Month: Mar 2026

On 14 March 2026, the New Heaven New Earth Church of Jesus marked a historic milestone, celebrating 42 years of unwavering dedication to global evangelism, humanitarian service, and transformative Bible education. Since its founding in South Korea in 1984, the church has evolved from a small gathering of believers into an international movement, now spanning over 100 countries including South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

The core of this four-decade journey is a commitment the church made to fulfilling the will of God by providing believers with an in-depth understanding of the Bible’s prophecies and their fulfillment. This drew thousands of pastors and faith leaders from diverse denominational backgrounds seeking to guide their congregations with truth and clarity.

In Southern Africa, the church has successfully bridged cultural and religious divides by establishing deep-rooted connections with local religious communities through hosting extensive Bible seminars and interfaith dialogues platforms for unity and spiritual revival. Many of these leaders have publicly testified that the church’s teachings have deepened their faith and equipped them to guide their congregations with renewed conviction, allowing them to lead their local flocks with a newfound sense of purpose and biblical accuracy.

“The teachings provided answers to questions I had been wrestling with for a long time, and I found a sense of purpose and understanding that I hadn’t experienced elsewhere,” said Pastor Wilka Tuuenikelao Nahenda Shatiwa from Southern Africa. “The logical approach to interpreting scripture made me want to explore further.”

This anniversary serves as a testament to the church’s enduring mission to spread the gospel and provide a systematic understanding of the Christian scriptures to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

Beyond the pulpit, thousands of volunteers have mobilised to address critical societal challenges through large-scale blood donation drives to support struggling healthcare systems, disaster relief efforts in the wake of environmental crises, consistent food distribution programs conducted in partnership with local organisations, and environmental restoration projects, including large-scale clean-ups and tree-planting campaigns.

As the church enters its 43rd year, its influence continues to expand through stewardship that encompasses both the spiritual and physical, demonstrating the love of God and Jesus Christ. Through Bible seminars, interfaith dialogues, and educational programs, the church has united pastors, scholars, and believers in the pursuit of biblical truth and righteousness.

– 10th Anniversary of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW): From War to Peace –

War remains a reality of international politics. Conflicts and armed clashes continue to erupt, and despite the existence of international law, war has not disappeared. How long must humanity continue to endure this cycle? If conflict is inevitable, must war also be the way we resolve it? The Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), proclaimed on 14 March 2016, was presented as a proposal in response to these questions.

HWPL and the DPCW

The DPCW is not a document born from abstract ideals. Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), the organization that proclaimed it, is an international peace NGO established to protect lives lost in war and to build a sustainable peace order.

The background of its founding lies in the wartime experience of HWPL Chairman Man-hee Lee. As a student soldier during the Korean War, he experienced firsthand the devastation of war. The conviction that the cycle repeatedly sending young people to war must end with this generation later inspired international peace initiatives. The September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit, held in Seoul on 18 September 2014, became an important turning point. At the event, attended by a total of 1,933 participants from 152 countries, participants shared a consensus that international standards are needed not only to respond to conflicts after they occur, but also to prevent them and institutionalize cooperation.

To translate this vision into concrete form, HWPL launched the HWPL International Law Peace Committee (ILPC) in 2015, composed of international law experts from around the world. Through legal review and consultation, the committee completed drafting the DPCW, consisting of 10 articles and 38 clauses, which was officially proclaimed on 14 March 2016.

The Standards Proposed by the DPCW

The DPCW sets out standards on the use of force and procedures for the peaceful resolution of disputes. It also reinforces the principles of international cooperation and collective security, while incorporating the roles of religion and civil society within the institutional framework.

This document does not deny the existing international legal order. Rather, it focuses on clarifying already agreed-upon principles and structuring them so that they can operate effectively in practice. It is meaningful in that it represents an attempt to move beyond an order that presupposes war as a means of resolving conflict. The question raised by the DPCW is simple: even if conflicts exist, must they necessarily result in war?

Expansion of International Support

Since its proclamation, the DPCW has gained support from international organizations and national parliaments. Regional parliamentary bodies—including the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), and the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino)—have adopted resolutions endorsing the initiative, while about 900,000 endorsements have been collected from citizens in 178 countries.

This demonstrates that norm diffusion is taking place not only through state diplomacy but also through civil society. Yet reality remains complex. International conflicts persist, and power politics remains entrenched. The transformation envisioned by the DPCW is still unfolding.

Beyond the Era of War: Leaving Peace as a Legacy for Future Generations

For a long time, humanity has ended conflicts through war whenever they occurred. The pattern of determining order through superiority of power has been repeated.

The issue raised by the DPCW is structural. Even if conflicts do not disappear, the way they are addressed can change. The question is whether it is possible to build an order that manages conflicts within standards and procedures, cooperation and institutions, rather than through armed clashes.

The past decade has been a period of raising this question to the international community and accumulating institutional and social foundations. The task ahead is to ensure that these standards operate within the actual international order.

What Path Should Humanity Take?

Not toward a path where war remains a means of addressing conflict, but one that seeks to structure and institutionalize peace.

Conflicts may be unavoidable. However, whether they are allowed to escalate into war or addressed through a different standard ultimately depends on humanity’s choice. The DPCW represents an effort to give this transition a concrete institutional framework. The discussions and global expansion over the past decade have demonstrated that such a vision is possible. One question remains: Will these standards take root in the international order, or remain yet another declaration?

Maseru, Lesotho – Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an international peace NGO, successfully held the ‘DPE-HWPL Peace Education Teacher Graduation Ceremony’ in Maseru, Lesotho, on March 13. This event was jointly conducted with the Development for Peace Education (DPE), a civil society organization specializing in peace education within Lesotho.

The ceremony was attended by 51 teachers who successfully completed the peace education course, along with high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) of Lesotho, education figures, and community leaders, totalling about 74 participants. In particular, this event served as an important platform for collaboration where government agencies, the international community, and local civil society united to integrate peace values into the national education system.

Mr. Tsepo Valentine Ntutu Mosoeu (Coordinator of DPE) stated, “The partnership with HWPL has brought new hope to the educational field in Lesotho. Beyond simple knowledge transfer, we are first transforming teachers so that students can grow into ‘peace citizens’ who resolve conflicts through dialogue and respect each other. This graduation ceremony is the beginning of that change.”

Honorable Ntoi Rapapa (Leader of the Alliance of Democrats and Minister of Education) emphasized, “Social conflicts and violence cannot be resolved solely through institutional changes; people’s values must change. If we do not teach peace to children, someone else will teach them violence, which is why the role of teachers in the field is more important than anything else. I hope that this education will be fully implemented within the public education system so that all children in Lesotho can grow up learning peace, and I will actively support this.”

Mrs. Puleng Nkaleche (Principal of Ribaneng High School) shared her thoughts, saying, “Having experienced the tragic pain of losing children in the past, I felt the desperate need for peace more deeply than anyone else. The peace education introduced after establishing a relationship with HWPL following the September 18 event in 2023 has become a light of healing and hope for our school and children. Now, our teachers will become messengers of peace and teach so that tears are never repeated on this land.”

Starting with this graduation ceremony, HWPL and DPE plan to expand the scope of peace education throughout Lesotho and regularize the teacher training process. The teachers who received certificates will play a key role in instilling peace values in students at all levels of schools, contributing to the establishment of sustainable peace and social harmony in Lesotho.