‘Spiritual fortification’ through the Word… focusing on the essence of faith and leading to transformation in life
This year’s summer retreat is currently underway — theme: “God Is With You”
When summer comes, Korean churches hold retreats. The Christian Gospel Mission (popularly known as JMS) is also holding its summer retreat, beginning with the national head leaders’ retreat on July 23, under the theme “God Is With You.”
Looking back at Korean Christianity’s summer retreats — during the explosive growth period of the 1980s and 1990s, they were held actively at mountain prayer houses, denominational retreat centers, and rural churches. At the time, retreats were occasions where participants endured days of uncomfortable accommodations while concentrating on prayer, praise, and the Word, yearning for experiences of the Holy Spirit and reflecting on what it means to live as people of faith.
In recent years, youth retreats across the broader Christian community have increasingly incorporated high-end sound and lighting systems, personality analysis programs like MBTI, career counseling, and various cultural and experiential programs. Some view this as a reflection of a changing era and the needs of young people — while others within the Christian community have raised concerns that the original purpose of faith may be becoming relatively diminished.
Focused on ‘Spiritual Fortification’ and Realizing ‘God’s Creation Purpose’
Amid this trend, the Christian Gospel Mission’s summer retreat has drawn attention for an approach centered on the essence of faith and spiritual growth. The mission explains that while reflecting the changes of the times, the core of the retreat remains “spiritual fortification” and the realization of God’s purpose in creating humanity.
The mission describes the summer retreat as an important time for examining one’s faith and recovering one’s spirituality through Word education — not merely stepping away from daily life for rest, but a process of deepening one’s relationship with God and achieving spiritual growth.
The mission also emphasizes that focus is placed on enabling sustained transformation in faith to continue in each person’s own life circumstances even after the retreat ends.
Participants hear the Word, reflect on their lives, and spend time praying before God about concerns and problems they had not been able to resolve. They walk through the Wolmyeongdong Natural Sanctuary calling on God in their hearts and meditating on God’s will as revealed through all of creation. Through this process, members describe coming to experience God not as a vague, distant being but as one who is present and together with them in their lives.
The mission explains God’s purpose in creating humanity as follows: the body practicing God’s Word on this earth causes life to be transformed, and accordingly the spirit is transformed into the heavenly form, becoming the object of the love of the Triune God.
The retreat is regarded as a time to reconfirm this purpose of faith. The mission explains that faith formed through ongoing communication with God becomes an unshakeable center of life even amid difficult realities.
One-on-One Encounter with God… Seeking Life Change Through a Word-Centered Retreat
The mission identifies the most distinctive feature of its retreat as communication through one-on-one encounter with God and faith education centered on the Word. A mission official explained: “The direction of the retreat is to prioritize the essence of faith and the Word over social trends or entertainment-focused programs.”
The mission’s recent summer retreats have been moving in a direction that emphasizes not only individual spiritual growth but also historical identity and a sense of calling. The mission explains that beyond the existing emphases of spiritual fortification and communication with God, an educational dimension has been strengthened — one in which members look back on their own journey of faith, the history of the mission, and the value of their own existence.
In a Sunday Word on August 4, 2024 titled “The Time to Testify Clearly,” Pastor Jeong Myeong-seok conveyed: “I hope that through the retreat, members will learn what kind of history unfolds when one is made clean, and come to realize and learn even more about the mission’s history and their own value.”
The mission expressed its hope that through this, members will recognize the value of their existence within the Creator, look back on the history of God’s work in this new age, and use it as a time to examine how they will continue their faith life going forward.
The Center of the Summer Retreat — Wolmyeongdong Natural Sanctuary
The Wolmyeongdong Natural Sanctuary, where the summer retreats are held, was developed as the mission grew in its early days. According to the mission, Pastor Jeong Myeong-seok prayed for a place where many members could gather in one place to give glory to God — and through that process, Wolmyeongdong was discovered. It explains that through God’s vision and the efforts of the people, the current Wolmyeongdong Natural Sanctuary was developed.
The Wolmyeongdong Natural Sanctuary is equipped with a lawn plaza where tens of thousands can worship together, a soccer field, hiking trails, and walking paths — making it well-suited for summer retreats. The mission also introduces how throughout the sanctuary there are locations with stories of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Son being present during the development process.
Members hike and explore, hearing the stories connected to the trees and rocks throughout the natural sanctuary, reflecting on the history of God’s work, and using it as a time to look back on their own faith. The mission explains that through this process, members experience God working in and through nature and create new stories of faith.
An Important Event for Members’ Faith Growth
The mission’s recent summer retreats have come to serve not only as a time for examining individual faith but as an occasion for understanding the history of God’s work and the mission’s identity together.
Members learn about the process through which God’s history has come to where it is today, and together reflect on what mission they themselves must fulfill within that history.
The Christian Gospel Mission’s summer retreat does not remain simply an annual event held during a particular period. A mission official said: “The summer retreat is a process of communing more deeply with God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Son, solidifying one’s faith, and carrying that experience forward into everyday faith life. In this respect, it has established itself as an important event for the faith growth of our members.”
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