On April 30, the Sahmyook Open Church, which is an offshoot of the Sahmyook University Church, held a baptismal service in the Theology Hall. The baptism opened a new chapter of life to five people: Shim Eun-ji, Lee Yeong-soon, Gil Gwang-ho, Jeong Eun-kyeung, and Gil Yuna.

Previously a Protestant, Sister Shim was searching when she was connected to the Sahmyook Open Church. She picked up her life of faith again and decided to be baptized. The other four that were baptized together with her was three generations of a family. It was sister, Jeong, whose restoration and reformation of faith that led her mother, Lee Yeong-soon, husband, Gil Gwang-ho, and daughter Gil Yuna to discover the Truth and decide to walk with the Savior.

The Sahmyook Open Church runs on the “cell group and discipleship-based system.” In January 2020, the cell group launched with only 9 believers who shared the same vision. The church has now grown to have 7 cell groups with a total of 140 members. Leaders of each cell group went through a course of discipleship training that enabled them to preach to and nurture anyone once connected to the group. As every activity at this church centers around the cell groups, the mission of preaching the Gospel and guiding souls to God is mainly laid upon believers rather than the pastor.

When seekers visit the church, it is not the pastor but each cell group that teaches the Bible to the seekers, nurturing them, and devotedly working for the new souls’ spiritual growth. Such an operating system explains well why the church mostly consists of either new believers, believers who have been on long-term hiatus, or “lost sheep”. The 5 newly baptized members have no direct connection with Sahmyook University. They all met and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and decided to be baptized through the church’s cell groups.