Scavenger Hunt Blog

The Dongshin English Service June 2012 Scavenger Hunt (by Leana Wion)

This year’s Scavenger Hunt led it’s participants to downtown Daegu. With roughly 30 people we were divided into 6 teams.  Then we were required to complete as many of the 24 tasks as possible in 3 hours. The tasks involved very RANDOM requirements. Such as having your group find and take a picture with a Korean with facial hair, or riding the Tambourine (the ride that spins you in circles and bounces you around until you’re sick). For three hours, my group (사 친구 Sah Chingu or The 4 Friends) ran around approaching random people and completing all of the tasks. In the end, we all met back at the stage to share our pictures and videos with the judges and also share our experiences with the other groups.

I only knew one person in my group before this event started, but by the end I am happy to say that I have now developed a friendship with the other two people! This event was great in giving us the opportunity to meet new people and act a little sillier than normal! I really enjoyed the whole experience!
Here are some comments from some of my fellow ‘Sah Chingu’ people!

” I had so much fun with my team doing a lot of really interesting tasks… I loved taking random photos with different items/kinds of people. I also got my hair cut as part of it as well (and our group won for most EXTREME haircut)!!! I definitely had a great time, and want to thank Dongshin for organizing it!! It was a great time had by all!” ~Jodi

“It was a fun day filled with adventure and well spent with new and old Chingus …The highlight was doing the Macarena on the side of the stage (during someone’s concert) and having a bigger audience than the people performing in the actual stage. ~Afia

“I think my favorite moment was the photo booth. Doing all the poses and making all the faces was just way too much fun!” ~Joe

Another successful hunt and memories made, thanks to all the people that helped to organise the clues and tally the points at the end.

Leader’s Retreat June 16th (by Eric Jimenez)

A 30 minute drive into the deep country side of Daegu is Chimsan Village where the 2012 Dongshin Leader’s Retreat was held. The month of July is bringing in a big change as many people are heading back home. Many of these people have served faithfully at the church for years. Pastor Andy Gilman will be leaving with his family and Pastor Leon will take the torch. Because of this transition of leadership, including many other leaders in other ministries, the church leadership came together to determine it’s future vision. Each ministry came together as a team to discuss things that they should continue and change. Afterwards each ministry spoke to the group on these continuations and changes. Pastor Leon also spoke giving his thoughts for the next year which were summarized in this one-liner:

“To see English speaking people in Daegu connected to Christ, built up in His ways, and equipped for service in His kingdom.”

We are so thankful for the people that have stepped up into new ministries and it’s obvious that God always provides for his church. We even had hamburgers for lunch! It was a memorable occasion and everyone there got a chance to have their say so that the way forward would be shared.  It is an opportunity like this for the Dongshin community to connect more, pour into each others lives and build the church for God and also enhance  the future leaders that will come to Korea as English teachers but leave as laborers for the kingdom.

June and July Update – Leadership transition

Well, the Annual Dongshin picnic was held at Yulha Sports Park for the first time and was a great day in the sun. Around 40 people enjoyed Subway sandwiches, played some team games like kickball and sat around on the grass. The morning had some traditional relay activities like the 3-legged race, water balloon toss and challenges like a human pyramid. After lunch, we also had a tug-of-war which was a hit with the participants (see photos on the Facebook group ‘Dongshin past and present’).

On June 16th we held the Leader’s Retreat at Chimsan Village. This was a great opportunity for the members of each ministry to get together and unify with a clear vision. Pastor Leon who will be taking over from Pastor Andy next month delivered his thoughts for the year ahead and outlined the goals for our church summing it up with the Dongshin One-liner:

“To see English speaking people in Daegu connected to Christ, built up in His ways, and equipped for service in His kingdom.”

