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History
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II. 1962 - 1972, The Church at Seo - Dae - Mun
After undergoing a major operation and discharge from the army, the church entered
into a new phase of growth.
Not long after his discharge from the army, on September 1, 1961, a great tent crusade
was held at the Seo-dae-mun interchange on the field where a circus was often held. Sam Todd was the
preacher for the crusade, and Pastor Cho Yonggi provided the interpretation.
The crusade drew people from all over Seoul, and they gathered at the crusade much like the
gathering of rain clouds. Not to mention the scores of souls who accepted Jesus Christ that day,
many of the sick were touched by the healing hand of the Holy Spirit. During the period of the
crusade, Pastors Cho Yonggi and Pastor Choi Jashil made a decision to establish a church at
Seo-dae-mun.
On October 15, 1961, a church was established at the very place where the crusade had taken
place and the first worship service was held. It was named the Full Gospel Revival Center.
However, a problem, legal in nature, forced the Full Gospel Revival Center to acquire the help of
an attorney, "Hwang Sung-su", and his expertise. His wise and dedicated counsel
made the completion of the church a reality the following year.
On April 26, 1962, Pastor Cho Yonggi received pastoral ordination. On May 13th, the Full
Gospel Revival center was renamed, the Full Gospel Central Church. By then, the church
membership had grown to over 500.
Three years later, by 1964, the Seo-dae-mun church grew to a membership of 3,000. In the same
year, Pastor Cho Yonggi was invited to attend the 50th anniversary celebration of the American
Assemblies of God, and He left on his first trip abroad. He attended the
celebration as the one representing Korea, and having delivered a sermon in English, he did a
splendid job of introducing Korea to all in attendance.
On March 1, 1965, Pastor Cho Yonggi entered into holy matrimony with the daughter of Pastor
Choi Jashil. Pastor Cho Yonggi's marriage to Grace Kim was a culmination of Pastor Choi Jashil's
10 years of praying. With the blessing of the then 3,000 members of the church, Pastor Cho
Yonggi walked down the aisle with Grace Kim.
The Full Gospel Central Church continued to grow to a membership of 5,000, then 6,000, then 7,000.
By 1968, the church had 8,000 members, necessitating three services to be held on Sundays.
Even with three services on Sundays, those who came late to the services were not able to find
seats within the church, but were required to sit in the parking lot on vinyl mats as they listened
to the worship service over the loudspeakers. Having to lead three worship services, Pastor Cho
Yonggi continued his battle against exhaustion and overwork, delivering his messages with fervor
and perspiration as he had always done.
With the continued growth of the church, Pastor Cho Yonggi was also required to lead the
baptismal services even more often. One day, as he was baptising several hundred people, he
once again succumbed to overwork and exhaustion, and collapsed to the floor. As he was
recovering in the hospital, the hospital doctor recommended Pastor Cho Yonggi change his
profession. Brushing aside the doctor's advice, Pastor Cho Yonggi discharged himself from the
hospital to deliver the Sunday messages.
As he went forward to the pulpit, however he dropped unconscious to the floor and was forced to return
the hospital once again. Then a wondrous thing happened as Pastor Cho Yonggi began to read
the Bible from Genesis on. As he was reading in Exodus, a particular verse, Exodus 18:18
moved his heart.
"You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The
work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone."
The next morning, Pastor Cho Yonggi called a meeting with the elders and deacons to share
with them the wisdom he had received from God through the Bible. This was the birth of the cell
system.
Although the elders and deacons realized the function and the necessity of the cell
system, they were not yet trained to be able to implement the idea. Pastor Cho Yonggi realized
that there was a need for a training program for those who would become cell and district leaders.
As Pastor Cho Yonggi continued to search for solutions for the training of those who would be
leaders, he learned another fact: that the men were reluctant to make home visits to other
members. He realized that for this purpose, women were much more suited than the men.
At the time, Korean society frowned upon women taking the role of leaders within groups
containing both men and women.
Even so, as the Holy Spirit moved the hearts of both men and
women, such social obstacles were overcome and women played a critical role in the development
and growth of the YFGC.
The home visits by the cell leaders proved to be an effective method in
drawing the new members into the fold of the church. And with the continued wok of the Holy
Spirit, these cells and the cell system worked effectively to promote fellowship between the
members of the cells and the districts.
In 1967, when the cell system was introduced, it consisted of 7,750 individuals of 2,267 families
organized into 125 cells.
Currently, YFGC has adopted the district system to better help all
members of the church.
On a weekly basis, district members consisting of district leaders, the
elders, the deacons and deaconesses, and lay members gather together for meetings to
further promote the growth of the church.
Aside from the implementation of the cell system, in 1960, the women's Fellowship Association was
formed. In 1963, the men's Fellowship Association was added. These two organizations currently
play a central role in volunteer services which make possible the various services held by the
church.
In 1967, to further aid the qualitative, spiritual growth of the members and also to spread the Holy
Spirit movement, the monthly "Faith" magazine was first published. It was an evangelical tool for
the purpose of spreading the Holy Spirit movement based on the Word of God. The monthly
periodical contained God's messages, testimonials, and Bible studies for the purpose of education
and evangelism. From its first issue, the quality and the reach of the monthly periodical continued to
expand, extending all across the southern peninsula.
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Dr. David Yonggi Cho
Biography