Newsweek Interview with the Church of God

In my last post, I wrote about a three-piece feature on the World Mission Society Church of God published in Newsweek Korea on May 16, 2016. Here is the second part of that piece where the reporter, Jung Hyun Seo, interviews General Pastor Joo-cheol Kim.

Entitled “Everything will be accomplished when we do with faith according to the prophecies of the Bible,” this section speaks about the force behind the Church of God members’ volunteer activities and the goal to preach about God the Mother to all seven billion people of the world.

Below are excerpts from the interview.

WMSCOG Members Visit Korea

It’s the 66th visit of the overseas members. How do you feel to be with overseas members 66 times?
[…] The overseas members coming into the arms of Mother are the protagonists of the prophecies. In the Bible, Isaiah prophesied 2,700 years ago that the children of Jerusalem would come from afar like clouds and like doves to their nests. Seeing the prophecy fulfilled today just as written in the Bible, I’m amazed and moved. Race, border, and cultural differences do not matter at all. […] I think that the earth is indeed a small global village and a copy of heavenly things.

It is said that many overseas members apply for a visit to Korea though it takes considerable cost and time. What makes them so eager to come to Korea?
It’s all because of God the Mother whom we believe in. The most precious and necessary being for children is their mother, isn’t it? They’re all eager to come to Korea to meet God the Mother and experience Her love in person. The Bible indicates South Korea located at the ends of the earth in the east from Israel, as the prophetic land where God is to be incarnated.

[…] In order to see Mother and experience Her love, and to follow Her examples of love, they’re streaming to Korea from all over the world.

Read the special Newsweek article on the WMSCOG members visiting Korea.

The Korean Experience

It seems that their interest in Korea rises, too. I saw a Korean culture experience schedule for them. How do you introduce Korea to them?
[…] We provide them with an opportunity to learn Korean history and experience traditional Korean culture, so that they may see the beauty of Korea, upright values, and a noble spirit contained in them. […] But most of all, they seem to feel kindness, consideration, and warmheartedness from Korean members during their stay. When they return to their home countries, they have better impression of Korea.

What do the overseas members say about Korean culture and how is the influence?
Talking with our members from North America and Europe, I found that many of them had not heard about or had interest in Korea before attending the Church of God. […] Now, however, such people learn Korean language and have interest in Korean culture.

Through Korean missionaries and the members who visited Korea, good impressions of Korea spread in the Churches of God in each country. So our overseas members say, “The culture of Korea is that of the kingdom of heaven,” and those who visit Korea are already accustomed to the courtesy; some are able to read and write the Korean alphabet, or use the chopsticks very well. They also enjoy Korean food such as kimchi, bibimbap, and bulgogi.

Beliefs of the WMSCOG

In 2013, your church held the International Bible Seminar where many great scholars of the world attended to testify about the existence of God the Mother through the word, “we,” in the Bible. Would you explain it more easily for ordinary people to understand?
In Genesis 1:26, when God created man, He said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,” instead of saying, “Let me make man.” Then God created male and female. Us and our are plural terms, not singular. This means that God the Creator is not one, but two — God of the male image and God of the female image.

[…] The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and over 90% of the English word God is actually Elohim which means Gods in Hebrew. […] The Bible repeatedly testifies about the existence of God the Mother.

Understand more through the Bible about the teaching of Elohim – two Gods in the Bible.

The Church of God is the only church that celebrates the Passover as the way Jesus Christ and His disciples kept. What is the reason for it?
[…] The Passover means “Disasters pass over.” At the time of the Exodus, God established the Passover and commanded people to celebrate it. When God came to the earth with the name of Jesus about 2,000 years ago, He established the new covenant, the promise of eternal life, through the bread and wine that represent His holy body and precious blood, and commanded people to keep it on the Passover, a day before His crucifixion.

When you see church history, the Western Church centering on Rome stopped keeping the Passover, and abolished it in the fourth century. Since then, the Protestant churches as well as the Catholic Church have not kept the Passover.

[…] The reason God commanded us to keep the Passover and set the example of keeping it Himself is for our safety, salvation, and eternal life. Following the teachings of God the Father and Mother, the Church of God keeps all the commands of God in the Bible holy, including the Passover.

Read about the Passover of the New Covenant

Goals of the Church of God

The Church of God’s goal to preach to seven billion people means preaching to all people in the world. But isn’t it virtually impossible? It seems to be rather a symbolic goal.
[…] In Matthew 24, it is prophesied that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. Today, the world population is approximately seven billion. “The gospel will be known to them” is an established fact to God. Everything will be accomplished when we do with faith according to the prophecies of the Bible.

The Driving Force Behind the Volunteer Efforts

The Church of God was honored with prestigious awards in and out of Korea such as the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award and the Korea Presidential Group Citation. How do your church’s volunteer services influence local communities in each country?
In the developing countries where volunteer services are inactive, our disaster relief efforts, blood drives, and environmental cleanups establish good precedents and pave the way for changing the awareness of the residents. In advanced countries too, citizens and officials highly appreciate our members’ willingness to carry out volunteer services and tend to take part in them. They’re also impressed with our members who do not hesitate to do even unpleasant works with smiles, put themselves in their neighbors’ shoes and help with what they need most, and even help mend their broken hearts. Though it’s small in practice, as we can smile together with our neighbors and give a help to our communities, I regard our volunteer services in every corner of the global village as quite meaningful.

Read about the Korean Presidential Group Citation presented to the Church of God.

Learn more about the WMSCOG Volunteer Efforts

Because religion often causes conflicts and disputes, many people have a negative view on it. They say believers are selfish, excluding and hating each other, not embracing others. What teachings of the Bible should we put into practice to remove religious conflicts?
[…] Our volunteer services is based on Mother’s heart. A mother serves her family as if she is the lowest at home. She neither discriminates her children, nor excludes them for the reason that they are different from her. She never seeks her own good. She doesn’t get disappointed when she cannot gain something back as much as she gives. Even though she gives more than enough, she is still sorry that she can’t give more. When we treat our families and neighbors with the heart of a mother, true peace, harmony, and happiness will spread throughout the world.

May is Family Month in Korea. What doe the Church of God say about family?
[…] A family is a community of love and a basic unit of society, so families should not be separated or divided. The one who mediates between family members with love is the mother. I believe the reason today’s most religions fail to lead society is because of the absence of faith in God the Mother.

Read about the Heavenly Family System