- Address: 15 Gukhoe-daero 76-gil, Yeoeuido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Phone: +82 2-6181-9191
- Founder: David Yonggi Cho
- Denomination: Protestant Church of the Full Gospel
- Condition: current
In the capital of South Korea, there is one of the largest Christian parishes on the planet, called the Church of the Full Gospel of Yeohido (Yeouido Full Gospel Church). It is a Protestant Pentecostal temple, uniting more than a million believers in 587 monasteries of the country.
Historical reference
The Yeohido church is located on the eponymous island in Seoul . It is attended by about 830 thousand parishioners annually. The first missionary in the country was Mary Ramsey, who came to South Korea in 1928 and read sermons here.
The ministry of the Pentecostals was accompanied by healings. The most famous case is the recovery of a young Buddhist named David Yonggi Cho from tuberculosis. After the disease receded, the boy converted to Christianity and went for 2 years to the Theological Seminary. In 1958, he decided to erect the Yeohido Temple.
At the first divine service dedicated to the future church, Enggi Cho himself, his mother-in-law (nicknamed Alumoya's mother), 3 children and a woman hiding from the rain at this time were present. In 1961, the church was visited by more than 1 thousand parishioners, and when their number exceeded 10,000 people, the pastor decided to build a new church.
The Yeohido Church was opened in 1973 and housed 18,000 believers. During the solemn event, the 10th World Pentecostal Conference was held. The number of parishioners was constantly growing, so in the beginning of the 1980s, branches of the monastery began to open all over the country.
Description of the shrine
In May 1986, the main building of the Yeohido Temple was rebuilt and accommodated up to 25 thousand people. The facade of the temple was quite stylish and expressive. Especially it is visible in the evening, when the outdoor lighting turns on. Above the entrance is a large bas-relief made of stone, on which are depicted the main symbols of the shrine.
Inside the temple there are many benches and a stage with armchairs designed for the main ministers. By the way, the very first of them can not be occupied by anybody, because it symbolically belongs to Christ. In the hall of the Yoidodo church there are stands with cards, their number exceeds 580 thousand. These are reports of donations made by the parishioners.
The temple is part of the World Brotherhood of the Assemblies of God. In 1994, on May 3, in the open-air church, the World Prayer Meeting was held, attended by about 3 million believers.
How is the service?
Since the end of the 20th century, every service in the Church of the Full Gospel of Yoidodo has been translated into 16 languages (including Russian) and is broadcast via the Internet and satellite television to the whole world. Divine services take place in 7 streams, on each of them there are up to 30 thousand parishioners. In Seoul, besides the main temple, there are 24 more satellite monasteries.
The doctrine in the Yoidodo church is based on the seven spiritual principles of the full Gospel, which include faith in:
- The 2 nd coming of Jesus Christ;
- the gifts of the Holy Spirit;
- the kindness of God, which promises blessings to believers;
- that the blood of Jesus Christ, which was shed on Calvary, will provide the pilgrims with eternal salvation;
- the importance of preaching the gospel throughout the entire planet;
- Christ, delivering from illness;
- "Exchange", the meaning of which is that the parishioners thank God for the blessing and give him tithes.
What else is famous for the YeoYido church in Seoul?
The temple is a whole complex with an educational department. Here work:
- Biblical schools.
- The Institute for the Growth of the Church - its main purpose is the spread of the rules on the growth of the monastery.
- International Theological Institute.
There is also a charitable town called Elim. It is the largest on the continent and accepts homeless, needy, orphans and refugees.
How to get there?
You can get there by the brown metro line (National Assembly stop) and by buses Nos. 463 and 5615.