Page 60 - 영문 이성필성지순례여행

58 Incheon Gyeonggi-do 59

43 Junghwadong Church · Baengnyeongdo
44 Sorae Church
Christian History Museum
110 Hakchon-ro, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si
231 Junghwa-gil, Baengnyeong-myeon, Ongjin-gun

There are different opinions among scholars on which church was the first in Korea. Some
scholars claim to be the Sorae (or Solnae) Church, while others claim to be the Saemoonan
Church. Those who claim it is the former say that it is because Sorae Church is the first
church that started, and those who claim the latter say that it is because the Saemoonan
Church is the first church in Korea as an organized church. In 1988, Sorae Church (Songcheon
Church) was reproduced inside the Yangji campus of Chongshin University Theological
Seminary. The Currently reproduced Sorae Church is not the state of the church that was
The bell of Junghwadong Church Baengnyeongdo Christian History Museum first built. When it was founded on May 16, 1883, Sorae Church was a small thatched
house.
“Junghwadong Church, which still preserve
As the number of church members increased, it was newly built in the form of a tile-roofed
the original faith and culture of Korean church.”
house in June 1896 and the tiled church at that time was restored in Yangji. Above all, Sorae
Church is significant in that it is a self-sustaining indigenous church. The great contribution
Junghwadong Church
to the spread of early Korean Christianity and the spread of the gospel may be attributed to
missionaries who devoted themselves to laying the framework for early Christianity, but it is
meaningful that there was already a church built by Koreans themselves before missionary
work began officially. Sorae Church was established on May 16, 1883 by brothers Seo Sang-
ryun and Seo Gyeong-jo, who were from Uiju and received the gospel early.
150-year
-old
Hackberry
“Sorae Church is the
Junghwadong Church was founded in 1898. Heo Deuk, who served as a government first protestant church in Korea built
advisor of Baengnyeongdo area, established Junghwadong church at Hanhak Seodang (a by indigenous people.”
village school) with Kim Seong-jin, Hwang Hak-seong, and Jang Ji-young, who were exiled
there. It is of great significance that the church was established voluntarily by Koreans.
Memorial stones of pioneers of Christianity,
Baengnyeong Island is a tourist destination for superb natural scenery and its well-preserved Seo Sang-ryun and Lee Su-jeong
missionary sites, including the Baengnyeong Christian History Hall and the Heo Deuk
monument. It is also a historical site of Simcheong-i because the Indangsoo sea is nearby.
In particular, Baengnyeong Christian History Museum is a historical museum built with
military expenditure and is a historical site that residents of Baengnyeongdo are proud of.
It has also a valuable history that the Seo Gyeong-jo brothers, who established the Sorae
Church in Songcheon, Hwanghae-do in 1884, attended the service of the foundation of
Junghwadong Church in 1898 and led the service. Christianity in Baengnyeongdo has
developed rapidly, centered on Junghwadong Church, and there are 10 churches now
including military churches such as the Marine Corps Baengnyeong Church, and they are a martyrdom monument of Pastor Sorae Church in the Yangji campus of Chongshin
Choi Gun Nung (Choi Bong Seok) University Theological Seminary
evangelizing Baengnyeong Island.