In a letter to Bishop Yong-Jai Jun of the Korean Methodist Church, World Methodist Council General Secretary Ivan Abrahams expressed condolences to those affected by the sinking of the Ferry Sewol off the South Korean coast on 16 April 2014 in which many high school students were amongst the dead and missing.
“Please be assured that in these difficult days, we are united in prayer with all those who were injured, traumatized and bereaved. We also commemorate those whose lives were lost and pray that God will grant consolation to grieving the families,” said General Secretary Abrahams.
While the confirmed death toll from the tragedy currently stands at 210, there are 92 people still missing and presumed dead.
“It is our sincere prayer that the Korean Methodist Church, through God’s grace and wisdom, will continue to be empowered to bring comfort, hope and healing to grieving families and a nation deeply traumatised by events of the past few days. As witnesses to this tragedy we are very forcefully reminded that death is woven into the very fabric of our human existence,” added Abrahams.
