Our God’s Vision Church is truly a unique community. Like most Korean churches, we don’t have a building of our own, so we cannot spend much time together. In the case of the Central GVC, since people’s homes are far from the church, we have to use nearby cafes for our cell group meetings after worship. Similarly, at the Wimbledon GVC, where there are relatively more families, it’s not easy for one to host meetings every time at their home.
Because of this, it’s difficult to arrange meetings with multiple people aside from personal one-on-one gatherings. Not only is it hard to find a time, but securing a venue is also a challenge. Moreover, with the rising costs of living, going out for a meal can be burdensome. Therefore, it’s always disappointing that we can’t meet as frequently as we’d like. When we consider only Sundays, when all the members gather, the worship lasts for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, followed by a cell meeting that lasts about 1 hour and 30 minutes. It’s amazing that this short time, which isn’t long, is enough to sustain the community, and that through these meetings, people experience changes in their lives. It is truly miraculous.
When I look at our church, I realize that it is truly God’s grace. Since we have so little time together during the week, I feel a deep desire for the time we gather to be filled with God’s strong presence and abundant glory.
Human relationships are incredibly important in our lives. Though they often cause the most hurt, it’s even harder to live like an isolated island, completely alone. No matter how much we enjoy living in the UK and experiencing new things, we begin to miss people after a while, and the unfamiliar life where we must solve everything alone becomes overwhelming. Many people, who previously had little interest in faith, end up cautiously stepping into church with a glimmer of hope. They are precious individuals.
We naturally grow close to those we meet frequently, but strangely enough, after a while, we begin to see their true selves, and that’s when disappointments and conflicts arise. If we manage to overcome them, we can become even closer, but if not, it becomes a big challenge. However, we can’t just choose to be friends with the people we like, and there’s no guarantee that we’ll be the kind of person others want to be with. In many ways, human relationships are not easy.
Therefore, the greatest power in the world is love. Everyone has reasons to distance themselves from or dislike others, but to still regard the other person as valuable is a miracle for us. Spending a lot of time together naturally leads to bonds, but this alone has its limits when it comes to building friendships with many people. Even if we become close with such people, it can turn into a clique where new people find it hard to join. This is why we need to experience the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we meet and form relationships in our community.
The Holy Spirit is the one who brings unity (Ephesians 4:3). The fruit of the Spirit is ‘love’ (Galatians 5:22). Although our church gathers for short periods and quickly disperses, I pray that the Holy Spirit will deeply guide all our relationships, helping us to connect our hearts quickly and build a community where we cherish and care for each other. I pray that we may experience such a miraculous community. “Lord, please make it so.”
