Sunday Church Feature
Young Nak Presbyterian Church in Seoul, Korea

"To Church, To Church"

"Yes, two churches in one day. First Jennifer B. and I took the subway to the Presbyterian church.   The European type church held about 1500 worshipers.  It featured stained glass windows, spiral staircases to the balcony, and a choir of 100. 

"We were late for the 10 am English service; we waited at the "foreigner's door" during the first prayer. Then the usher seated us in a special roped off section for "foreigners". We listed to the translation on earphones and put our collection in a velvet bag. In other buildings the total congregation of 10,000 watched the service on TV or attended Bible Classes.

"After the Presbyterian service a man we met on the street led us to the Catholic church.  The 12 o'clock service that we thought would be in English was in Korean.  The church and singing was magestic and beautiful.  We took communion in the aisle and circled the pews to place our offering in an urn type basket on the floor.  The heaters under the pews warmed our feet." (See Reference)

"Young Nak (YN) Presbyterian Church was founded on December 2, 1945 by 1992 Templeton Prize recipient, Kyung-Chik Han. Inaugurated by twenty-seven refugees from Soviet occupied Korea, Young Nak steadily increased in membership as more refugees sought religious freedom below the 38th parallel.[1] On March 24, 1949, ground was broken for a new facility to replace the building and tent that had become too small for the growing congregation.[2] By the time the new church building was completed in May 1950, membership had increased to over 4,000.[3] By 1992, when Rev. Han was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, membership had grown to 60,000 (making it, at that time, the largest Presbyterian congregation in the world), excluding 500 sister churches planted by members of the original congregation.[4] In 1998, under the auspices of Rev. Han, who at the time was a Pastor Emeritus, Young Nak gained an English language ministry, International Worship in English, which was founded by an American missionary to Korea, Bill Majors. For his efforts, Majors was made an Honorary Citizen of Seoul in 2005.[5] Presently the senior pastor of YN is Rev. Chul Shin Lee (1997-present)." (See Link.)

Photo: Origin unknown.

Link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Nak_Presbyterian_Church
Reference: From the "Seoul Star" a newsletter written by Suzanne Wilson for family and friends during her six week trip to Seoul, Korea in January and February 1996. Suzanne was visiting her daughter who was teaching English.  Jennifer B. was her daughter's roommate and fellow ESL teacher. 

Saturday Travel Feature
Seoul Olympic Park, Seoul, Korea

"Seoul (Korean pronunciation: [sʌ.ul] ( listen)), officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). With a population of over 10 million, it is one of the world's largest cities[4] and is by far the most densely populated city among OECD nations.[5] The Seoul National Capital Area, which includes the Incheon metropolis and most of Gyeonggi province, has 24.5 million inhabitants,[6] and is the world's second largest metropolitan area.[7] Almost half of South Korea's population live in the Seoul National Capital Area, and nearly a quarter in Seoul itself, making it the country's foremost economic, political, and cultural center.

"Seoul is located on the Han River in the center of the Korean Peninsula, and was settled in 18 B.C. when Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, established its capital in what is now south-east Seoul. The city then became the capital of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire. The Seoul National Capital Area is home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Changdeokgung, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.[8]" (See Link .)

"Covering over 1.5 million square meters and the ancient site of the Mongchon Toseong Fortress (with its moat dating back to the early Baekche Kingdom), Olympic Park preserves the spirit of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The stadiums, arranged in a fan-shaped pattern around the park, were the main stages for the sports events. With extensive grassy fields, sculpture gardens, walking paths, and rest areas, the park is open all day as a multi-purpose area for leisure, sports, and cultural activities." (See Link 1.)

Teaching English in Seoul, Korea was the destination for many Canadian young people during the 1990's. Suzanne Wilson's son and daughter were among those that went for a three month period in this pursuit. During the time that her daughter was there in 1996, Suzanne Wilson visited for six weeks and as a retired ESL teacher also taught in a girls high school classroom and tutored younger children. The photo above was taken on a snowy January day when she took the subway to visit the 1988 Summer Olympic Site. The Pagoda was at the entrance to the site. The photo won a first prize in a 1996 Richmond Museum Photography contest.

Link 1: http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/seoul/168
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul