The task ahead of us looked challenging: Five staff from FCBC and Gateway Entertainment on a 13-day tour, doing eight shows and traversing through eight cities in South Korea, from Seogwipo, Jeju, the southernmost part of Korea, to Gimpo, one of the northernmost cities which is just an hour’s ride from the Korean Demilitarised Zone.
Jeju Island
The Lord granted us a favourable start by enabling us to bring seven large pieces of checked baggage on a domestic flight from Incheon to Jeju in good time and without excess baggage charge despite exceeding our standard baggage allowance by 30%. We were also graciously spared the brunt of Typhoon Chaba as it barrelled over Jeju, mere hours after we had left for Daegu. It was considered the strongest typhoon to hit Korea since 2003, packing gusts of up to 200kmh and dumping over 28cm of rain in Seogwipo, Jeju. Comparatively, Deagu weathered through unscathed with just 5cm of rainfall on the second day after we arrived. Thankfully, All Nations Church which hosted us in Seogwipo only had a bit of flooding in its premises, needing replacements to two ceiling window structures. And this church building was built entirely by its members.
Rewind three days, and our Senior Pastors were making their first visit to All Nations Church’s new church building. Senior Pastor Lawrence delivered his Sunday message to the congregation and performed the sterling maiden show that evening to kick off the evangelistic magic tour.
Senior Pastors Lawrence and Nina taking a photo with Pastors Lee Seung Bang and Choi Jin Sook in front of a publicity banner inside the church after arriving at All Nations Church for Sunday morning service.
The newlyweds, that just got married the day before, presented a rose to Senior Pastor Nina after their special item and stayed on for the magic show that night.
Senior Pastor Lawrence preached a sermon on “Nothing is Impossible with God” to All Nation Church’s members.
Senior Pastor Lawrence addressed the new converts after his message.
The run-through and rehearsal for the first show of the tour.
It was a full house show and many youth had to sit on the floor!
The volunteers participated gamely when called onto the stage.
The converts, mainly youth, who responded to the altar call, swarmed to the stage. 120 out of an audience of 1,500 responded. Praise the Lord for these encouraging first fruits of the tour!
The consolidation room was overflowing with converts and some had to be directed back to the auditorium or individually followed-up after the welcome address so everyone could have enough space to be meaningfully engaged.
After the show, Senior Pastor Lawrence took some time to connect and pray for a young man whose father is a pastor. He also has a desire to use magic as an evangelistic tool to reach the lost.
The following day was Korea’s National Foundation Day, and Pastors Lee and Choi had a G12 meeting with their 12 as they would be on the road for the next 10 days. Senior Pastor Lawrence encouraged the leaders and urged them to endeavour to use innovative methods and compelling visuals to tell the gospel story in a way that will reach more people for the Lord. Senior Pastors Lawrence and Nina also had the joy of celebrating Pastor Choi’s 60th birthday with them!
Daegu
A short flight brought us to Daegu, located in southeastern Korea. It is the 4th largest city in Korea after Seoul, Busan and Incheon; and a manufacturing industry city with textiles, metals and machinery being its major industries.
The team accompanied by Pastors Lee and Choi were warmly received by Pastors Choi Man Hyun and Kim Young Ja in Daegu.
It was another full house at the small but well-appointed Daegu Faith Church which sat 350 that night.
And the kids got the best seats on the house – on the floor nearest to the stage!
The audience was enthralled by the magical illusions and witty dialogue, and had a blast watching some of their own onstage participating in death-defying tricks. It was no coincidence that throughout the tour, a number of pre-believing volunteers went on to make decisions for the Lord!
Even some of those seated at the back received the Lord that night.
A total of 35 new believers were won that night into God’s kingdom. This time most of the new converts were adults.
Pastor Choi was especially elated as his brother’s son-in-law came to his church for the first time after years of praying, and accepted the Lord! Pastor Choi called him onstage and thanked God for saving him. What a joyous night for the church!
Also present that night was Pastor Shin Dong Beom who took a three hour road trip from Wonju to Daegu with his network of pastors to be thoroughly prepared for the show when Senior Pastor Lawrence comes to Wonju the following week. A spirit of excellence!
Senior Pastor Lawrence always obliged to taking photos with endearing fans! The grey structures in the background were erected by the church staff that day to help our prop masters cover the magic props during the show. These structures eventually followed us all the way till the end of our trip.
