The Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ theological course saw its largest-ever graduating class on Sunday, November 20, 2022, at a grand celebration held at the Daegu Stadium in South Korea.
According to Tan Young Jin, the director of the Zion Christian Mission Centre, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus’s Bible instruction centre, this is the most graduates from a single Christian educational institution, making it the greatest theological institute in the entire globe.
On Sunday, 106,186 students from more than 82 nations received diplomas. There were 1,445 graduates from South Africa, 169 from Namibia, and 37 from Zimbabwe out of a total of 23 African nations.
The attendance at the completion graduation ceremony in Korea was capped at 80,000 due to safety concerns. An online and offline event with about 300,000 participants was streamed live in nine different languages on YouTube.
According to Shincheonji, it has taken all precautions to ensure the safety of students and participants at the Daegu Stadium to ensure a day of great celebration for all. “In preparing for this event, safety comes first, second and third,” a spokesperson from the church said. “We have created a cooperative network with local government agencies to disinfect the venue properly (to meet COVID-19 protocols), check for safety, traffic management and operating a control room to monitor the event with police and the fire department.”
A total number of 14,000 safety personnel have been allocated by the church to maintain order inside and outside the stadium. Four hours were allocated to participants for entering and leaving the stadium to prevent overcrowding and to ensure safety for all. About 180 medical staff and four ambulances were on standby in case of an emergency. The church emphasised that the safety of all was a top priority due to a large number of participants.
The graduation ceremony consisted of praise and worship, congratulatory speeches, prayers, and a commemorative address by the Chairman of Shincheonji, Man-Hee Lee, followed by a special congratulatory performance, tassel turning and an award ceremony.
Among the graduates, a total of 522 Christian pastors (37 from Korea and 485 from other countries) have completed the theological course. The number of pastors has increased significantly compared to previous years. The fact that students could join classes online during to the COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest contributing factor to the increase in student numbers.
“I have only learned traditional theology in seminary school, but never knew much about the book of Revelation in the Bible,” Heo Jung-Wook, one of the pastors who graduated said. He explained that he only used to teach his congregation members easy words and concepts but not the full Bible. “I repent that I was a sinner who added and subtracted from the word of God. I learned true theology that leads me to heaven, and not the studies of mankind.” He thanked God for the opportunity to learn the truth and the chance to live.
D Jackson, another pastor who represented the overseas graduates said in his graduation speech that currently 294 members of his church, including the pastor in charge of two other churches, have completed the entire course from introductory, intermediary through to advanced level (the study of Revelation) and have graduated on Sunday.
After the negative effects of the pandemic on the world economy, Shincheonji believes that having this large-scale physical graduation ceremony will boost the local economy. The church is hoping that its use of local transportation, accommodation and meals for 100,000 people will provide work and financial aid to residents
