by Jong Sung Kim

The Chingle Te church will be located right next to the only elementary school in the district, making children's ministry the church's #1 priority. Photo courtesy the Korean Community Church of New Jersey, United Methodist Image by: New World Outlook The United Methodist Chingle Te church office and sanctuary in Mongolia is currently housed in two traditional gers, or tents. Photo courtesy the Korean Community Church of New Jersey, United Methodist Image by: New World Outlook

New World Outlook, May/June 2007

One October morning in 2006, a group of Korean United Methodists visiting Mongolia was on its way to Chingle Te United Methodist Church in Ulaanbaatar. One of the poorest neighborhoods in Ulaanbaatar, Chingle Te is located about 10 miles north of the city center. Once they arrived at the Chingle Te UMC, the Korean United Methodist Church (KUMC) group members were surprised to see so many school children, literally swarming the grounds of the church!

Situated next to the only elementary school in Chingle Te district, the Chingle Te UMC offers easy access for the students. Soon after the purchase of the property, the Chingle Te UMC installed a basketball hoop on the grounds and was able to provide a space for the children to play. The student population of Chingle Te elementary school is 2,500, and classes are held in the morning and afternoon. Every day, many students who have classes in the afternoon come to Chingle Te UMC in the morning to spend time playing basketball or simply to hang out with friends before classes begin. Likewise, in the afternoon, students who have finished their classes in the morning come to the church grounds and spend time playing with their friends.

UMC Mission Center Expanding
Chingle Te UMC is the site of our future mission center in Mongolia. Purchased by Korean Community Church of New Jersey (UMC) in February 2006, in partnership with the General Board of Global Ministries, a plan is now in place to renovate and expand the current structure to house the UMC’s mission center in Mongolia. This building project will be completed in two phases. The first phase will begin in May 2007 to renovate the current building, which offers roughly 7,500 square feet of space. Formerly used as an auto body shop, the building has a large hall that can easily be converted into the sanctuary and also offers enough space for offices and classrooms. The plan is to complete the first phase of the building project by October 2007. Once the first phase is complete, Chingle Te UMC will move into the building. Currently, the church is using two large gers (Mongolian tents) for its ministries. One is used as the sanctuary and the other as offices and classrooms.

The second phase, scheduled to begin in May 2008, involves the expansion of the current building. The plan calls for adding more than 8,000 square feet of space to the current building. This will create a total space of 15,500 square feet for our mission center. The addition will include office spaces for the mission center, an indoor gym, a shower facility, a multipurpose room for fellowship and special events, a space for the medical clinic, and guest quarters. Since the Mongolian winter begins in October and lasts until early May, there are only a few months for the building project. We anticipate that the second phase will be completed by October 2008.

Since 2003, Korean United Methodist churches have been very active in supporting the mission in Mongolia. Through the KUMC Mongolia Mission Support group, Korean UM churches, including the Korean Community Church of New Jersey, have joined the General Board of Global Ministries in the building project and Global Ministries is able to undertake this project because of their generous support.

Under the leadership of our missionary, Sun Lae Kim, Chingle Te UMC has grown rapidly in the last four years. As the only Protestant congregation in Chingle Te district, the congregation offers a place of worship and very active social and community ministries. The congregation provides outreach in such areas as job training, meal services for the needy, computer classes for women and children, and literacy. Chingle Te UMC also has an active ministry for children and youth. Once the first phase of the building project is complete, the congregation will be able to provide ministries for children and youth in a more effective manner.

Making a Difference
Through its ministries, Chingle Te UMC continues to make a difference in the lives of people in the community and is expanding its ministries beyond the community of Chingle Te. In December 2006, Chingle Te UMC established a branch church in Damb, which is about 15 miles outside of Ulaanbaatar. The church in Damb is now served by Nara, a woman in her early 30s who accepted Christ through Chingle Te UMC about four years ago. In fact, she was the first fruit of Sun Lae’s ministry in Mongolia. Nara is a specialist in agriculture and had a secure career in the Mongolian government. However, she decided to commit herself for God’s ministry and is now serving as the leader (local pastor) of Damb church.

Hisge is another person in Chingle Te UMC whose life has changed because of the church’s ministries. She joined the youth group at the age of 15 and has become a very committed member. She grew up with only her mother who was an alcoholic. Through her involvement in the youth group, however, Hisge was able to change her life and plan for her future. As she matured in Christ, she experienced the life-saving grace of Jesus Christ. As a result, her mother has also become a faithful member of Chingle Te UMC. At the age of 20, Hisge enrolled as a student at Huree Institute of Information and Communication Technology in Ulaanbaatar with a full scholarship.

Other Ministries in Ulaanbataar
In addition to ministries offered by Chingle Te UMC, there are two other active United Methodist ministries in Ulaanbaatar. A growing hospice ministry is led by United Methodist missionary Helen Sheperd, who also serves as the country director for the UMC mission in Mongolia. As the oldest UM mission work in Mongolia, which started in 2002, hospice ministry currently has three full-time teams (each consisting of a doctor, nurse, and social worker) to take care of more than 35 families. Through hospice ministry, the UMC mission also provides occasional medical clinics for local Mongolian people in conjunction with medical teams from the United States.

The UMC mission also has an active ministry in Shaarhad district, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Ulaanbaatar. Light UMC in Shaarhad opened its doors for ministry in 2004. Since its inception, Light UMC has focused on ministries with children and youth. As a result, it now has a well-established after-school program. The congregation also has a very strong music ministry through which it reaches out to the youth in the community very effectively.

Reaching the People
Mongolia is a nation with 2.8 million people. Mongolian people sparsely reside in an area that is more than 11 times larger than New York State. Although Mongolian people had a brief encounter with Catholicism during the time of Genghis Khan in the 13th century, it was after the collapse of Communism in 1990 that Protestant Christian ministries were able to share the work of Christ in Mongolia. At this point, it is estimated that less than one percent of the total population in Mongolia is Christian. Although the history of our presence in Mongolia is not extensive, the UMC is making God’s good news relevant to the lives of people in Mongolia through our mission work. With your continued prayers and support, we will continue to be faithful in sharing God’s love, sharing hope and peace in Mongolia.

The Rev. Jong Sung Kim is the Director of Mission Initiatives in the Evangelization and Church Growth unit of the General Board of Global Ministries.

	See Also... Topic: Children |  Christian love |  Education |  Evangelism |  GBGM programs |  United Methodist Church |  Methodism |  Geographic Region: Asia and the Pacific Islands |  Mongolia |  Source: New World Outlook
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Date posted: Apr 30, 2007