Education & Training for Teachers for Children, Students, Young Adults 2023

On September 7, with a sunny weather in autumn, the “Education & Training for Teachers for Children, Students, and Young Adults 2023” was held at the Okcheon Go&Come Training Institute. The Church of God operates a teacher system for each age group so that children, students, and young adults can set the right values in accordance with God’s teachings. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online education has been vitalized, and teachers have frequently accessed education apps to improve their qualifications and acquire knowledge. This day, approximately 3,700 teachers and pastoral staff members from all over the nation participated in the education, which was held for the first time in four years. They strengthened their sense of responsibility as educators established by God.

During the worship service for the first part, Mother welcomed the teachers who gathered together and thanked them for their hard work. Nowadays, materialism is prevalent and the importance of ethics and morality is more emphasized. Mother reminded them of the importance of the role of teachers and asked them to teach children, students, and young adults with faith and love so that they can become upright and good members of society as God’s children (2 Ti 3; Eph 6:10–17; 1 Th 4:16–17).

General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol suggested the direction of education, saying, “Education in faith should be based on confidence and pride in God and the teachings of the Bible, because right mindsets and actions are coming from that.” Additionally, he explained that teachers need to respect children, students, and young adults just as Father and Mother set an example, and he hoped that teachers would receive abundant blessings and rewards by faithfully carrying out their mission.

The second part of the education was divided into classes. For the teacher for students and young adults, the importance of communication was emphasized. Listening to the presentation of excellent examples of teacher activities, they were reminded of that education should be based on understanding and empathy, not only on telling them what to do. Through the videos, the children’s teachers learned teaching methods tailored to the eye level of children, sharing how to use children’s textbooks and various teaching methods and how to use “Mind Talk.”

On the same day, the awards ceremony for excellent teachers was held, and 30 teachers were honored for their long-standing efforts to cultivate the faith and correct values of children, students, and young adults. The attendees congratulated them and cheered for them with a big round of applause. Moon Eun-seon, an elementary school student group teacher in Incheon, received the Excellent Teacher Award. She said, “It is rewarding to see little children grow and take part in activities in and out of Zion. I will continue to take care of children with the love of Mother, remembering that the role of teacher is very important.” Ha Jeong-hee, a student group teacher in Gwangju, said, “Since the pandemic, many students are still not good at expressing their opinions. They feel awkward with others. I will teach them with patience to find each student’s potentials and talents while considering their feelings at the same time.” She made a resolution to put what she learned today into practice.

Education for Title Holders, the Second Half of 2023

On August 31 and September 3, the “Education for Title Holders, the Second Half of 2023” was held at the representative church of each church association such as the New Jerusalem Pangyo Temple and the Homaesil Church in Suwon. About 18,000 title holders across the nation attended the education by title. It consisted of the Father Ahnsahnghong’s voice sermon that awakens us to the value of heavenly blessings, Mother’s sermon that emphasizes the importance of the mission to save souls, and the presentation lectures by the pastoral staff who explained the meaning and mindset of title holders.

The present elders, elderesses, missionaries, deacons, and deaconesses renewed their mindsets through the education. Elder Kang Dae-geun from Seongnam said, “I think of a title as a position given to service others. I will take the lead in obedience to God’s word, and serve my brothers and sisters with love to help the church and the gospel.”