Yoido Full Gospel Church

The membership of the church at Seo-dae-mun continued to skyrocket day by day. With the membership reaching 10,000, the Seo-dae-mun church was no longer adequate to accomodate all the members. Accordingly, the church began looking for a new place to build. Although many places were considered, it was not easy to find the right place to build a new church to accommodate its continuing growth.

It was then that Yoido was submitted as a candidate. At the time, Yoido Island was undeveloped and was being used as a runway for aircraft. Being a desolate island at the time, there was not even a bridge to connect it to the city of Seoul. It was obvious that one of the problems for the congregation would be the means of travel to the island. However, through much prayer by Pastor Cho Yonggi, he was assured that Yoido was indeed the place which God had prepared. With this answer from God, a piece of land was purchased in Yoido. Having purchased the land, the problem of funds necessary to build a church became a hurdle. The great amount of funds required seemed an unsurmountable obstacle. However, Pastor Cho Yonggi who believed in the miracle of God forged ahead with his burning desire to build a church in Yoido.

From the laying of its foundation, the church faced many difficulties, including the immediate problem of securing the funds. Coinciding with the Middle Eastern "oil shock", the exchange rate of the Korean won to the dollar plummeted, sending the cost of building material to a new high. Added to this external negative factor, the church also faced a drop in tithe income.

Many of the members of the church lost their jobs as a result of the "oil shock", and the banks which had loaned the funds to the church lowered the credit rating of the church, causing the debt repayment to be a heavier burden on the church. As the pressure increased, the construction of the church came to a halt, a truly devastating situation. Pastor Cho Yonggi began going out to the construction site, grabbed hold of the bare iron bars which stood like the skeletons of the building, and began praying to God nightly. "Oh God my Lord! It would be better if these bars fell on me and released me from this turmoil." Rain or shine, Pastor Cho Yonggi kneeled on the empty rice sacks and cried out to the Lord.

One by one, those who shared faith in God's plan and providence began joining Pastor Cho for the nightly prayers. With the passage of time, the prayers to save the church began to build momentum. Then, one member brought to Pastor Cho Yonggi the proceeds from the sale of his gold and jewelry possessions. This became an impetus for other members to also offer the church the proceeds from the sales of what they had sold. Such faith, love and devotion to God and the church made it possible to repay the debts and complete the YFGC.

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