If you are interested, you can read the vision statement https://dongshinenglishservice.com/vision-statement/

(or click on English Service from the home page / you can also read about our new pastor here https://dongshinenglishservice.com/ministries/)

In the month of July, we say goodbye to our pastor Andy Gilman and his family (HyunJin, Sienna & Shane) as he is heading to Covenant University to finish his Masters of Divinity in USA. His leadership and stewardship as the first fulltime pastor was outstanding and he put structures in place to create a church organisation that was much needed. His attention to the different ministries has created many areas for people to serve and also has produced a sustainable model as English teachers are traditionally employed for 1 year (so there are less long-term congregants). His preaching was backed up with countless hours of study and prayer. He could explain bible passages easily and then provide some practical application to our current situation which is important for glorifying the kingdom of God. We thank Andy for his dedication and commitment and will be having a special farewell ceremony of June 24th.

Also, we will say farewell to another longterm family “the Prodger’s” who have been serving here for the past 6 years. Karl along with his wife Narina and their girls (Grace, Lily and Isabella) will be moving to Australia in July and their presence will also be missed. Karl has been responsible for co-ordinating the service as well as running the events. He is currently a Deacon along with Ben Trowbridge and these two have always shown a willingness to help as well as connect people in the service. We thank Karl for his dedication and can-do attitude.

Finally, this month we are having the Annual Duckboat Race at Suseong Lake @ 4pm on July 15th. This has been an epic challenge each year and we hope you can join us for some thigh-busting / energy sapping / fun-loving time (watch out for the rowboat pirates). See the events page for further details and we would like you to sign up yourself and friends before the 15th to help with catering. Cost is 10,000 for boats and refreshments.

Annual Dongshin Duckboat Race 2012 (July 15th)

Summer is here and spending an afternoon by the lakeside sounds like a pretty neat idea, don’t you agree?

Invite your friends and colleagues to join us for an afternoon at Suseong Lake from 4pm, for Duck boat racing.
Food and refreshments will be provided

Cost (10,000 for boats and food)

Dongshin Church Summer Duck Boat Race
Fellowship and Fun
Dongshin Events Team

Matthew 18 vs 20
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

June 10th Scavenger Hunt

It’s that time of the year for the Dongshin Church Scavenger Hunt and it is going to be epic this year.  You will regret it if you miss it.

Participants are divided into groups and sent on a mad hunt for different items and places in the city of Daegu and need to take pictures for proof. It’s a race with the other teams to see who can complete their checklist. Different points are awarded for the various tasks, the harder or more embarrassing the task, the more points your team will get 🙂

Please invite your friends and colleagues to join in the fun. We will have our regular service at 2pm and begin the scavenger hunt soon after the service.

There is no sign up cost but you will need to be armed with 10 000 won for something to eat and a transport card on the day to get around the city.

Please sign up after the service this Sunday (3rd June 2012) or come on the day.
Many blessings…
Events Team

If you are interested in helping facilitate the event instead of participating, please email [email protected] directly. We just need a few hands to help tally the points at the end of the race.

April 2012 Dinner Deal “It’s a big D.E.A.L” (Dongshin Eating at Locations)

To round up the community of Dongshin into smaller groups, last Sunday, April 22, was Dongshin’s Dinner Deal. After the Korean service people went to a host’s house. Depending on their location whether they lived near DongDaegu, Gyeongsan, Chilgok or anywhere else in between there was a host ready to break bread with them.

The host could be anyone who was willing to open their house for others and prepare a home cooked meal. Some hosts were married couples or families with kids living in nice sized space or a single person living in a one room. Either way it was a great time of fellowship and food at every location.

