Sorae Church or Solnae Church (Korean: 송천교회; Hanja: 松泉敎會) was established Songcheon (Korean: 송천) in 1883. It is considered the first Protestant church in Korea.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Sorae_korea_church_1895.jpeg/220px-Sorae_korea_church_1895.jpeg)
Establishment
editSeo Sang-ryun (서상륜) with his younger brother Gyeong-jo (경조) went to Manchuria in 1878 to peddle red ginseng, but he caught typhoid fever in Yingkou and he was in trouble no longer to peddle. At this time, with the help of Ross and Mcintire, he was hospitalized and treated for his illness, which led him to become a Christian.[1] In 1883, he attempted to enter Korea with a Korean translated Bible, but was imprisoned by the Chinese government and soon escaped.
Seo Sang-ryun came to his hometown of Uiju (의주) in Korea for a while. He settled in Songcheon, Jangyeon-gun (장연군), Hwanghae-do (황해도) with his younger brother. He evangelized villagers there and a few months later he got 18 believers. They had held rallies every Sunday in secret locations since May 16.[1] In general, it is presumed that the beginning of Sorae Church was in a shabby thatched house built in a mountainous corner.[2]
On July 8, 1895, Sorae Church was built as 8 kans tile-roofed house, and in 1896, it was expanded to 16 kans and 32 pyeong.[2]
Legacy
editThe extended Sorae Church was restored in 1988 at Chongshin University Yangji Campus.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b 박, 용규 (2004-09-10). 한국기독교회사 1. 생명의말씀사. pp. 362–363. ISBN 89-04-06023-0.
- ^ a b "소래교회(한국 최초의 개신교회)". KCM. 2006-12-26. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ^ 이, 강민 (2003-02-23). "함께 떠나는 교단역사기행 / ② 경기도 양지 총신신대원 - '학문의 감옥'서 비전 향한 몰두". 기독신문. Retrieved 2023-04-22.