As winter deepens in Korea, a familiar tradition quietly returns to local neighborhoods. On Dongji, the winter solstice, warm bowls of red bean porridge are shared to wish for health, protection, and peace in the year ahead.
This year, that tradition carried special meaning in Jeongeup, as graduates of the Zion Christian Mission Center Class 116 from the Thomas Tribe of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus chose to serve their neighbors together.
A Tradition Continued for Ten Years
On December 19, graduates and church members gathered before sunrise to prepare patjuk (red bean porridge) for local residents and market vendors.
The porridge-sharing event has now continued for ten consecutive years, growing from a simple neighborhood greeting into a meaningful annual act of service.
For the 116th class graduates, however, this year marked a new beginning.
Having recently completed their Bible education, they joined the service as a way to practice what they had learned, turning faith into action.
From Early Morning to Full Hands
At 5 a.m., about 20 graduates, ranging in age from their 20s to late 70s, gathered to begin cooking. Some were making red bean porridge for the first time in their lives.
Together, they:
Prepared red bean broth from scratch
Hand-shaped rice dumplings
Stirred the porridge continuously to keep it smooth
Packed about 200 bowls, a process that took nearly eight hours
Each container was carefully labeled with short messages wishing recipients health and warmth during the cold season.
More Than Food: Sharing Care and Connection
The porridge was delivered to over 100 local shops, market vendors, and community members across several neighborhoods in Jeongeup, including areas near traditional markets.
Recipients shared that receiving the porridge each winter made them feel remembered and connected.
Some said it felt like receiving food from “real neighbors,” especially knowing that the graduates themselves had prepared it with care from early morning.
“Graduation Is the First Step”For many graduates, the service carried deep personal meaning.
Several shared that completing their studies was not the end of their faith journey, but the first step—a chance to live out Jesus’ teaching to love one’s neighbor.
Leaders from the Thomas Tribe also noted that acts like this reflect the purpose of Bible education:
not simply gaining knowledge, but growing into people who contribute positively to their communities.
Continuing Service Beyond Dongji
This was not the graduates’ first act of service.
Just one month earlier, they had also participated in a kimchi-sharing volunteer effort, preparing hundreds of boxes for war veterans, elderly residents, and families in need across the region.
Through seasonal traditions, food sharing, and ongoing volunteer work, the graduates continue to show that faith can be expressed in simple, practical ways—especially during the coldest time of the year.
As bowls of warm porridge were handed from one person to another, the message was clear:
faith learned becomes faith lived.
Source:https://vo.la/O6GCbOx
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