To share my experience I signed up for Gyeongsan. In Gyeongsan the Prodger family hosted. Before the meal was ready our group went to the nearby park and threw some ball. As we finished our activity we went back in, blessed the meal and enjoyed a three course meal. The first round was a handed-down family recipe of carrot soup that did not disappoint. Second was the bulk of the meal consisting of roast chicken, roast potatoes and pumpkin and cous cous salad. And for the finale was a large apple pie served along with ice cream. Not only was the evening full of great food and activities, but enjoying the time of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Daegu. (by Eric Jimenez)

March 18th 2012 Dongshin Bowling Challenge coming to an alley near you

How hard is it to get a strike or a spare? Why not try your God-given talent at something that words cannot explain especially when you knock over all the pins or find yourself in the gutter!
After our 2pm service, we will make our way to the Suseong Bowling alley opposite the Suseong office subway stop for fun, exercise and snacks/pizza for a small investment of 10,000won per person.
Please invite your friends and signup at church or just come on the day.

Feb 2012 Board Game Evening Roundup

“Are you ready to ‘risk’ it all for the ‘game of life’? Do you have a ‘clue’ what is going on in your rival’s ‘cranium’ or are you just ‘boogle’d by the options? Remember there can only be ‘uno’ and you have the chance to create a ‘monopoly’ while on your ‘trivial pursuits’. If you’re hungry, you can compare ‘apples to apples’ with your friends while enjoying other snacks and drinks.” ~ the original invite from Karl Prodger.

This past weekend, February 19, the Dongshin English Service held a board game event in Room 302. For only 5,000 won anyone could enjoy pizza, chicken, chips, drinks and friendly competition. To start off the festivities Phumi, Christine and Jessica led a three secrets challenge. Each person wrote three things about themselves that most people didn’t know about them… until now. Mixing these secret papers three were read at a time and the group had to guess from the description who that person was. From the game we learned some very bizarre things such as Greg’s one foot being bigger than his other and Alyssa living in a teepee for a whole summer! Strange but we still love them anyways!

Afterwards people played whichever board game they felt like competing victory for. Unfortunately many were not victorious. On one table the island of Catan was being settled. On another table Life was bringing in all its drama and money was being made by large Monopolies. While a large group spoke in code trying to avoid the taboo words to help their team win. All in all it was a great night whether you were on the winning side or losing side. Cooked pizza, chicken, chocolate and chips all correlated to a contented group. A big thanks to the Events team for a successful afternoon and remember we are all victorious in Christ! Authored by ‘guess who’. (by Eric Jimenez)

February 25th Live Concert “The Ineloquent” @ 7pm Main Hall, Dongshin Church

Coming to Daegu at Dongshin church (main auditorium) on Feb 25th for one night only, the sensational talent of ‘The Ineloquent’ www.theineloquent.com
Invite your friends to this free concert starting at 7pm.
We also have our very own Dongshin member ‘Brad Henry’ who will be opening for the Ineloquent.
This band travels around the world to share the hope of God’s love through music. Come for a casual night of music as the band shares scriptures, stories and songs that will encourage, challenge and inspire.


The Ineloquent exists to give glory to God, to encourage and challenge the universal church and to share the Gospel of God’s love with a world in need. The Ineloquent believes that any abilities they have or messages they bring forth are not their own, but come from God and are to be used for His glory. Without God in their lives, they have nothing to say. That is why they call themselves Ineloquent. The name was inspired by the story of Moses and his encounter with God in Exodus 3-4, especially 4:10-12.

Feb 19th Board games at Dongshin English Service Rm 302 (2pm – onwards)

Are you ready to ‘risk’ it all for the ‘game of life’? Do you have a ‘clue’ what is going on in your rival’s ‘cranium’ or are you just ‘boogle’d by the options? Remember there can only be ‘uno’ and you have the chance to create a ‘monopoly’ while on your ‘trivial pursuits’. If you’re hungry, you can compare ‘apples to apples’ with your friends while enjoying other snacks and drinks.

Dongshin English Service would like to invite you to a board game afternoon on Sunday Feb 19th after the main service at 2pm in Room 302. Cost is 5,000 won for food and drink.

