Dreaming of Revival Again

From April 28 through May 3, 2025, several representatives of the Korean Ministers Association (KMA) gathered in Wales (UK) for their annual general assembly. Formerly called the Korean Council, the newly named KMA kept continuity with its historical roots by noting that this was its 39th annual assembly. 

Rev. Eun-Beom Kim, president of the KMA, said that the assembly was made possible through the generous donation of a member who felt led by God to donate $10,000.

And the purpose of gathering in Wales, Kim explained, was to recognize that “Wales is the homeland of missionary Robert Jermain Thomas, who opened the door to Christianity in Korea 150 years ago. It is also where Thomas’s Hanover Church is located.” 

“Through this visit,” Kim continued, “we will look back on the roots of the gospel in Korea, confirm our identity, and have a time of gratitude. We also want to take time to reflect on the reality of stagnation and confusion in the church after the COVID-19 pandemic. As we remember the true nature of the church and the birthplace of the modern revival movement, we can lament what the church has lost and work toward restoring its essential mission of powerful prayer and evangelism.”

At the assembly Pastor Kim delivered an opening sermon based on Genesis 26:18-22, in which Isaac reopens wells that were dug in the time of his father, Abraham. Sharing from his own experience of clearing out a clogged well in Africa, Kim explained that the work took patience and effort. Just as water can flow again when rocks and dirt are removed from a clogged well, he encouraged attendees to take the time to remove the ‘rocks and dirt’ accumulated in their hearts and to restore the truth. He also encouraged the Korean churches to become a community that can strengthen the denomination through its vision and spirituality of prayer.

The six-day event also included a pilgrimage to various Christian sites. Youngtae Cho and Seunghoon Lim, who serve as missionaries in the UK, led the excursion, conveying the painful history of Wales, the amazing work of God’s spiritual revival there many years ago, and the unfortunate situation of the church there today, which has deteriorated and become a mission field itself.

One of the first stops on the pilgrimage was Hanover Church, which Thomas, one of Korea's first Protestant missionaries, attended.

A promising young pastor in the 1860s, Thomas married Caroline Goddard, the daughter of a wealthy family, and set off with her on a mission trip to China. Soon after they arrived in China, however, Caroline and their unborn child died from illness. Shocked and bereft, Thomas thought about giving up his missionary work, until he met a Korean merchant and felt called to share the gospel in Korea.

Thomas made two trips to Korea—one in 1865 and one in 1866. At that time Korea was closed to foreigners, and the government had actively sought and killed Koreans who had converted to Roman Catholicism. Undeterred, Thomas handed out Bibles and tracts to the people he met. 

On his second missionary trip, the ship that Thomas was on was attacked by Korean officials as it arrived. Thomas distributed the Bibles he had been carrying to people along the shore. He even handed one to Park Chun-Gwon, the government official who is rumored to have killed Thomas. According to several accounts, Chun-gwon took the Bible home and eventually came to believe in Jesus. He later became the leader of the church that sparked the Pyongyang Revival. KMA attendees said they found this story deeply moving. For the full story, see this video.

One attendee, Mrs. Hannah Park, said, “I cannot express in words the emotion I experienced visiting the blessed scene where the gospel was spread to Korea through the family of missionary Thomas, and that gospel is what led me to be saved by grace and become a citizen of heaven by believing in Jesus.” 

Pastor Edward Yoon added, “It was touching to see the deeds of missionary Thomas, who wanted to spread the gospel during the most difficult time for our people, and who was actually martyred for his faith.” 

Next the attendees visited Moriah Chapel, a historic site of the Welsh Revival, which became the starting point of a worldwide revival movement in the early 20th century. There they were able to hear in detail about the life of Evan Roberts, a miner who became a key figure in the revival.

Roberts had reportedly been praying for revival since childhood. When he was 26 years old, a young woman testified to feeling the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit while praying in a group with him. She cried out, “I love you, Jesus,” and the group continued to pray all night long. This was just one example of the many hours that Roberts committed to prayer both personally and in groups.

KMA attendees also learned, however, that many churches in Wales, where a great revival once took place, are now empty buildings or maintained by only a few senior members who remember the times of revival. 

Missionary Youngtae Cho, who serves at Tabernacle Church, shared that as of 2019, 90 percent of the 343 Baptist churches in Wales had fewer than 60 members, and 30 percent had fewer than 10 members. It is difficult today to find pastors, he said, and it is not uncommon for one pastor to serve five or six churches. Sadly, many of the churches in this region are at a crossroads for survival.

Mrs. Jung Sook Seo said that Cho’s story was the most meaningful moment of the KMA meeting for her. “I saw a Korean missionary who is working to protect the evangelical church in England, especially Wales, the birthplace of the Holy Spirit’s fervent revival,” she said, adding that Cho “boldly confronts reality as if spitting blood while feeling heartbroken by the spiritual flow of the present age.”

After the mission report, the participants prayed fervently for Cho, his family, and the church in Wales. 

During the next day, the exploration of Christian history continued. The KMA attendees visited Hanham Mount, an outdoor preaching site where George Whitefield and John Wesley preached in the 18th century; the George Müller Museum, celebrating the life of the “father of orphans”; the church and museum where John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress, was baptized; Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University, where Pastor John Stott and N.T. Wright studied; and Westminster Chapel, where Pastor Martin Lloyd-Jones served.

Pastor John Park said that he was deeply moved by an image of John Bunyan writing Pilgrim’s Progress while in prison. He said, “While doing immigrant ministry, the frustration and loneliness I felt in areas with few Koreans overlapped with the image of John Bunyan in prison, and it made me think a lot.”

Missionary Henry Cho, who cares for orphans in Haiti, wrote the following after visiting the George Müller Museum: “The detailed records of 19th-century orphan care that we saw at the George Müller Museum stirred a sense of envy in us, who are currently engaged in orphan relief work in Haiti. . . . We envy others because we want to live like that too. We want to feed, clothe, and educate the orphans in Haiti like that too. The envy we felt at the George Müller Museum is, at once, a lament toward a silent God, a desperate prayer, and helpless tears shed for the children we love yet cannot fully care for.” Read the full article here.

During the business portion of the KMA meeting, Pastor Hun-Suk Bae was appointed as the KMA president for 2025-26, Pastor Joshua Jung as the officer of general affairs, Pastor Insoo Oh as the secretary, and Pastor Kwon Do Lee as the treasurer.

The assembly ended with a closing worship service after sharing a hearty Korean meal prepared by the church where missionary Lim serves.

For many, including Pastor Insoo Oh, the 2025 KMA General Assembly/Conference was a time when earnest desire and hope for revival was rekindled. “As we prayed and praised fervently wherever we went, it felt as if the entire trip was one continuous worship service,” he said. 

Mrs. Sun Ae Moon agreed, adding, “I was challenged by seeing firsthand the scenes where God worked through people and by following in the footsteps of missionaries who were thoroughly devoted to the gospel. . . . I thought deeply and prayed about how I should live the rest of my life.”