CGI 50th-anniversary prayer rally draws 26,000, including pastors from 60 countries

[Financial News] A prayer rally attended by 26,000 people, including pastors from around the world and church members from South Korea, was held in Seoul. Participants prayed for world peace and for faith to be passed on to the next generation.
On the 1st, Yoido Full Gospel Church said that the “World Church Growth Conference Prayer Rally,” marking the 50th anniversary of the Church Growth International Ministry (CGI) and the 73rd anniversary of Hansei University’s founding, was held on the 31st of last month at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul and Yoido Full Gospel Church.■ Prayers for world peace and the nurturing of the next generationThe event, held under the theme “The Holy Spirit, Across Generations,” drew 6,000 people to Jamsil Student Gymnasium and 20,000 to Yoido Full Gospel Church, including 3,000 pastors from 60 countries. The two venues were linked by a live broadcast.
The event opened with a celebratory performance by Hansei University. Following welcoming remarks by Baek In-ja, president of Hansei University, the Hansei Orchestra, Hansei Concert Choir and Hansei Musical Theater took the stage to perform the fourth movement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 5,” hymns and musical theater numbers.
Pastor James Marocco of King’s Cathedral and Chapels in the United States, who delivered the first sermon, stressed that churches should not rest on past achievements but move toward new faith and vision. He also urged churches around the world to raise up the next generation and continue spreading the gospel.
Hong Sa-jin, co-chairman of the United Christian Churches of Korea, then led a prayer for world peace and an end to war. Participants prayed for armed conflicts around the world, including the Russia-Ukraine war, to end and for victims of war to recover their everyday lives.
Pastor John Milton Rodriguez of Mision Paz in Colombia preached on the theme “Eternal Fruitfulness.” He said churches should train ministers to spread the gospel and send them around the world, while providing more opportunities for young leaders.
Lee Ki-yong, president of the General Assembly of the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church, prayed for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula through the gospel and for economic recovery. Pastor Dag Heward-Mills of First Love Church in Ghana preached on the theme “Jesus, Savior and Healer,” and Jeong Dong-gyun, president of the General Assembly of the Assemblies of God of Korea, prayed for revival in Korean and world churches.
■ Special message from Pastor Lee Young-hoon; presidential congratulatory addressPastor Lee Young-hoon, chairman of CGI, delivered a special message titled “You Will Be a Blessing.” Drawing on the story of Abraham in the Old Testament, Lee stressed that people should cast off idols they rely on more than God, such as money, honor and power.
He went on to urge believers to move into the future with faith, just as Abraham trusted God’s promise and set out for an unknown land. He also said they should share with their neighbors and the world the blessings they had received from God. The message aimed to carry on the faith of absolute positivity and absolute faith emphasized by the late Pastor David Yonggi Cho.
In a congratulatory address read on his behalf by Jeon Seong-hwan, senior secretary for listening and integration at the Blue House, President Lee Jae-myung congratulated CGI on its 50th anniversary and Hansei University on the 73rd anniversary of its founding. He said the faith and hope sown by Pastor David Yonggi Cho had led to the growth of churches around the world and the spread of the gospel, and expressed hope that the values of love, peace and hope would spread through the conference.
In his congratulatory remarks, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon spoke about the importance of passing the heritage of faith down across generations. He also said he hoped different generations and communities would achieve respect and harmony.
Pastor William Wilson, president of the World Pentecostal Fellowship (PWF) and president of Oral Roberts University in the United States, also congratulated CGI on its 50th anniversary.
CGI was founded in 1976 by Pastor David Yonggi Cho to share Yoido Full Gospel Church’s growth experience with churches around the world. The World Church Growth Conference has been held in Seoul every two years. According to CGI, 600 seminars have been held across 100 countries to date.
[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter