R.I.P. Reverend Ha Yong-jo, founder of Onnuri Church

On Tuesday, August 2, 2011, at approximately 4:50p.m. (S. Korean time) the Reverend Ha Yong-jo went to be with the Lord. According to the Korean Herald (link to article), he had emergency surgery but passed of a brain hemorrhage following a stroke. “He was at Severance Hospital in Seoul, but did not regain consciousness. Ha had been diagnosed with liver cancer and had undergone seven major surgeries over the past few years.” He was 65 years old.

(Read Korea Joongang Daily article here Aug 3, 2011)

Pastor Ha founded Onnuri Church (All Nations Church) in 1985 with a vision to start a church similar to the one found in the Book of Acts  -  one that would be true to God’s mission of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. “He wanted to produce the kind of disciple that would change the world…[for] the entire church to be the missionary,” according to Glocalnet. He was indeed a pioneer in the Korean church, and was a catalyst for global missions.

What many people of my generation take for granted, myself included, is the simple devotion that a single person could have for Jesus Christ and the cause of the gospel.  I believe Pastor Ha’s life can be summed up in the word of the Apostle Paul:

⁷ But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ  ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ— the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  ¹¹ and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  ¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead,  ¹⁴ I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 3:7-14,

In the coming days, personal testimonies will reveal the character of this man. I see the fruit of Pastor Ha and Onnuri Church, and it’s amazing to consider what God can do with the wholehearted devotion of a single individual.

Interestingly, Onnuri Church hosted the World Missions Conference in early July.  Korean missionaries from all over the globe convened in Seoul to seek God and to pray for the nations.  What a blessing it must have been for Pastor Ha to be able to see how the gospel is advancing before his call home.  Also at Onnuri’s 25th year anniversary celebration last year, he made public remarks of reconciliation toward Pastor Cho of Yoido Full Gospel Church for the historic divisiveness of Korean churches.  He called his members and the broader Korean Church to reconcile with each in Christian love.

Rest in peace, Pastor Ha.  Thank you for your service to the Lord.  Thank you for being a model to me and my generation.  I’m sure you heard the greatest of affirmation, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).

Advertisement