If you have any games, you are welcome to bring them

Is life just a game? While you thinking about, why not play around with a few ideas and enjoy the fun and frivolity with us! (Romans 8:18-39)

Christmas Party 2011 – Dongshin Style

On December 25th the Dongshin English church service celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ.  After the service there was some fun with Christmas jeopardy presented by Nate Tipton. Topics ranged from ‘What’s in the Manger?’ ‘Name that Bible verse’ to ‘Guess that song’. The winning team was awarded small yummy chocolates which are ideal at Christmas.

Once kitchen preparations were finished, the Dongshin Korean leadership served a Korean Christmas dinner for the English service. The Christmas dinner included salad, kimbab, bulgogi, fruits and other fine delicacies. With over a hundred people in attendance there was still food to spare.

After dinner everyone made their way back up to the service room. Forming a large circle of chairs the Fruit Basket game commenced. One person would stand in the middle of the group and would have to say something like. For example, “I like people who are wearing blue jeans.” Everyone wearing blue jeans would have to leave their seat and find a new seat, although there was minus one chair from the number of people there. The one left standing would go to the middle and have to state something they liked.

To end the Christmas evening there was an optional white elephant gift exchange. Numbers were drawn to allow people to either open a gift on the table or to steal someone else’s gift. To prevent unfairness, items were only allowed to be stolen a maximum of three times before becoming ‘safe’. Regardless to say the hot items such as a huge container of peanut butter, home baked cinnamon rolls and fuzzy house slippers were quickly maxed out. It was a great time to celebrate the birth of our Savior with everyone and thank you to all who participated. Merry Christmas for He is born! Amen (by Eric Jimenez)

Thanksgiving Day Roundup 2011

Thanksgiving, is one of the hardest times to be away from home and the
familiar for any foreigner living abroad. Suddenly, having turkey and
cranberry sauce becomes the most important thing to have this week. I
know for myself, my mouth waters every single class I am in when I
teach about Thanksgiving and the traditional dishes we eat.

Dongshin Church celebrated Thanksgiving dinner this past Sunday, and
it was truly something I am grateful for going to. There is something
special when people come together to celebrate an occasion – a warm
feeling washes over people and suddenly you feel really connected. The
effort and magnitude of people serving was beautiful to watch, whether
from the smallest ornament details to welcoming guests who were
first-time visitors.

I sat at a table of people who didn’t really know each other. It was
refreshing to get to know new faces and meet some non-teaching
foreigners for a change. Our table bonded over the ridiculously
addictive Bible riddle. The room was filled with new faces, old faces
and stuffed faces. I walked away from it glowing with having had a
good night of conversations and a full belly.

Acts 42 talks about the first community of believers, “Every day they
continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in
their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts (v. 46).” We
all long for a taste of that, and sitting amidst the roomful of church
members and new people sharing a holiday together, I could sense the
possibility to be more like that first community of believers.

(Written by Alex)

August 21st The excellencies of a straight path, Proverbs 3:6

The theme of this sermon is related to how we get from A to B. What is the quickest way – in a straight line of course!

From the Westminister Shorter Catechism

Question – What is the chief aim of man?   Answer – To glorify God and enjoy him forever.

1. Excellency of a straight path – because God is excellent, the path is excellent

John 14:6, Romans 11:36, 1 Chronicles 17:20, Exodus 15:11, Psalm 89:6

2. The trouble of a straight path (what we worship) – because of our sin, the path is difficult (our aim is God but we don’t always head in that direction)

1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Isaiah 29:13, Psalm 34:8

3. The hope of a straight path – because of Jesus, there is hope for a straight path (Jesus walked for 3 years with his disciples knowing fully that his path led to the cross and death but he never deviated)

Mark 1:2, Hebrews 12:2, Proverbs 3:5-6

An audio link of this sermon is available on the homepage and also check back regularly.

