After God had called me, I was continuously invited to be a revivalist all over the country and in 66 denominational churches. I went around leading revivals, traveling around in even busy farming areas whilst carrying a large-sized tent. In this way, I conducted countless revival crusades for ten years. Afterwards, I made the resolution to establish an independent church. I set up this church in the area of the YeoungDeungPo District in the city of Seoul. At that time, I was just over 30 years of age. Full of youth and courage, the life I had lived up until that time was harsh and difficult. But I believed that the final decision for my life – and to carry it through ever after – would be for the work of the Lord. Therefore, I finally established ‘Sungrak Church’.

For a duration of 2 months, me and my wife went around the preaching the gospel around the ShinPung market area. We made individual house visits, and even visited the front gates of the Oushin Primary School, announcing to the people passing by there that there was going to be a new church opening, and that they should come. We kept traveling around these areas, making these requests to the people. To prepare for this, in the three-level building with a large hall that we had, we placed an old fashioned hall mat across the floor, and made various other preparations for the worship. We were busy making these arrangements every night.

I went around like a madman, mumbling prayers to God with this simple request: that he would give me just 10 church members. And all of sudden, without my own realization, while mumbling this prayer to God on the road, I heard the voices of the Oushin Primary School students coming out from class and following me, saying the same prayer like a assembled choir. Those prayers and chants that we conveyed to God had somehow turned in a 100 members for our church. Then it came to a 1000 members. And finally it resulted in a 10,000 registered members in our church. We could do this by the continued prayers that we shouted out to God.  In this way, the church of God, which he had brought by his own blood, had grown into a truly global church, and the gospel was able to be spread all throughout the world.

However, in establishing an independent church that had no protection – legal, economic or otherwise – and as the Overseer that established it, I cannot tell you how lonesome and alienating it was. In order to make sure that this independent church would succeed, I threw off and kept my distance from those people who followed all the constraints of religion and denominationalism: doctrine, church authoritarianism, and many other ideals which were so different to my own. To accomplish this I needed to be patient and full of the Holy Spirit.

Now – suddenly out of nowhere – the day has arrived when those blessed and peaceful days in our church have abruptly ended. A fierce typhoon of a wind has come upon us, and because of this wind, many aged old trees have completely been submerged from the very roots. Without a trace they have now completely disappeared. As for me, to endure curses and slanders that you could not have thought be possibly expressed – and this from youths and children who call out my name as if I was their classmate – to endure this fierce and strong wind was like my bowels being turned inside out.

Using all the unbelievably evil methods of the world to help their cause, they threaten and persecute me, my son and my grandchildren, all of whom have jointly taken up the mission of the Return to the Word Movement. They are saying, ‘Get rid of the Andong Kim family!’ They also are using their own hands to try to remove me and my wife from our small housing compartment within the church.

My youth and my half-century ministry and work are now being attempted to be turned into powder. My body and my back pangs with many aches, and I have no physical strength left. It has come to the point when I have to preach while sitting on a chair. Yet even then, they shout out words calling out, ‘break apart the chair he is sitting on!’ They, very recently, all came together to do these things. That they would even be jealous of the seat that I am sitting on, a seat that is attached to the last pulpit that the Lord’s aged servant will probably ever preach from, brings me to grief and much tears.

O Lord, it seems that this is the last gift that you will give me while I am living on this earth! Amen.

Semuon