Wolmyeongdong Recreation Center hold an art exhibition
The Wolmyeongdong Recreation Center started the Flower Queen Festival with a blast on May 2, 2015. Along with the start of the festival, they had a grand opening for their art exhibition. The exhibition lasted for 16 days until the 17th. People could visit the conference room on the second floor of the Holy Son’s House of Love to look. The exhibition featured the the best artworks that featured the theme “Put up the Mast and Sail.”
“The Lord is our sail of life, our sail of hope, and our sail of truth. If you put up the sail of the Lord as you sail through the ocean of your life, your dreams will come true, and you will find treasures, happiness, satisfaction, love, wisdom, and fortune. Throughout your daily life, I hope you will put up the sail of the Lord in the center of your heart and thoughts. If you do, you will be victorious in life and will be able to live with ease and comfort.” – sermon excerpt by Pastor Jung Myung Seok
After Pastor Jung Myung Seok delivered that sermon, he suggested everyone to paint something related to the theme, “Put up the mast and sail,” and have an exhibition for the artworks that are exemplary. He wanted to use the exhibition to bring people closer to God.
Pastor Jung Myung Seok personally designed the exhibition from the beginning to the end. He gave awards to the artworks that were displayed at the exhibition. This was the first art exhibition the Christian Gospel Mission held. If was truly a celebration where Providence set up the sail of the Lord.
The participants of the exhibition
255 participants submitted their artwork to the Wolmyeongdong Recreation Center. In total, the recreation center received 261 artworks. Of the 255 candidates, 186 were from Korea and 69 were from other countries abroad (i.e., Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Mongolia, America, Canada, England, and New Zealand). Among the 255 candidates, a few were art graduates, but the majority of people never studied art. The ages of the participants ranged from junior high school students to people in their 60’s.
Out of the 261 artworks, the recreation center selected 75 to display.
The stories behind the art
There were numerous stories behind each artwork that was submitted. One of these stories was about a member who had lost interest in God. Even though the member felt lost, the process of creating an artwork for God revived his love for the Heavens. After the member received an award, the remember received an opportunity to visit Wolmyeongdong.
Another story is of a Japanese member who painted their artwork with their mother. The member wanted to evangelize their mother. As they were painting together, the father grew curious and joined by carving a seal for them. Both parents attended the award ceremony held on opening day with the member. When the parents visited Wolmyeongdong, it was their first time. The love of the Trinity imbued within Wolmyeongong touched their hearts. So they ended up giving thanksgiving and glory to the Trinity.
The Core
The core message Pastor Jung Myung Seok wanted to convey this year was “Put up the mast and sail.” The Wolmyeongdong Recreation Center gives our eternal thanksgiving and glory to the Trinity who allowed us to have this exhibition. We will never forget this vital message. We hope that you too will engrave this message deeply into your minds.