1950년대 기독교연합봉사회의 농민학원 설립과 운영

Abstract

UCSC(Union Christian Service Center), which was established in October of 1949, founded Gospel Farmers School around Daejeon in April of 1950 as part of a project, and installed a demonstrative farm. And, it promoted the creation of self-management agriculture and the support for leaders by lending farmland to refugees and by carrying out education. However, the Korean War broke out. Thus, this project was discontinued and then resumed in October of 1950. This activity was what again continues the existence of Christian Rural Movement, which was suspended in the late 1930s. In September of 1954, Christian Farmers Academy was established. This succeeded to the Farmers Academy. Still, its system or content was completely new. The director of the Farmers Academy was assumed by Bae Min-Soo, who had been the central figure in the rural movement for the Presbyterian Church under the Japanese Empire. He had been responsible even for the financial supply. The initial project of the Farmers Academy can be taken the opening of the nationwide rural religious workers training meeting(September 1954) and the rural leaders training meeting(December 1954), which are short-term training courses. From March of 1956, the long-term training course(8 months) was begun. The subjects were Christians in over 23 years old who have academic background in more than middle school graduate. There was no limitation of region and religious sect. Religious education was emphasized together with the theory instruction and the practice instruction. Students carried out the research activity and the volunteering-work activity side by side every month. Its contents were recorded in 「Farmers Life」. Also, the Farmers Academy visited to instruct graduates in each district and provided the best follow-up service. Even its contents were recorded in 「Farmers Life」. These establishment and management of UCSC and the Farmers Academy are having the same context with those of the Joint Committee for Rural Work and the Higher Farming Academy for the Presbyterian Church, which are the combined organizations under the Japanese Empire.