About Us

Kosin University

During 2009 and 2010 Richard and Annette will be spending semester time at Kosin University in Busan, South Korea. Richard is particularly involved in teaching worldview and education courses to postgraduate students from around the world who are brought to Korea on full scholarships. Without the scholarships these students would not be able to afford to study. Annette is involved in helping students with English.

Many of these students come from Confucian based societies where the teacher’s role is to impart information and the student’s role is to learn it. Conversely, Richard and Annette are concerned to challenge the students to think through issues from a Christian worldview perspective, as there are often no prepared answers for the situations that they will face when they return to their homelands after two years of study.

In addition the Edlins open their home on Sunday evenings to overseas students. This is a challenging time when many of issues are discussed in the light of Scripture, such as persecution, commodification of marriage, cultural engagement, polygamy - real issues that these students face in their home countries.

 

Teachers Evangelical Mission (TEM)

During the first half of 2009 Richard spent three weekends delivering seminars to teachers from Teachers Evangelical Mission, TEM. These teachers who are predominantly young, teach in public/state schools in Korea and their desire is to do this in a manner that honours Christ. It was encouraging to see the way in which these teachers were prepared to step out of their comfort zones and embrace a Christian worldview perspective.

TEM wants to set up a Christian teacher training institute as part of a community in the central part of South Korea. This development is strategic for South Korea because gradually, parents here are being given more choice in the education of their children and Christian schooling is becoming a real possibility for them. TEM also aims to help Christian teachers function faithfully in an increasingly constrained public school environment. Please pray for these Christian educators and also for Edserv that there may be strategic opportunities to help with this endeavour. Pray also for Korean church pastors who, in this Confucian-based society, have a determinative role in whether or not Christian schools develop.

 

Christian Alternative School Association Korea (CASAK)

The Christian Alternative Schools Association Korea (CASAK) is a vibrant group of young Christian schools throughout Korea. Its members have been prepared to take a stand and go against the flow by breaking new ground and start fledgling Christian schools.

We wish you could be a “fly on the wall” and see their passion and energy as we have the privilege of working alongside these courageous, committed Christian people. Often with limited resources and facilities, they are driven by a passion to ensure that Korean children learn about the world and their places and tasks in it in a manner that equips them to engage the culture as God’s shalom image-bearers. This is especially vital in these days when Korea is wrestling with multiple and profound cultural transitions like going from a developing eastern, authoritarian nation to a wealthy, globally-impacted, consumerist society. CASAK schools are officially sanctioned but receive no government funding or support. Once again, teacher re-training will be vital if faithful and dynamic nurture is to be provided. Please pray for the CASAK leaders as they seek to address this need.

 

Peniel Rural College of Education

A highlight of our Edserv activities during Kosin’s July/August semester break was a working visit to Christian educators in a socio-economically deprived rural area near Madurai, in south India. Following on from training we provided there in 2007, this time we explored Christian education more deeply with teachers from the Peniel Rural College of Education, the Peniel Matriculation School and Peniel High School. These gracious people sacrifice many material comforts to serve orphans, semi-orphans the victims of the female infanticides, and other underprivileged children in their community. Edserv’s desire is to be able to continue to serve these educational institutions into the future as they face the challenge of working out what the Lordship of Christ means for them in their schools and institutions.