Pohang
Next stop was Pohang, a scenic eastern coastal city in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. Pohang is the home of POSCO (Pohang Steel Company), one of the largest steel producers in the world. To avoid being overly reliant on heavy industry to maintain its prosperity, Pohang has strived to become a diversified city of environmentalism and advanced learning, as well as a centre of arts and culture.
With our hosts in Pohang, Pastors Choi Wan Ho, Song Ye Sook and their two daughters from Pohang Calvary Church during our stay in this lovely coastal city.
Pastor Choi praying for the team before the show.
Another fully packed church! 400 people waiting eagerly for the show to start.
We reaped a harvest of about 45 people that night! A good mix of both adults and youth.
Pohang, a coastal seaport, treated us to fresh seafood on our way to our next destination, Daejeon.
We were put on a high-speed train which greatly shortened our travel duration to Daejeon, as compared to if we were to travel by road.
Daejeon
Daejeon is South Korea’s fifth largest metropolis. Located in the centre of South Korea, Daejeon serves as a hub of transportation and is at the crossroads of major transport routes. Daejeon has earned its name as “Asia’s Silicon Valley” and “high technology city”. Several important research institutes are based in the city as well as 18 universities, and we were staging our next show in one of them – Daejeon Theological University.
Our hosts in Daejeon, Pastors Kim Seon Jin, Choi Ji Eun, Hwang Sung Jin and Choi Hye Yun in a group photo, together with Pastors Lee Dong Gon and Kim Jin Sook who came from another city to see the show.
The university’s packed auditorium sat 900, with some guests seated on the balcony’s staircase.
80 people, mainly young adults, decided to follow Jesus that evening!
Wonju
Wonju, a relatively quiet city approximately 140 kilometres east of Seoul, was the site of three crucial battles during the Korean War. Trenches left behind from years past can be easily stumbled upon when you walk off the beaten path.
In this city, Pastors Shin Dong Beom and Kim Hong Sook specially booked the Halla University Auditorium to accommodate all the members and guests for our 5th show in Korea.
Pastor Shin Dong Beom prayed for Senior Pastor Lawrence and Esther Lee just before the show.
Another full house crowd of 900 with all the aisles filled that some had to find space to sit on the stairs.
A total of 130 new converts packed the stage front when the altar call was given that night!
Group photo of Senior Pastors with Pastors Shin and Kim and their network of churches who participated in staging the show.
Gimpo
Gimpo Incheon shares the South Korean side of the Han River estuary, together with Seoul and the smaller cities of Paju and Goyang. North Korea is to the north, just across the Han River. Gimpo Airport (formerly Kimpo International Airport) used to be located inside the city, but is now part of Seoul.
Our host pastors in this city were Pastors Kim Sang Jo and Kim Kyung Choon from Golden Light Church, and Pastors Jung Hyeong Gab and Kim Ae Ja from Evergreen Church.
Pastor Cho Il Rae from Incheon Crystal Church granted the churches in Gimpo use of his church for our show even though his church has not embraced the G12 Vision.
Pastor Cho couldn’t make it for the start of the show but rushed back in the evening and was impressed by the quality of Senior Pastor Lawrence’s performance, and the response of the Koreans to the gospel message. He was interested to explore further collaborations when Senior Pastor Lawrence stages his next show in Korea.
The volunteers from the audience were able to be part of creating magical moments.
Amongst a turnout of 1,200 people, there was a highest record of 160 decisions from this show in Gimpo!
The pastors from the city of Gimpo taking a group picture with our Senior Pastors.
Suwon
Suwon is the capital and largest metropolis of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea’s most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about 30 kilometres south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as “The City of Filial Piety”. It is a major industrial and cultural centre. Samsung Electronics research and development centre and headquarters are based in Suwon. Suwon is also a major educational centre, home to 11 universities.
Host pastors at Suwon, Pastors Baek Yeol Hwan and Choi Gi Ja, prayed for the whole team involved in the show.
The local church booked a larger venue by faith: Gyeonggi Small Medium Enterprise Total Support Centre which sits 500.
By the time the show started, the crowd had swelled to 650 people and the aisles were filled.
More than 100 people responded at Suwon, of which many were youth.
Pastor Baek’s network of pastors with our Senior Pastors. They were thankful for such a great performance.