August weekly update 7th-13th

On the 7th, we had our communion service which is always a great time to reflect on what the Lord has done for us.  Pastor Andy Gilman spoke about the effect of grace:

The effect of grace on the life of Paul (Acts 21:1-36)

1 Cor 5:10 Grace has effects on the life of the believer

Effect 1 The courage to live and die for Christ (Acts 21:10-15)

a) Nothing to lose and everything to gain    (also Galatians 1:13)

Effect 2 The humility to submit to authority for the sake of loving others (Acts 21:20-25)

b) Nothing to prove but everything to give

Effect 3 The faith to rest on Jesus and nothing else

c) Nothing to hope in but everything that Jesus did

Grace gives you faith when you don’t have enough faith on your own

Next Sunday 14th, we have a guest speaker ‘Dash Watt’ who will be sharing the message.

Also, we have our Prayer and Worship night on Saturday (13th) from 7-8:30 in Rm503.

On the 21st, plan to stick around after church (4pm) for a movie night and we will be screening

“The Encounter” so check out the events  page for the synopsis and trailer. Invite your friends and colleagues. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Finally, if you are involved in the organization of the Kurios Conference in October, we are having a meeting on the Sat 20th Aug at 1pm in church.

“Compassion Over Comfort: Showing Love With Everything You Have” (by Chris Whetsell)

As the Church we are called to care for widows and orphans, and that can be really difficult to do. I think our modern perspective of society has transformed our idea of widows and orphans. As a modern society we have also become complacent with our surroundings and we find too much comfort in them.

It seems this mindset has subconsciously been adopted by many Christians, and it has kept us from truly caring for widows and orphans who are in need and in close proximity.

Visiting the Shinsaengwon orphanage opened my eyes to the oftentimes very bleak world of orphans. I can’t say I was extensively involved in relating to a lot of the children there, but I believe that God was easing me into a new perspective of the world during my time with the kids.

Honestly, I can’t say my heart was in the right place when I went to see the orphans. I had heard about Dongshin’s ministry through the church, but I never really felt compelled to look into it. When I did decided to visit the orphanage my heart wasn’t entirely in it. My overall experience may have been affected by how I was feeling, and my general attitude probably made me feel less connected to the kids there.

God was at work despite how I was feeling, and ultimately, I really did have a good time with everyone at the orphanage. They were very generous and friendly, they served us all kinds of food and we did some swimming—albeit in freezing water. It was quite the experience for someone like me. Someone who has had everything dealt with and handed over by parents or friends.

To see children, who have been sent away from their loved ones, smiling and having fun, convicted me.

God has shown me that my heart needs to be worked on, and that my capacity for compassion needs to be examined before visiting the orphanage again.

Reaching out isn’t always easy, but it can help us see past our own reality and into someone’s dark situation. We can be a light to those people but we first need to learn how to be overcome the superficial comfort of our world.

When we have surrendered to the comfort of our little world we forget how important compassion for others is. We forget that Jesus purposefully stepped out of his comfort zone to feel compassion towards those less fortunate. Also that He never felt compassion out of guilt or duty, but He felt it from the depths of His soul. That’s how we should show compassion to others.

Movie Night August 21st 4pm

Title “The Encounter”
Stranded in the middle of nowhere five strangers find themselves at a deserted roadside restaurant. An arrogant businessman, a lonely single woman, a couple on the verge of divorce, and a youthful runaway all come face to face with a diner owner who serves them more than temporary nourishment. This hospitable host is a certain Nazarene, who knows all of their secrets and possesses the answers to all of their problems – if only they would trust him.

Snacks and drinks provided – all welcome

– Please invite your friends or work colleagues to church for this excellent story after the main service which will help you to share our faith and also give us a deeper understanding about Jesus.

DETAILS:
Place: Dongshin Church
Room: 302
Cost: Free

“Party On, Dongshin…” (by Chris Whetsell)

One thing I’ve learned out here in Korea is to never pass up an opportunity to eat a bunch of food and hang out with friends. At least unless I’m passed out from a previous food coma (mostly sugar coma, in my case) or just plain tired.

