Anglican churches of Korea, Japan celebrate 40 years of missionary and reconciliation collaboration
[Anglican Communion News Service] The Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, travelled to South Korea to celebrate the 40th anniversary of cooperation between the Anglican Church of Korea and the Anglican Church in Japan (Nippon Sei Ko Kai). Bishops from both provinces are participating in the celebrations, starting with events held in Jeju, Korea.
This occasion marks an important moment in the churches’ ongoing missionary collaboration and reconciliation work across the two nations, that have a complicated history of conflict and dispute. Since 1984, the Anglican provinces have met for conferences every decade, to strengthen coexistence, build bonds of friendship, deepen mutual understanding and play their part in forging a better future between the nations. The Korea-Japan Anglican Mission and Cooperation Committee meets annually with reciprocal visits to both countries.
The 40th anniversary conference has been held to share the fruits of the missionary collaboration that has been built up through the relationship of trust between the two churches and to strengthen solidarity among the Anglican churches in Japan, Korea, East Asia and the world. An excerpt from the conference program reads: “The two Anglican churches will share the grace given to them by God, share new missionary challenges in the post-COVID era and learn from each other. We would like to sincerely face the deeply painful past history of both countries and seek concrete actions to realize peace in East Asia. We would also like to share more concrete practices that the two Anglican churches are implementing toward the global challenge of environmental conservation and realizing a sustainable society.”
The Anglican Church of Korea began through missionary activity, between 1890 to 1965. In 1890, the Rt. Rev. John C Corfe arrived in Korea. In 1993 Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey installed the newly elected primate, the Most Rev. Simon Kim, and handed jurisdiction to him, making the Anglican Church of Korea a province of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Church of Korea is made up of three dioceses: Busan, Seoul and Daejeon. The primacy rotates between the three dioceses. The primate of Korea and bishop of Busan is Dong Shin Park (Onesimus). The bishop of Seoul is the Right Rev. Jang Whan Kim (Elijah). The bishop of Daejeon is the Right Rev. Ho Wook-Kim (Titus).
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai is made up of nearly 300 churches, 11 dioceses, roughly 22,000 members and over 180 active clergy. In 1859, the American Episcopal Church sent two missionaries to Japan, followed some years later by representatives of the Church of England and the Church of Canada. The first Anglican Synod occurred in 1887. The first Japanese bishops were consecrated in 1923. The church remained underground during World War II and assumed all church leadership after the war.
The secretary general’s visit started on Oct. 23, with attendance at a memorial ceremony at Jeju 4.3 Peace Park, which was opened in 2008 to commemorate the 1948-1949 Jeju Uprising, known in South Korea as the Jeju April 3 Incident. The Jeju 4.3 Peace Park was created to remember those who fell protecting their homeland. The park is the symbol of peace and human rights, focused on a future where reconciliation and harmony are possible. The park also houses part of the Berlin Wall that at one time separated East and West Germany.
From there, Poggo visited Jeju Friendship Church for the official opening of a brand-new reconciliation and friendship center on the site. It was the culmination of a 10-year vision shared by the provinces. It was co-celebrated with the Most Rev. Onesimus Dong-Shin Park, primate of Korea and bishop of Busan diocese, and the Most Rev. David Uehara, primate of the Anglican Church of Japan. Poggo shared in prayers for the center and gave thanks to those gathered for their example and commitment to the work of reconciliation.
In his welcome message at the blessing of the Korea-Japan friendship center, Archbishop Dong-Shin said: “The Gospel of John refers to the church as the friends of Jesus. Christians are the friends of Jesus. Bishop Yohan Kim (John Daly), the fifth bishop of the Anglican Church of Korea, the last foreign bishop, the first bishop of the Diocese of Daejeon, and the founder of industrial and poor mission in Korea, defined mission this way: ‘Mission is about making friends for Jesus.’
“In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Anglican Church Korea-Japan exchange, our churches joined together to bless ‘the Korea-Japan Friendship House.’ May this be a time to affirm that we are friends of Jesus. And may we build friendships in Jesus. We are all friends of Jesus, and we are all friends of his friends.”
Following the service, Poggo attended a joint House of Bishops’ meeting in Jeju. A major focus of the meeting was marking the 40th anniversary of collaboration between the churches. The bishops gave updates on the needs and priorities of their dioceses. Listening and learning from all that was shared, Poggo also made remarks on the life of the Anglican Communion during dinner.
Reflecting on the 40th anniversary, Poggo said, “The Churches of Korea and Japan have much to give God thanks for, and I am happy to be here to celebrate their 40 years of cooperation, which has grown out of situations of immense pain and sensitivity. Their fellowship is beautiful and inspiring. They are true witness to the reconciling power of Jesus Christ as they seek to build peace and friendship amongst those they serve. As Ephesians encourages us, ‘For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.’ I thank God for their ministry and pray that God will continue to bless and enrich their ministry.”
From this visit, Poggo travelled to the Anglican Church of Japan, hosted by the bishop of the Diocese of Tokyo, the Rt. Rev. Hiroyuki Takahashi. He preached at a Holy Communion service at St. Alban’s in Tokyo on Oct. 27.
