Mr. J. Z. Moore, writing to “The Korea Field,” says, “Many incidents could be told but two must suffice. A young man who had been a Christian for some time received a strange new fire into his life and went to his parents, who were not Christians, pleading with them in tears. They gave up keeping the saloon they had had for twenty years and are now earnest followers of Christ. In two large towns about a half mile apart there were two quite strong groups. Ever since I have had the work I have been trying to get them to unite and build a church, but a church quarrel has always frustrated not only our plans for the church but the Lord’s work in that section as well. The revival came and there was great confession in agony and tears, of pride, jealousy and hatred, and now they are united in the building of a large tile-roofed church. Besides the Bible study classes, nearly every one of the larger churches and some of the small ones have had revival services lasting from one to three weeks. The native preachers having taken part in the Pyeng Yang revival took the lead in this work, which has resulted in transforming churches all over the circuit. These meetings were times of heart-searching prayer, confession of sin and restoration and straightening up of the past in so far as was possible. This was followed by a real sense of sins forgiven, joy in the assurance of the new birth and baptism of the Holy Spirit in cleansing and power for service.”
“These revivals,” he continued, “have taught me two things. First, the Korean is at heart and in all fundamental things at one with his brother of the West. In the second place these revivals have taught me that in the matter of making all life religious, in prayer and in a simple childlike trust the East not only has many things but profound things to teach the West and until we learn those things we will not know the full-orbed Gospel of Christ. Best of all,” he adds, “this revival has written another unanswerable chapter of Christian evidences. The old gospel of the cross and the blood and the resurrection now has become a free, full and perfect salvation to multitudes and has taken literally hundreds of lazy, shiftless and purposeless Koreans and turned them into very dynamos of evangelistic power. Not only this, but it is proven that Christianity does satisfy the spiritual needs and hunger of the people.”
Mr. Clark writes from Seoul: “The most conspicuous thing, in the whole church life for the year was the great Holy Spirit revival in February. The church was shaken as never before and, purged as by fire, now under the guidance of the Spirit they are reaching out for others. The three city congregations were never so much one in thought as now. It has been a beautiful year of growing together.”
Mr. Cram writes from Song Do: “I thank God that His mighty transforming power is realized by the Korean heart in definite expression.”
Mr. McCune writes: “We have not been counting the new believers as we did in previous years. There will surely be in all four churches, Methodists and Presbyterian, in Pyeng Yang, at the close of the meetings not less than two thousand new believers, if we may judge from the way they seem to be coming now.”
Mr. Gerdine, of the Southern Methodist Mission, wrote, September, 1906, “The past year has been one of large increase in numbers throughout the church in Korea. It is probable that thirty thousand new believers have come in during that time.[16] Our own church has shared in the general prosperity and advancement. This is true not only of the district as a whole but each circuit will show a good increase over last year. Here is a comparative statement of growth:
[16] This refers to the whole Church, the 2000 above referred to being in Pyeng Yang alone.
| October | ||
| 1905 | 1906 | |
| Number of societies | 46 | 129 |
| Adult baptisms | 201 | 606 |
| Total membership | 759 | 1227 |
| Probationers | 457 | 1694 |
| Applicants | 1712 | |
| Total number on rolls | 1216 | 4623 |
| In 1907 there was an increase in membership of 756, in probationers of 1331, and there were forty-seven new churches. | ||
This is the growth in one church after the revival spirit had fallen upon many of its leaders in Won San and it has not been less wonderful in many of the others.”
Mr. J. Z. Moore says there has been a gain of at least one third in membership over the last year, (in many churches it has been 50 per cent).