김제시

Geumsan Church

Geumsan Church
  • Address Moakro 406 it is the Jeonbuk special self-governing province Gimje CITY Kumsan
  • Service hours Open year round
  • Fare No charge
  • Homepage http://www.gimje.go.kr
  • Phone number Geumsan Church (063-548-4055)

Introduction of tourist site

Geumsan Church built in April, 1908 were established by an American missionary Date with Jo Deok-sam(1867~1919), Lee Ja-ik(1882~1959), etc. For a boy and a girl should not sit together after they have reached the age of seven, the inside of building had ㄱ style form. Men attended a service in the south while women attended a service in the east. Sangryangmoon was written in Chinese character in the seats for men, and in the seats for women, it was written in Korean. Geumsan Church has been preserved in good condition and decided as a building with structure to see Korean naturalized process of the early church architecture by combining the features of Korean style and Western style churches. It was designated as Jeonbuk State cultural property no.136 in July 18th, 1997.

The story of Jo Deok-sam who was a grandfather of the former congressperson Jo Se-hyeong and Lee Ja-ik who was a horseman 15 years younger than him is very famous. Jo Deok-sam's father Jo Jong-in was rich since he settled down in this place where there were lots of golds to do the gold-mining industry. Lee Ja-ik was from Namhae-gun, Gyeongsang-do. His father died when he was 3 years old, and his mother died when he was 6 years old. He wandered all over the place including his relative ' s house and then worked as a horseman of Jo Deok-sam's house. Lee Ja-ik memorized fluently the Thousand-Character Classic because he learned while watching Jo Deok-sam's son Jo Yeong-ho studied with village school teacher, and since then, Jo Deok-sam let Lee Ja-ik study with his son.

Both of them led the same religious life. Lee Ja-ik became an elderly first, and the family accepted him and treated him as master and servant in house and elderly and believer in church. (If Jo Deok-sam did not accept, it might be divided. It was divided in other church of Seoul) Moreover, people shows the respect to the insight of Jo Deok-sam who supported Lee Ja-ik to be a minister and be a person who became a general president 3 times in the history of Korean Presbyterian Church in the early Christianity. Although Lee Ja-ik became an elder earlier than the owner, there was a belief of Jo Deok-sam who accepted it. Therefore, people visit the place as the holy land of the early Christianity.