UNITED STATES—Held on the morning of the 14th at Shincheonji Cheongju Church, Chairman Lee Man-hee urges, “Let us strive to achieve perfection like God.”
Shincheonji Church of Jesus: “This year will embody the meaning of ‘The Year of Love and Blessing.’”
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Chairman Lee Man-hee, hereinafter Shincheonji Church of Jesus), held its 41st anniversary service on the 14th at Shincheonji Cheongju Church. The event served as an opportunity to reflect on its journey and achievements since its founding in 1984 and to share its vision for the future.
Approximately 5,000 people gathered on-site at Cheongju Church to celebrate the anniversary together. Due to space limitations, members who could not attend in person joined in the joy through a live broadcast from churches both domestically and internationally.
The commemorative service proceeded in the following order:
▲ Introduction to the 41st anniversary
▲ Special video
▲ History report of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
Taking the podium afterward, Chairman Lee Man-hee urged the congregation to practice faith and grow spiritually based on the Bible. Chairman Lee stated, “God desires that we be perfectly created through His Word. We must become one with this Word,” and emphasized, “We must also realize the actual entities fulfilled according to Revelation. Only then can both our desires and God’s desires be fulfilled.”
He continued, “I have proposed multiple times that we take a test before all believers to determine who is true and who is false, based on the Bible,” adding, “Both Shincheonji Church of Jesus and Protestant churches believe in the same Bible. Let us not persecute each other or spread unnecessary heretical arguments but instead make judgments based on the Bible.”
Chairman Lee further advised, “What humans cannot do should be entrusted to God, but what humans can do must be done by humans. Instead of criticizing others, let us first strive to achieve perfection like God and let us have the mission to help others become like ourselves. Let us become true members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, recognized before God.”
According to the history report of Shincheonji Church of Jesus presented earlier, the church has shown exceptional growth even as Christianity worldwide, regardless of denomination, has been experiencing a decline. Through the Zion Christian Mission Center, 103,764 people graduated in the 110th graduation ceremony in 2019. In 2022 and 2023, 106,186 and 108,084 graduates were produced, respectively. In 2024, an unprecedented record was set with 111,628 graduates.
The number of MOU agreements for scripture exchange and MOA agreements for church signboard replacements is also increasing steadily. As of the end of February, 819 churches in South Korea and 13,835 churches in 88 countries have signed scripture exchange MOUs and pledged follow-up education. Additionally, 87 churches in South Korea and 1,552 churches in 45 countries have changed their signboards to Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
Choi Yong-soo (49, alias, male, Buk-gu, Gwangju), a believer who has practiced faith in Shincheonji Church of Jesus for 28 years, shared, “I joined Shincheonji Church of Jesus after hearing the Word during my university days. I remember attending services in a small, old 30-pyeong (approximately 99 square meters) worship hall in Jungheung-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, where about 1,000 members were packed in.”
He continued, “Seeing Shincheonji Church of Jesus flourish day by day, I feel that it is fulfilling God’s Word, ‘Though your beginnings may be small, your latter days will be very great.’ I will strive even more to become a true believer who believes and keeps the Word of God and Jesus.”
Moreover, Shincheonji Church of Jesus actively contributes to society through continuous blood donation drives and plasma donations, demonstrating its commitment to social service and love for life. Notably, in 2022, the church set a Guinness World Record when 71,121 people applied for blood donation online within 24 hours.
Song Soo-kyung (31, female, Sinbaek-dong, Jecheon) expressed her gratitude, saying, “I am truly happy and grateful to be part of the 41st anniversary of Shincheonji Church of Jesus. I sincerely appreciate Chairman Lee and the senior members who have dedicated themselves to spreading the Word over the past 41 years, and I, too, will continue my faith while sharing God’s love.”
Shincheonji Church of Jesus stated, “We give all glory to God for allowing us to achieve remarkable growth, significant accomplishments domestically and internationally, as well as various volunteer efforts and devotion to society over the past year. From today onward, we will fully practice the meaning of this year’s slogan, ‘The Year of Love and Blessing,’ and become a beautiful church that spreads the light of the Word of Revelation to the world.”
Attendees made every effort to minimize private vehicle use and actively utilized public transportation to prevent traffic congestion. Regarding this, a representative of Shincheonji Church of Jesus remarked, “We conducted thorough simulations with traffic safety volunteers in advance to prevent any accidents or excessive traffic congestion. We sincerely appreciate all attendees, including our congregation, for their active cooperation.”