Incheon
Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea. It is Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan. The city’s growth has been assured with the development of its port due to its natural advantages as a coastal city and its proximity to the South Korean capital. Incheon has since led the economic development of Korea by opening its port to the outside world, ushering in the modernisation of Korea as a centre of industrialisation. In 2003, the city was designated as Korea’s first free economic zone. Since then, large local companies and global enterprises have increasingly invested in the Incheon Free Economic Zone, including Samsung which chose Songdo International City as its new investment destination for its bio industry.
After a fruitful 13 days on the road, we finally wrapped up the tour with another packed final night of show. The final leg of the Korea Magic Tour opened in Incheon Yeonsu Jaeil Church.
Pastors Kim Dong Jin and Lee Young Sun with Senior Pastors.
Pastors Kim Dong Jin and Lee Young Sun and other pastors in their network with Senior Pastors.
After the final show, the simple and effective makeshift barrier made specially for us was dismantled for another local church’s use. All the magic props are carefully packed and bound for home!
The impact of this trip was clearly encapsulated by Senior Pastor Nina when she penned this:
“The tour has been anything but dull with Senior Pastor Lawrence connecting with both believers and pre-believers of Korea’s eight G12 churches through astounding illusions and cutting edge magic performances. The powerful message of God’s salvation was aptly shared and clearly illustrated by the amazing light bulb trick, and was well received by our delighted audience.
From the amazing miracles we read in Scriptures, we also know that Jesus’ interactions with His people were dramatic and never dull. Likewise, as His disciples, the last thing we want to do is to make our preaching or evangelistic sharing boring. Actively connecting and engaging the audience through the art of magic is how we’ve chosen to accomplish that at Gateway Entertainment – challenging a person’s eyes and mind to open up and receive God’s good news. A person will only retain a small percentage of what they hear. But if you give them visual illustrations along with the lesson, their retention factor increases greatly. Add a mystery or surprise ending and you give them something they will long remember! As such, when sleight of hand and illusion are harnessed for the purpose of explaining Gospel principles, they become powerful communication tools from a psychological and educational point of view.”
Esther Lee, Pastor Lee Seung Bang’s daughter, agreed and added:
“I found that it was a great opportunity to understand what Pastor Khong was doing through the magic shows. When many turned up for the show and accepted Christ, I knew it was God’s plan to use magic as a tool for evangelism in Asia. I could see people opening up their hearts as his messages was really simple but really strong. I felt the gospel has to be easily understood by anyone and his message was really clear and easy for everyone to understand.”
Besides the magic of how God’s word made an indelible imprint in the hearts and lives of the Koreans through illusions, we too have been richly blessed by the warm hospitality and thoughtfulness of our Korean G12 counterparts. The impact of families working hand-in-hand together in the G12 Vision is what touched one of our prop masters on this tour, Goh Jun Sheng:
“I’m really thankful and blessed to be able to travel with Senior Pastor Lawrence to perform the magic shows in Korea. To be able to see how the different churches operates and how G12 helps them to grow. Even though there were some communication barriers, I could really see and feel their sincerity, care and concern for us, prop masters, even though we were only the supporting crew. To have been well taken care by them is something I’m really grateful for.
The thing that touched me most was seeing families come together to serve God as one. As we travelled from city to city, I saw most of the pastors’ family members serving together. One of the church leaders even activated his whole family and took leave from work and school to serve together. It was very heartwarming and encouraging to see families serving together!”
Pastors Baek Yeol Hwan and Choi Gi Ja came from Suwon to join Pastors Kim Dong Jin and Lee Young Sun as they treated the whole team to a traditional Korean luncheon in celebration of this most successful expedition in Korea.
These were the special moments that warmed our hearts and made the trip even more rewarding. Despite the language barrier, the love of the Korean national 12 pastors were well conveyed through their thoughtful and gracious hospitality to Senior Pastor Lawrence, knowing the heavy demands and pressure that’s placed on him to anchor the shows and reach the hearts of those specially invited to the shows. This same care and love was also shown to every member of our team as well.
Indeed the bond of friendship and partnership in the G12 Vision has been strengthened between FCBC and the Korean national 12 pastors through this evangelistic magic tour in Korea. We hope that the 780 lives won through this trip will grow into a mighty army of disciple-makers to support the Korean church. We desire to see a ripple effect of what has been achieved through this trip to continue to make an even greater impact in the days ahead as many will consider effective tools to reach the lost. And those whose lives have been touched will be discipled and strengthened in their faith to in turn transform other lives and even communities in Korea and the nations beyond!