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A SAINT IS LAID TO REST
Our brother, Professor Oh Jae Shik, whose 80th birthday celebration was hosted by NCCK in
November, died on the evening of Jan. 3. Many words of condolences came from global
partners. One of the ones that expressed best for us who he was came from Henriette
Hutabarat Lebang, General Secretary of CCA:
We received with great sadness, the news of the passing away of your beloved husband,
Dr. Oh Jae Shik on January 3, 2013. He is very close to the heart of many ecumenical
friends in Asia. At this moment, we would like to convey our deep sorrow to you and all
family members, relatives and friends.
We are grateful to God for the life and rich talents that Dr Oh Jae Shik was gifted with.
We remember with gratitude his contributions as CCA Executive Secretary for Urban
Rural Mission (URM) in 1970-1979 and International Affairs in 1979-1981. He brought to
his work a passion to work with and for the people in their local struggles. In his Report as
Executive Secretary presented in the first URM Committee meeting in 1974, he boldly
stated:
“In all humbleness, it may be said that the major achievement in our work has
been the discovery of the people. The realization of the emergence of a new
reality has marked a new thrust. And it has shattered the project-oriented
Christian involvement. We are no longer seeing the people as slum dwellers, nor
as ignorant workers. They are becoming full human beings with wisdom and
power. Their becoming human has made us become human also. Their liberation
process has set us free – free from our preoccupation with evangelism. The zeal
of evangelization, therefore, has been transformed into a conversion: conversion
into the new reality of the people. What has become important is the matter of
identifying ourselves with the people, rather than accommodating the people into
our projects. No institutional interests of the church should be allowed to hinder
this process of identification.’
(Minutes of CCA-URM Committee Meeting, 1974)
His vision has been the source of inspiration in the ecumenical work and Asian churches’
commitment to be in solidarity with the struggling people both in his time and in the
present.
We, the CCA family, convey our heartfelt condolences at the loss of a great ecumenical
leader and hold you in our prayers, especially in this time of bereavement.
We at NCCK celebrate his life and grieve his passing, but rejoice that he has returned to his
home with God.
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