|
“Meeting the Youth Born Again”
|
|
|
|
“Meeting the Youth Born Again”
About 2 weeks ago I had received an ecstatic email from a fellow pastor who had served the ‘Youth Born Again’ ministry back in Korea.
He had a rather quite personality but the email he sent had an air of excitement in his writing. It read as follows:
“Dear Reverend Lee, I read an article on Kukmin Ilbo dated May 24, 2019. One of the fellow past member of the Youth Born Again Mission recommended me, so I searched the article and had read it.
The article’s writer was none other than Dr. JaeSuh Lee who had briefly joined us in our [bible studies] youthful days to serve the Lord. Despite being with us only 3 months, he stated that in the article of his impression from the YBA and how it had influenced the start of ‘Milal Mission’.
My computer skill is quite lacking so I don’t know how to pass on the information, so please go and read the article on the website – I highly recommend it.”
In late autumn of 1978, the World Alliance Mission building / house office which is located in Sangdo-Dong was unoccupied for time being. I had borrowed that place and was using it for Scripture Union as the office.
During the plantation and being the staff member of Scripture Union along with director Jong-Ha Yoon whom I had fellowship with – after I had resigned from the post I had told him about me starting the Youth Born Again Mission. When I told him that I had no place to gather and hold fellowship, Director Yoon gladly gave me permission to use the living room during Saturday afternoons. I could not be gladder than this.
This was during the time when I was renting out a room close to the theology seminary in Geoyeo-Dong. I had to take multiple bus routes to get to our YBA meeting place but I was never tired.
While studying theology, I had gathered college students (for bible studies) while preparing messages, making bible study booklets, establishing a management for the meeting, training group leaders and also preparing news letter ‘Inside and Outside’. There were two classmates who had helped me who had a calling in missionary. Both of them were ministering from Seoul Young Nak Presbyterian Church. One of them later went to Mexico, the other had moved to United States and was serving the Native American Indians and also had served as a pastor for a Korean church.
During the time we were renting that place few months after planting, we had boilers to heat up the rooms while the missionaries were here. During the time we didn’t know how the oil-fed boilers operated, nor could we afford the price of the tankers coming to fill up the boilers. So in the end we used a 19-holed charcoal briquette to hold up the cold winter night.
Even with that bitter coldness we still had the first ever “Youth Born Again 1st Winter Retreat” for 3 days and 4 nights with about 30 young adults.
Meanwhile, in a small room behind the buildings resided a young man who was blind. With the request from an acquaintance of Director Yoon – and with his permission, he was able to reside there. He also had spent a cold winter night with a small briquette stove in his room.
We went and visited him and had greetings, and also explained to him what we were planning to do and he asked if he was able to join the group. Despite not being able to see, he was able to hear so we gladly accepted and he had attended very regularly.
After that 1979 spring, we had moved to a church in Jegi-Dong in Dongdaemun-Gu. It was because we had expanded quite in size and needed a room that was bigger. Again Director Yoon introduced to a place that he was attending at that time and we were able to have meetings in a spacious area. The starting and growth of ‘Youth Born Again Mission’ was all thanks to his help so I cannot express my thanks more than enough.
The following article is what President Jae Suh Lee wrote on how the foundation for ‘MilAl Mission’ was laid down from the news article in KukMin Ilbo.
*******
[이재서 박사 한 알의 밀알 되어] 대학생 성경공부 모임서 선교단체 구상
<3> ‘젊은 선교회’와의 만남
입력 : 2019-05-24 00:09
이재서 세계밀알연합 총재가 1980년 3월 시각장애인 재활시설인 서울 대린원에서 토요 전도활동을 하고 있다. 세계밀알연합 제공
“During my two and half months’ stay at World Mission pastor’s home (which was empty and available at that time) I had earned countless things.
It wasn’t the most comfortable stay but the many things that had happened here was well worth the discomfort I had gone through.
The house’s living room was spacious so every Saturday the “Youth Born Again Mission” college mission group would come here often and hold bible studies. Despite being an ‘unofficial’ member, I had quite often joined in since I was living here. This would be my first-hand on experience with college group bible study.
For many at that time this would’ve been a common thing, but for me – it was valuable. It never occurred to me that this meeting would later influence me in leading young adults and college students alike in a bible studies about a year later when I opened the Milal Mission Group.
I had learned to have a dedicated bible study booklet or quite time to study in groups, also from the experience I learned how to hold meetings with each ‘group’ leaders earlier to have a preparatory study meetings to give higher quality in bible studies.
“Youth Born Again Mission” had its own monthly news – which also was a valuable thing to learn about. It would gather the members in unity in one mission, one goal, and to pronounce to the world what their mission is. As an advertisement, it was an excellent way to publish and show the surroundings with what they were doing and of their current workings and future projects. Through their monthly news they had published their group’s funding and spending. This would later become a huge influence in Milal Group’s public confidence in how we earn and spend our funding.
To be honest, before I had my experience with ‘Youth Born Again Mission’ group, I had never experience any missionary groups at all. It was in fact a very short span of experience – but like a dried out sponge, I took every little details like water and held it in my heart. I often thought, ‘One day I will make a missionary based group’ but that was about it. After seeing the bible study and fellowship, monthly news magazine, finance reveal, and the method of gathering through this group I thought, ‘I really should do something like so…”
During the bible studies I had met Mrs. Mi Young Lee who was a huge influence in start and the growth of Mial Group of Southern California. A core member of ‘Youth Born Again Mission’, she was a 3rd year in college. Few days after I had entered on December 31st of 1978 in the afternoon, she visited me with a few members. Since it was near the end of year – and hearing that someone was living alone in the cold, back room they probably pitied me and came as comfort group.
After that time she had become a volunteer and had read me many books. She had recorded several thick college study books as well. Her helps were extremely gracious. She had moved to United States in Los Angeles later to start the Milal there and had helped in its growth there.
Later, her son Jung Pa had become a member and helped every Saturday in children with difficulties.
Meeting her during that time was priceless and very worthy meeting for my experience starting the Milal Missionary group.”
*******
Seeing how Youth Born Again Mission was the small flame that started the works of Dr. Lee through the activities and I thank the Lord sincerely for that. I still remember seeing him sitting in the last row listening very contemplatively with open ears. I give thanks to Dr. Lee that in his own painful heart he prayed in tears – to have a direction for his own calling to start a foundation and a inspiration for those who cannot see. I didn’t have the chance to meet him again after but I heard that he did start a mission group after.
Another thing I am very thankful for is, just like how Dr. Lee wrote of YBA members’ way of showing him love. The members read him books and even recorded several hundreds of pages of books for him to listen. I give them all my very thanks.
One thing to note in Dr. Lee’s writing is of Miss MiYoung Kim (who was 3rd year in college at that time) who is now a wife to a pastor who is serving with my denomination.
My youthful days were of a lacking and meek faith but to fulfill the Lord’s command to spread the gospel and I started the ‘Youth Born Again Mission’ and through that group Dr. Lee’s foundation and work had become the inspiration. How do I even start thanking God and of all the workers in Christ I had…
(August 19th 2019) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Never Had I Experienced… 
“Meeting the Youth Born Again”