Chungdong_First_Methodist_Church

Chungdong First Methodist Church

Chungdong First Methodist Church

Oldest extant church in Korea

Chungdong First Methodist Church (Korean: 정동제일교회; Hanja: 貞洞第一敎會) is a historic church in Jeong-dong, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea.[1][2]

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The church claims a number of historic firsts within Korea. It is the first Methodist church and one of the earliest Protestant churches,[1][2] as its congregation (albeit in a different building) was founded on October 11, 1885.[1][3] The church performed the first Methodist baptism on July 24, 1887, started the first Christian women's group in 1889, had the first pipe organ, and Western-style chapel.[3][1] The church's first building was built in 1897,[1][2] and is the oldest extant church in Korea, as well as the only one originally built during the 19th century.[2]

The church (c. 1900)

The church was founded by American missionary Henry Appenzeller.[1][2][3] In September 1887, he purchased a small hanok (traditional Korean house) to house the church, and deemed the building "Bethel Chapel". As the congregation grew, the church leadership decided to construct a larger building. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 9, 1895, with notable Korean leaders Soh Kwang-pom and Yun Chi-ho present.[3] A dedication service was held for the new building on December 26, 1897,[3] which they also dubbed "Bethel Chapel".[1][2][3] The church was expanded in 1926, changing from a cruciform (cross-shaped) church to a rectangular building.[2]

The newspaper served as the headquarters for several early publications in Korea, and was host to the Trilingual Press publisher.[4] Publications include Tongnip Sinmun (first private newspaper in Korea[5]),[6] The Korean Christian Advocate (first Christian newspaper in Korea[7]), The Christian News,[4] and The Korean Repository (first English-language monthly magazine[8]).[6] The church acquired the first privately-owned printing press in Korea for these publications.[4]

The architecture is a simplified American gothic style, with arched window frames.[2] Bethel Chapel was made Historic Site of South Korea No. 277 in 1977.[1]

It currently holds worship services in both Korean and English.[9] It also maintains a Mangon Christian History Reference Room for historical materials.[9] The church opened a history museum on November 12, 2023.[10][1]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "'한국의 어머니 교회' 정동제일교회 역사기념관 개관" ['Korea's Mother Church' Chungdong First Methodist Church's History Museum Open]. 더미션 (in Korean). 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  2. [2]
    "Chungdong First Methodist Church (서울 정동교회)". Chungdong First Methodist Church (서울 정동교회). Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  3. [3]
    "교회역사" [Church History]. 정동제일교회 (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  4. [4]
    Noh 2017, p. 54.
  5. [5]
    정, 진석; 최, 진우. "신문 (新聞)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  6. [6]
    Noh 2017, p. 56.
  7. [7]
    "대한그리스도인회보 (大韓Kristos人會報)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  8. [8]
    "Loving Korea More than Koreans – Homer B. Hulbert". Korea.net. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  9. [9]
    "Visit Seoul - Chungdong First Methodist Church". english.visitseoul.net. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  10. [10]
    "정동제일교회 역사기념관". history.chungdong.org (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-12-17.

Sources

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