Jerry Scott Fisher’s Weblog

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of attending my girlfriend’s church in the suburbs of Seoul (about 90 minutes from my apartment). It is a very small and humble church; just one-room in the basement of a small building. In the morning, Haein teaches Sunday school to a handful of children. After their lessons, I got to say hello to the children (by which I mean being assaulted and grumbling about the lack of Confucian values in today’s youth). Then came the service. The congregation was made up of about 20 people with a choir of five (Haein, her father, and three others). The sermon was in Korean and I couldn’t understand it,  so I just read and meditated on the book of Ruth during that time. Afterwards, we set up a small table behind the pews and Haein’s mother served homemade rice, soup, and vegetables. A man sitting close to me commented that I looked like Ned Flanders (I think he meant that as a compliment).

 All around it was a positive experience. There is something about a small church and congregation that I really appreciate. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of everything. Or the intimacy. I like how a few folks can keep a church going. It’s an entirely different mood that the mega-churches out there. I guess both have a place as long as they keep it real under heaven. Anyway, the two thing that really endeared me to Haein’s church were that (1) it reminded me so much of the old Knoxville Baptist church my mother grew up in (literally for a year or two) when her family first immigrated to the US. (2) A painting on the wall which is my grandmother’s favorite. Perhaps it is famous, I don’t know. But it is a good sign to me.

(Update: some info on the painting photo here and here)

Thank you and God bless.