovation and completion of Bongsoo Church is part of God’s will,” said Kang Young Seob of the Christian Association in North Korea . “I also believe that all the Christians who come to the church will have their hearts filled with love for their brothers, their neighbors, and for all Korean people.”
One South Korean church elder says the project is a gift from God.
“The construction of Bongsoo Church is a special privilege and a special mission that God granted the South Korean church and the North Korean church members,” Choi Ho Chul, a South Korean Christian leader.
South Korea ‘s Christians know that state-sanctioned churches in North Korea are mostly for show. They open only periodically, usually to show visiting dignitaries the regime’s religious tolerance. They know that North Korean church leaders – and even the congregants – are hand-picked by the government.
But as one South Korean Christian in the U.S. told Christian World News, they believe that working with North Korea ‘s state-sanctioned church is better than doing nothing at all.
They believe that raising a church – and the Cross – high above Pyongyang might have an impact beyond what natural eyes can see.
“We still have hope of the salvation as long as we have the cross that reflects it and the church of God ,” said Kim Tae Beom, a South Korean pastor.
