Shincheonji 40th Establishment Anniversary Ceremony

Melbourne, Victoria Mar 21, 2024 (Issuewire.com) – Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Chairman Lee Man-hee, hereinafter referred to as Shincheonji Church of Jesus) celebrated its 40th anniversary by holding a commemorative ceremony and service at the Cheongpyeong Shincheonji Peace Training Center, and this time, its excellent safety management and order maintenance once again shone.

The commemoration ceremony on this day was prepared as an opportunity to look back on the growth of Shincheonji Church of Jesus since its founding on March 14, 1984 and to give glory to God. In addition, plans and visions for the year ahead were shared, and pledges were made to fulfill the role of the church in civil society and to serve and practice as light and salt.

About 30,000 believers attended the event, and it was broadcast live from the site and simultaneously transmitted to 66 countries, including Korea.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus said that, considering the large number of people gathered compared to the size of the site, they prepared the event with maintaining order and safety management of site attendees as top priorities. The organizers established a detailed safety management plan, reflecting the experience of holding three 100,000 graduation ceremonies safely and smoothly. The congregation also demonstrated high civic consciousness, actively followed the guide’s leadership, and helped maintain smooth order.

The commemorative service on this day was held in the following order: introduction of the 40th anniversary event commemorative video report on the history of Shincheonji, followed by a sermon by Chairman Lee.

Chairman Lee explained the meaning and background of the steady growth, saying, “(Shincheonji Church of Jesus) had a very humble beginning. However, many people have come to this day because God sent angels from heaven as stated in the Bible.” He continued, “Jesus also gave up his whole body and wanted to do God’s will. So today, we must not have blind faith, but we must know God and our wishes and have His will done.” He added, “We must follow God’s will and love our neighbors as ourselves” he emphasized. Lastly, he said, “The number of people learning about the Book of Revelation, which is God’s purpose written in the Bible, is increasing. I am grateful,” and added, “Let’s ensure that more people are saved through the Word. Let’s work together to create a better world.”

On this afternoon, celebratory performances prepared by the 12 tribes continued to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of Shincheonji.

Meanwhile, Shincheonji Church of Jesus has achieved continuous development without a single episode of negative growth since its founding, despite the atmosphere of global Christian stagnation. Since the establishment of the Zion Christian Mission Center in Sadang, Seoul in June 1990, there has been a steady increase in the number of graduates. At the 110th graduation ceremony in 2019, 103,764 graduates were graduated, opening the era of 100,000 graduates. Afterwards, in 2022 and 2023, 106,186 and 108,084 students completed the course, respectively, marking the achievement of enrolling more than 100,000 students for two consecutive years.

At the same time, as a result of promoting word exchange with the value of mutual growth through harmony with religious communities at home and abroad, an MOU for word exchange was signed with 443 churches in Korea and 9,462 churches in 77 countries overseas. After the exchange of words, 1,382 churches in 38 countries recognized the excellence of the word by changing their signboards to Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

An official from Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “As we prepared the event with an emphasis on safety and order, we feel rewarded for the smooth progress of the event. He also said, “We would like to express our gratitude to the believers who actively participated in the guidance,” and added, “This year, we will establish ourselves as a church that sets an example for society and fulfills its social role as a church community, becoming a church that is light and salt.”