Methodism and May Day: Intertwined in History
May Day, May 1, is internationally recognized as a day to lift up voices in the struggle for labor rights. Born with John Wesley’s care for coal miners and oppressed workers, Unite…
Posted: September 3 2025 at 09:36 AM
Author: Rev. Victoria Rebeck, NIC Director of Communications
Korea was liberated from Japanese occupation in 1945, but it is not completely free.
Two acoloytes in traditional dress led the recessional from the closing worship service.
Korean-American United Methodists across the nation observed the anniversary of this liberation with a combination of gratitude and sorrow. NIC Korean Americans and friends acknowledged the anniversary on Aug. 15 at First Korean UMC in Wheeling.
While from a military standpoint the divided Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [North Korea] and the Republic of Korea [South Korea]) is experiencing peace, Rev. Hwa-Young Chong, superintendent of the Prairie North District, says it is a “pax Romana” rather than the peace Christ preached.
“When Christ told us to be peacemakers, it was during the reign of Augustus,” she said in her sermon at the gathering. “This ‘pax Augustus’ was maintained by soldiers; it was an oppressive peace. The oppressed suffered the most under Roman rule.”
Worshipers committed themselves to be peacemakers by singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth†at the service’s close.
This is like the “peace” in Korea now. The two sides are not at war, but are divided by a military-protected boundary. Many families remain separated by this boundary as travel for North Koreans is rarely permitted.
After World War II, when Korea was liberated from Japanese occupation, the allies proposed separating the nation into two: The northern part would be overseen by Russia and the southern by the U.S. The intention that the two sections would be reunited as one self-governed nation has never been realized.
The two characters used to express peace in Korean mean something like “harmony” and “balanced,” Rev. Chong explained. “It’s like wholeness; for all of creation.
“While the world gives pax Romana, Jesus’s peace gives justice, mercy, and the peace of Christ for the outcast and oppressed,” Rev. Chong said.
She encouraged worshipers to adopt Henri Nouwen’s practice: even though not all of us are revolutionaries, we can be peacemakers by doing small deeds of peace every day.
“Peacemaking is a hard task,” she said. “But by every small act, we are bringing peace.
“Let us act tonight; we are making peace together.”