The Grace and Conviction Realized in the Work of the Holy Spirit

I was born in 1936 in Uah-dong, Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. From a young age, I attended a Presbyterian church and later worked with the Southern Presbyterian Mission in the United States. I was involved in publishing-related work there and attended various revival meetings. However, I struggled to find a firm conviction in my faith, and a sense of frustration always lingered.

At that time, rumors spread throughout the religious community that the work of the Holy Spirit was blazing like fire through the revival meetings of Elder Park Tae-sun, the Messenger of Fire. Upon hearing this news, my ears perked up, and I became determined to meet the elder in person. Without hesitation, I decided to head to Seoul as soon as possible. After arriving in Seoul and making inquiries, I heard that there was a large gathering place in Wonhyo-ro. When I went there, I found a spacious altar with a wooden floor. That place was none other than the Chunbukyo Church in Wonhyo-ro.

After hearing rumors about the work of the Holy Spirit,
I went to the Chunbukyo Church in Wonhyo-ro.
After receiving my first blessing from God,
I was immediately convinced of the work of the Holy Spirit.
As more people gathered, the Twenty-Thousand Altar was established in Cheongam-dong, Yongsan.

There, I was guided by an attendant to the second floor, where I met God for the first time and greeted Him. Then, He instructed me to receive His blessing, and as He laid His hands on my eyes and stomach, I immediately felt an incredible sense of coolness in my abdomen. It was as if cool water was continuously flowing inside me. This extraordinary experience was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

Moreover, my heart became completely at peace, and an overwhelming joy surged through me like a tidal wave. At that moment, I became certain that the work of the Holy Spirit was happening right here, and I knew I couldn’t leave this place. I even gave up returning to Jeonju. From that moment on, I stayed in Seoul, never missing a single worship service, and received abundant grace.

During the worship services at that time, so many people gathered that there was no more space to sit in the church, and many had to worship outside.

Given the situation, we thought, “This won’t do. We need to build an even bigger church.” And so, a new church, the Twenty-Thousand Altar with a seating capacity of 20,000 was built on a hill in Cheongam-dong, Yongsan-gu, overlooking the Han River.

During my time as a pioneering minister,
I experienced miraculous events while believing only in God.
I witnessed leprosy and lung disease patients
being healed after receiving blessings,
which led many people to come to faith.

I also worked at the construction site, supplying Living Water Bread (bread made from the Water of Life). At that time, no matter how difficult the work was, I didn’t feel tired, and hymns never stopped coming from my lips all day long. When I woke up in the morning, new strength would rise within me every time.

At the time the Twenty-Thousand Altar was completed, I was serving as a Sunday school teacher and a member of a special missionary team, dedicating myself to spreading God’s words. At times, I followed God and went on ‘mass visits’, and also engaged in Street preaching, playing the drum. The Twenty-Thousand Altar was so crowded that during the Sunday main service, it was literally packed with people.

On the roof, a large sign reading “Seoul Central Chunbukyo Church” would shine brightly through the night, and for the first time in Korea, the sound of the large music bell was amplified through loudspeakers.

The sound could be heard across the river, reaching Guro-dong in Yeongdeungpo in the early morning, and even as far as Bukaksan (mountain) in the northern part of Seoul. The beautiful sound of the music deeply touched the hearts of many people. There was even a case where someone, who had come to the Han River to commit suicide, heard the sound of the music and decided to turn back.

On November 3, 1957, I was assigned as a pioneering minister in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province. At that time, being a pioneering minister meant being sent to places where there were no members at all. With no one to rely on or turn to, I moved forward, believing only in God. Miraculously, people started to gather, and we were able to establish Chunbukyo Church. In Gyeongsan, there was no building for the church either, so we worshiped in a temporary tent. Every month, God would visit the church and lead a service.

Among those who attended the service at that time were a brother and sister from an orchard family who had been suffering from leprosy, a severe and incurable disease. They came to the temporarily constructed church and received grace.

After attending services at the Busan Daeshin-dong church, the Miryang church, and others, they received God’s laying of hands and blessings. As a result, their leprosy was completely healed, and they were transformed into new people. The villagers, amazed by this miraculous healing, rushed to the church to ask about what had happened. This event led many people to come to the church.

There was another remarkable event. Pastor Kim Mu-saeng of Gyeongsan Presbyterian church, his daughter Kim Shin-hee (an elementary school teacher), and her friend

Lee Eun-kyung, a teacher, were dedicated attendees of the church. Pastor Kim’s daughter and Lee Eun-kyung were both suffering from stage-3 tuberculosis at the time. They received blessings during God’s revival meetings, and after the blessings, they were completely healed. The whole neighborhood buzzed with excitement. As these miracles continued, the 70-pyeong (approximately 231 square meters) tent church became overcrowded with people. Through these experiences, a new church was built in Gyeongsan.

he center of attention was entirely on the ‘Chunbukyo Church.’ 
As people stopped attending established churches and gathered at the Chunbukyo Church,
rumors and slander followed.

At that time, such miracles were happening all across the country, and the number of people following God surpassed millions. If you include

those who had even a sip of the Water of Life or received a single laying on of hands, the number of people receiving God’s grace was much greater.

As more and more people gathered at the church, the talk of the town was all about ‘Chunbukyo Church.’ Even members from established churches, who had no intention of going anywhere else, flocked to the Chunbukyo Church. Some churches, finding themselves without congregants, were eventually forced to close their doors.

Everywhere you went, it seemed like it was all about the Chunbukyo Church, and everywhere you met people, they were from the Chunbukyo Church. The world seemed like it was filled with the Chunbukyo Church.

Furthermore, as the Sosa Faith Village was being built, people who had received grace from all over the country began to move in. This caught the attention of the established churches. They began to label it a cult, even connecting it to absurd accusations and resorting to slander and defamation. Newspapers and broadcasts continued to make one-sided reports without verifying the facts.

As the situation escalated, the authorities, closely aligned with the established church, eventually imprisoned God.

(The Chunbukyo Weekly, dated 8.17.1997)