Forty-six South Korean children filled the Tioga First Baptist Church sanctuary
in Pineville, eagerly awaiting the start of the morning Vacation Bible School
worship service.
Forty-six South Korean children filled the Tioga First Baptist Church sanctuary
in Pineville, eagerly awaiting the start of the morning Vacation Bible School
worship service.
The third-through-fourth-grade children were participants in the first ever
Cenla/Korea VBS Mission, held last month in central Louisiana.
The effort was the result of a missions partnership between the Korean Baptist
Convention Church Development Board and three central Louisiana Baptist associations
– North Rapides, Central Louisiana and Big Creek.
Fifteen churches from the three associations participated in the effort. Between
$5,000 and $6,000 was spent on the missions project, but a portion of that expense
was offset by offerings that area churches collected during each individual
VBS.
The youngsters visit to the area included Vacation Bible School at Tioga
First Baptist, afternoon recreation and conversational English classes at Alpine
First Baptist Church in Pineville and excursions to an area camp, zoo, alligator
farm, swimming pool and shopping mall.
The children then participated in a CentriKid camp in Mississippi before they
returned to South Korea.
Charles Lowry chairs the Cenla/Korea VBS Mission. He says bringing the children
to the state allowed some Louisiana Baptists to participate in a South Korean
missions trip for the first time.
“I had always wanted to go on a missions trip to South Korea but never
felt brave enough to go,” says Susan Duke, childrens minister at
Tioga First Baptist Church. “I believe God brought the mission field to
me.”
Lowry says this is not the first time that Louisiana Baptists have participated
with Koreans in missions efforts.
In 1967, O.K. Bozeman, a missionary in Korea, convinced a group of Louisiana
Baptists to participate in evangelistic crusades throughout South Korea. Since
then, Louisiana Baptists periodically have returned to the country, including
a scheduled crusade there Oct. 25-Nov. 6.
Three years ago, North Rapides, Central Louisiana and Big Creek Associations
began a partnership with the Korean Church Development Board, as the groups
agreed to participate in two missions activities each year together.
Last October, Lim requested that 50 South Korean children come to central Louisiana
for VBS and conversational English classes. After an enthusiastic response from
associational leaders, Lowry says the central Louisiana planning team met weekly
for several months in preparation for the missions project.
“There were two goals for the week – to make friends for Christ and
for the United States,” says Herb Dickerson, Central Louisiana association
director of missions.
“Not all the kids and adults are Christians,” adds Seunghwa Lim,
chief of international affairs for the Korean Church Development Board. “This
is an excellent opportunity and a major investment in mission work. Those children
are the future of Korean Baptists.”
Near the end of the week, 25 of the South Korean children – along with
nine from Tioga First Baptist Church – accepted Christ as their personal
savior.
The parents motivation for sending their kids to the United States varied,
Lowry says.
“There is a strong desire for Korean parents that their children communicate
well in English,” he explains. “Korea, as a nation and economy, is
going global, so, they recognize (that) for their children to compete in the
future, they must be skilled communicators in English.
“So, in addition to the fact that many of the parents were Christians
and wanted their children to have a Christian and Vacation Bible School experience,
they wanted them to have an American experience to develop English communication,”
Lowry continues. “So much that they were willing to spend $1,800 on the
trip.”
The children were selected from Seoul, Taejon and Taegu churches. Lowry says
it was a matter of first-come, first-served. The interest was so great that
15 children were placed on a waiting list.
While in Louisiana, the South Korean children, along with pastors and laypeople
from the country, lived with host families.
At first, the children were shy.
“(However) they began to open up in homes and relate to host parents,”
Lowry notes. “By the time the children were boarding the bus (for the trip
to CentriKid), the parents were standing around teary-eyed and the children
were hugging them like they were leaving a dear friend.”
Adam and Angela Hursey hosted a family of four South Koreans. Adam Hursey says
this was an opportunity that rarely happens to the couple. “It was such
a blessing for us to do this,” he says.
Lowry says the Korean Church Development Board wants to bring more children
to central Louisiana in 2005. For that to happen, the association will recruit
more churches to participate.
“Its a little scary, but theyd like to bring 200 children
next year,” Lowry says. “I dont know if well go that far,
but all the leaders will meet to consider their request.”
(For more information on participating in the fall evangelism crusade in South
Korea or next years Cenla/Korea VBS Mission, contact Lowry at 318-641-6198.)