ⓒ 2018 WATV

하나님의 교회를 대표해 행정안전부장관 표창을 수상한 총회장 김주철 목사(가운데). 표창장은 이강덕 포항시장(앞줄 왼쪽)이 전수했다.

On February 7, 2018, the Church of God received a group citation from the Minister of Interior and Security at the Citation Ceremony for Earthquake Response Volunteers held at the Pohang City Hall in Korea. It was presented in recognition of the church’s volunteer services for more than sixty days for the earthquake victims in Pohang. General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol, including local pastors and members, attended the citation ceremony, and Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang City, awarded the citation on behalf of the Minister of Interior and Security.

In November, 2017, a 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck Pohang, which injured about ninety people and destroyed about 27,000 facilities. For the victims who had temporary shelters but could not afford to eat, the Church of God set a free meal service camp and provided meals to 200–400 people every day in front of Heunghae Indoor Gymnasium which was used as the temporary shelter for the victims.

Every morning, the members bought fresh ingredients, washed them thoroughly, and cooked nutritional food such as marsh snail soup, seaweed soup, spicy beef stew, beef radish soup, salads, fruits, and more, so that the victims could stay healthy in the cold winter. The Church of God provided more than 12,500 meals for about sixty days. In December, General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol visited Pohang City Hall and deposited a donation of KRW 100,000,000 [USD 100,000] to support the victims.

To express gratitude, around 300 people attended the ceremony of disbanding the free meal service camp held on January 31, including not only the earthquake victims but also the officials from Pohang City Hall and from Heunghae Town Office. A senior citizen named Kim Myeong-jah (71) became tearful, saying, “Until late, this camp was open and my husband who came to the shelter after work was able to eat dinner every day. Thanks to this, our shelter life was less difficult.” Yun Yeong-ran, Volunteer Service General Manager of Pohang City Hall, said, “Not only the victims got encouraged, but we, civil servants, also were able to focus on our work cheerfully, seeing the volunteers preparing food for the victims with a bright smile even though it may be hard to take care of their own families. We Love U!”

On the other hand, the members who heard that the church received the group citation from the Minister of Interior and Security said, “We managed the camp, hoping that the neighbors who came to this shelter would be able to eat. We will continue to do our best for the benefit of our neighbors and community according to the Teachings of Mother and of the Bible.”