18th Hoyeongnam Hanmaeum Seongsihwa Festival Held at Jinju Chodae Church

"Let Us Block the Passage of Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination and Equality Laws Together," Calls the National Assembly

Vision for Harmony Between East and West, National Unity, and Peaceful Reunification Reaffirmed

1,500 Leaders from Honam and Yeongnam Churches Gather

The "18th Hoyeongnam Hanmaeum Seongsihwa Festival 2026," which brought together Protestant leaders such as pastors and elders from approximately 10,000 churches in Honam (Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do) and Yeongnam (Daegu, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Busan, Ulsan), was held at Jinju Chodae Church on the morning of May 29.

This Hanmaeum Seongsihwa Festival was organized by the Gyeongnam Seongsihwa Headquarters.

During the first part of the service, Jinseok Park, the former head of the Pohang Seongsihwa Headquarters, delivered the sermon.

In the second part of the event, Kyungeun Lee, head of the Gyeongnam Seongsihwa Association, gave a welcoming address, followed by congratulatory remarks from regional representatives and greetings from distinguished guests, including National Assemblyman Daecheul Park of the region.

They are taking a commemorative photo after the '18th Hoyeongnam Hanmaeum Seongsi Festival in 2026'.

In the first part of the service, Pastor Jinseok Park delivered a message that those who preach the gospel shall live by the gospel.

In his welcoming address, Pastor Kyungeun Lee of Jinju Chodae Church emphasized, "When we gather and pray together, we believe that God will be present and grant us the power for harmony and grace to abound. Let us practice unity for the nation, starting from our churches."

Particularly, at this Seongsihwa Festival, 1,500 Hoyeongnam church leaders in attendance recited a resolution to become a source of hope and vision for harmony between East and West, national unity, and peaceful reunification in a world of growth and flourishing churches.

They then adopted a joint statement calling for unified action to block the passage of harmful laws currently proposed in the National Assembly that threaten churches.

According to the statement, they declared an end to legislative attempts to pass the comprehensive anti-discrimination and equality laws based on sexual orientation and gender identity, which they said destroy the divine order and spirit of God's creation.

Furthermore, they called for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to be changed to the Ministry of Gender Equality, in accordance with the constitutional principle of gender equality.

In addition, they demanded the immediate withdrawal of proposed amendments to the Civil Code, initiated by some National Assembly members, which they argued are intended to suppress Korean churches under the pretext of eradicating cults, through measures such as dissolving religious corporations and confiscating their assets for the state treasury.

After all official proceedings, pastors and elders from Hoyeongnam who participated shared a meal and fellowship, discussing how churches should take the lead in uniting and harmonizing the nation with the spirit of the gospel mission commanded by God, transcending regional differences.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.