Renee and Richard were hosting a party at their place last Sunday, and at first I didn’t plan on attending. I didn’t have any of the required bright neon clothing and I’m a big planner to begin with, but when I heard a lot of people were going, I figured it was a good idea.

When the worship squad arrived at Richard’s pad we found the place already packed with Dongshin people and some of them dressed to impress in their neon chic. I almost failed to mention, the party was to celebrate Renee’s birthday and to say farewell to some old Dongshin friends. This whole blog entry wouldn’t have a point without explaining that.

Being the greatly generous people they are, Renee and Richard prepared a massive amount of food for everyone to enjoy. There was everything from hot dog bites to some excellent salad with cherry tomatoes and basil. I’m surprised my tongue can still taste anything after it experienced that deliciousness.

What followed up the snacking and desserts was a good time of fellowship and chilling. I’m actually not so great in social situations, but since I’m in Korea and pretty much deprived of interaction during the week, I try.

Other highlights of the night included: Stephen’s free flow poetry to the guitar styling of Nate and the passing out of gifts to the best dressed.

We had a really fun time with the people from Dongshin and there were some new people in attendance as well, it’ll be cool to see if they come to church on Sunday. This past weekend was a good time—but you really can’t go wrong with Renee and Richard throwing a party. Good job guys!

“Constructive Criticism Meets the Work of the Spirit: Dongshin’s Ministry Leaders Retreat” (by Chris Whetse

Finally, I was able to rest and relax with my friends at Dongshin at the ministry leaders retreat… wait… what am I talking about?!

The previous weekend, a group of the many ministry leaders traveled to some place (Chimsan Village) east of Daegu to a really cool secluded area. The funny part about the whole retreat is that I didn’t get much rest!

I was prepared to get up early enough in the morning to hit up the bus to get down to church, but somehow I ended up running a bit late—that never happens! Eventually I showed up at Dongshin not really knowing what to expect from my first leaders’ retreat.

We crowded into a few vans and headed out to a mountainous region past Daegu, it was really nice to finally be away from buildings and civilization for a while. Really, it was my first time being in the “great wide open” of Korea—I liked it.

After showing up late to the retreat site, we started things off with a message from Andy about God working in us despite our weaknesses. It was really cool to see Andy open up and be real with us. Sometimes I feel like some pastors don’t take the time to level with their congregation, so I appreciated hearing his message.

The rest of our retreat was generally focused on receiving input from the ministry leaders on how we can improve and stabilize the structure of leadership at Dongshin for future generations.

There was some really constructive conversations going on and it was exciting to see God working through the leaders. Balancing worship and service while maintaining a Christ-centered church can be nerve-wracking, but The Lord showed up that day to help smooth the process out.

After our meetings, we had a great lunch prepared by Richard and Renee. They worked hard to feed all of us and I was happy about being able to eat some spaghetti in Korea!

Once we had all finished our lunch, we participated in some whacky camp style games. Picking out your team members’ shoes–that was dangerous and the human knot–that was… interesting.

We gathered again in the main cabin to hear a message from Dash, and then we proceeded to dinner at Restaurant. I guess they couldn’t come up with a catchy name for it—I thought “Restaurant” flowed off the tongue nicely.

Near the end of the retreat we all met separately in our respective ministry groups. I enjoyed being able to sit down with the worship team members and throw around ideas for next year—that doesn’t happen everyday.

Being a part of the worship ministry at a few churches, I’ve realized that teamwork and compromise are important to leading God’s people into worship.

A lot of my ministry’s conversation focused on sharing the load of responsibility and being prepared for Sunday.

I ended up feeling really tired by the end of the retreat, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy myself. I’m very thankful for Dongshin and the humble ministry leaders who work hard to strengthen God’s people here in Korea.

Dongshin 2011 Scavenger Hunt May 15th