지치고 피곤한 외국인 근로자들의 영적축제

8월 2일 연세중앙교회 해외선교부 주최로 파주 오산리 오산교회에서 열린 영어 찬양 전도 집회는 이역만리 타국 땅에서 영적으로 지치고 곤고한 외국인 근로자들을 위한 영적 축제였다. 이들은 한국에서는 비록 열악한 환경의 공장에서 근무하고 있지만 대부분이 자기 나라에서는 고등교육을 받은 엘리트들이다. 그런 그들을 말씀과 기도로 잘 양육, 현지인 선교사로 파송하여 예수 그리스도의 복음 증거자로 세우는 것이 우리 연세중앙교회 해외선교부가 현재 추구하고 있는 사역이다. 해외선교부에서는 그 일환으로 외국인 한 사람이라도 더 교회에 오게 하여 담임 목사님의 설교 말씀을 듣게 하고자 그들이 많이 거주하는 파주 오산리에서 직접 전도하고 그들의 영적 필요를 채워줄 찬양집회를 열게 된 것이다.

처음 시행하는 프로젝트여서 그런지 모든 준비 과정들이 쉽지만은 않았다. 왕복 4-5시간 남짓 걸리는 오산리에서 포스터와 플래카드 붙이러 다니다 마을 주민들에게 쫓겨나기도 했고, 외국인을 고용한 공장을 일일이 방문하여 전도하며 집회에 초청하기도 했는데, 직장생활을 하는 한국인 지체들에게는 무엇보다도 시간에 쫓겨야하는 것이 가장 큰 어려움이었다. 그럴수록 우리는 하나님께서 믿고 맡겨주신 사역을 위해, 외국인들의 영혼을 위해 기도하지 않을 수 없었다.

참가 외국인 전원, 매주 찬양집회 열어달라 요청

드디어 찬양전도 집회 날, 하나님께서 우리의 부족함을 불쌍히 여기셨는지 예상 외로 많은 영혼들을 보내주셨다. 100명이 넘는 사람들이 집회에 참석했는데 그 중 외국인들만도 70명 가까이 되었다. 집회 초반에는 아프리카인 특유의 리듬에 맞추어 찬양하며 기도하며 마음껏 하나님께 영광을 돌렸다. 그리고 ‘췌어’ 공연을 통해 죄의 결과에 대해 다시 한번 생각하였고, 이강화 전도사의 설교를 통하여 환경과 형편에 매달려 신앙생활을 제대로 하지 못하고 살아 계신 하나님을 인정하지 못한 여러 가지 죄들을 강하게 지적하여 눈물의 회개를 이끌어내는 영적 각성의 시간이 되었다.

모든 일정을 마치고 교제시간을 가질 때, 찬양집회에 참가한 외국인 전원이 만장일치로 매주 찬양집회를 열어 달라는 요청을 해 오기도 하였다. 맨 처음 가가호호 방문하여 집회 참석을 권유했을 당시만 해도 강한 거부감을 표현해 한 집을 몇 번씩 방문해서 통사정하다시피 데려 와야했었다. 그런 그들의 닫힌 마음을 대변하듯 굳어졌던 표정들이 집회 중반부를 지나면서 완전히 바뀌었고 그들의 얼굴에선 살아계신 하나님을 만난 기쁨과 환희가 넘쳐났다. 두 눈에서 감사의 눈물이 가득히 고여 흐르기 시작했으며, 서로를 뜨겁게 끌어안고 간절히 기도하는 축복의 시간이 계속 이어졌다. 이 모든 일을 이루신 하나님께 감사를 올려드린다. 할렐루야!

우리 해외선교부에서는 이번 찬양집회에 참석한 외국인들을 추석성회에 인도하여 은혜받게 할 계획으로 추석성회 2주 전인 8월30일 토요일 저녁 한번 더 찬양전도집회를 열 예정이다. 해외선교에 비전을 가지고 있는 지체들의 많은 관심과 참여를 바란다.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Praise and Evangelism Meeting for Immigrant Workers Showed Great Spiritual Revival among Attendants

The Spritual Revival for immigrant workers tired and exhausted

The English praise meeting held by the Overseas Missionary Department of Yon-Sei Central Baptist Church on Aug. 2 at Osan Church in Osan-ri, Paju made a true spiritual festival for the foreign workers who had been tired of their life far away from their own homes and exhausted both physically and spiritually. The Foreign brothers though in Korea working in the factories of worst condition, are mostly highly educated persons in their homelands. The O.M.D. have goals that the brothers are well brought up spiritually in the environment of the life-giving words and prayers, dispatched to their homelands as missionaries and that they all become the testifiers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The meeting was planned as a way to introduce the immigrant brothers, even more one of them, to the church and let them have chances to listen to the words of God. In the praise meeting many of them were expected to spiritually recover from the bodily world. And Osan-ri was the first target field because many foreign workers live there. Before O.M.D. held the meeting, the members had had promoting events on the streets visiting them in their habitations in order to introduce them to the meeting.

O.M.D. projecting that event for the first time had many difficulties while in preparing it. Not just because we had to walk many kilometers around the Osan-ri and the near villages to poster or to put up placards, but we even had to meet villagers who confronts our activities trying to send us off from their place. Nevertheless we persistently visited door to door the work places where immigrant workers were working; and preached the gospel to them, introducing them to the meeting. One of the greatest difficulties most members of O.M.D. participating in that activity should have to face was that they could not spare much time available for it because they were the employee of companies.

With one voice they asked for the weekly praise meeting afterward Then came the day of God? blessing. And our good Father God was so merciful to us that in spite of all our lacks we had many people up to about one hundred near seventy of whom was immigrant brothers. From the beginning of the meeting all the participants praised and prayed and glorified the Lord with songs and dancing in African styled rhythms. Following the spiritual songs was ?hair? a musical, which reminded them of the result of sins. The words spoken by missionary Lee Kang hwa made people realize their sins in their current environment and conditions that had prevented them from believing in God and being faithful; the strong work of the holy spirit was found among them who were repenting of their sins with tears on their eyes and spiritual revival in their hearts.

During the fellowship time after the program was over everyone attending the event asked with one voice for regular weekly meetings. They were the men who had at first shown strong rejection against our proposal; they were visited numbers of time and asked earnestly to attend that meeting.

As the program went on the change of their heart, of their soul increasingly appeared first on their faces that had at the beginning shown their closed window of hearts; and after near the half time passed their faces began to be filled with the joy and delight of experiencing God? presence among them with tears of sincere thanks flowing out of everyone? eyes; God? blessing really appeared among them who were praying the Lord earnestly for helping them recover the love both of the Lord and among them, keeping hugging one another.

We dedicate our greatest thanks to the Lord God for all these wonderful things He made among us. GLORY! O.M.D. intends to invite everybody who attended the meeting to the Chuseok Spiritual Meeting; on Saturday, August 30, two weeks ahead of the gathering they are planning another praise meeting for the evangelism of the immigrant brothers.

We expect more and more concerns and helps of many members in the church for the overseas missionary works and our programs. [Overseas Missionary Department]

Written by O.M.D. Translated by Haangju Lee

위 글은 교회신문 <51호> 기사입니다.