Weekly Challenge - New Zealand’s Christian Newspaper

March 15, 2010 Vol 68 Iss 9
Young Koreans stirred to pray 

by Michael Hamilton

THE atmosphere was electric as nearly 2000 young Korean Christians from around New Zealand gathered for the JAMA New Awakening Conference at City Impact Church on  Auckland’s North Shore from March 3 to 5.
JAMA (Jesus Awakening Movement for America and All Nations) is an organisation of Koreans who are concerned about praying for the countries they live in.

Sixteen Korean leaders involved in JAMA in the United States flew over for the conference, which a number of Auckland’s 100 Korean Christian churches helped organise. Sam Chapman, who runs Awhi Community Development and Peter Mortlock, senior pastor of City Impact Church both gave a welcome and a brief speech at the gathering.
Mr Mortlock said it was great to see so many Korean Christians coming together in New Zealand.

“I thought their worship was exuberant, the preaching was passionate, and it was a pleasure to host them here,” he said.

Mr Chapman, who was invited by the Korean community to speak to them from his perspective as a Maori Christian leader, said he was delighted and honoured to be involved with JAMA.

Mr Chapman invited the Korean delegates to a South Auckland marae for a traditional Maori welcome.
“They were so blessed by this welcome and the experience through it, and they then asked if I would welcome the JAMA delegates.

“So 40 Kapa Haka group members went to Friday night’s JAMA meeting … I shared what an honour it was to have them here and we wished to acknowledge what God’s intentions were.

“Then I shared with them that rather than them as Koreans having an imposed reason about being in New Zealand, why don’t we discover together, seeking the Lord together with open minds and then we will create what our future should look like.”
Mr Chapman said we now have a challenge to meet with Korean leaders in the future.
A key organiser of the conference, Shine Kim, said many delegates felt the presence of God and were stirred in their hearts to pray for this nation.

She said 99 per cent of JAMA staff here had never seen what JAMA conferences were like so
this was a good experience for them.

Miss Kim said the next conference would be held at a larger venue and promoted to the wider Church, for people of all ethnicities to come together to worship and pray for New
Zealand.