Shincheonji 40th Anniversary Celebration… Safety and order ‘outstanding’ despite 30,000 people gathered

Washington, D.C, District of Columbia Apr 10, 2024 (Issuewire.com) – On the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of Testimony (Chairman Lee Man-Hee), Shincheonji held a commemorative ceremony and commemorative worship service at the Peace Training Institute in Cheongpyeong, once again demonstrating outstanding safety management and order.

The ceremony was held to reflect on the growth of Shincheonji Church of Jesus since its founding on March 14, 1984, and to glorify God. During this event, plans and visions for the year ahead were shared, and the church pledged to fulfill its role in civil society to serve as light and salt.

More than 30,000 members attended, and the anniversary was broadcast live in 66 countries, including Korea.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus event organizers shared that given the large number of people that would be gathered at the site, preparations for the event prioritized the maintenance of order and safety of the attendees. The organizers had developed a detailed safety management plan that reflected their experience in safely holding three prior 100,000 graduation ceremonies. Members of the congregation also demonstrated a high sense of civic responsibility, attentively following the lead of the ushers and helping to maintain a smooth order.

The commemorative service consisted of an introduction to the 40th anniversary event, a commemorative video, a report on the history of Shincheonji, and a sermon by Chairman Lee.

Chairman Lee explained the meaning and background of steady growth and shared, “The beginning (of the Shincheonji Jesus Church) was very weak; however, the reason why so many people have come to this day is because God sent heavenly angels as the Bible says.”

He added, “Jesus also wanted to throw himself into God’s will, so today, we should not have blind faith, but we should know God and our hope, and let it be our will,” emphasizing that we should follow God’s will and love our neighbors as ourselves.

Finally, he said, “More and more people are learning about the book of Revelation, which is God’s purpose in the Bible. I am grateful for this,” he said, adding, “Let more people be saved by the Word. Let’s work together to build a good world.”

Later in the day, the 12 tribes celebrated the 40th anniversary of Shincheonji with a prepared performance.

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus has continued to grow steadily since its founding, even in the midst of a worldwide Christian downturn. Since the establishment of the Zion Christian Mission Center in June 1990 in Sadang, Seoul, the number of graduates has been steadily increasing. The 110th graduation ceremony in 2019 marked the opening of the era of 100,000 graduates with 103,764 graduates. In 2022 and 2023, the number of graduates reached 106,186 and 108,084, respectively, marking three consecutive years of more than 100,000 graduates.

At the same time, the church has been promoting “Word exchanges,” valuing shared growth through harmony with the church community at home and abroad, and has signed MOUs with 443 churches in Korea and 9,462 churches in 77 countries abroad. After the exchange, 1,382 churches in 38 countries changed their signboards to Shincheonji Jesus Church, recognizing the excellence of the Word.

“As we prepared for the event with a focus on safety and order, we feel rewarded that the event went smoothly, and we are grateful to the members who actively participated in the guidance,” said an official from Shincheonji Church of Jesus. “This year, we will continue to set an example for society and position ourselves as a church that fulfills its societal role as a church community and a church that is light and salt.”