3. Good News Mission Offshoots – Gracias Choir: Christmas Cantata, Easter Cantata; School of Mahanaim – Gracias Music Programs, and Sesory Music Online/ Sesory Music Schools

The Gracias Choir would be in some sense another offshoot of Good News Mission founded by Ock Soo Park in 2000 as noted on his website, here. The Gracias Choir website “history” page does not seem to show his name, but states it was started in 2000. The Gracias Choir is based out of Korea and at least prior to COVID, traveled around the world, to various events and having their own concerts and cantatas, that we will get to.

As of current, on the “members” page, Eun Sook Park, who is Ock Soo Park’s daughter is still listed as “/President / Director / Chief Permanent Conductor”

Many of you may already know about the court case regarding Eun Sook Park and two other GNM members, as well as the mother of a 17 year old girl who died in their care. But if not, I have various posts that were links to articles regarding the trial and situation. Link: 1, 2, and the most recent here, which seem to indicate there is or will be another trial.

There is also this post with links regarding the Gracias Choir and abuse and exploitation.

Now...

Before I get into the Gracias Choir events and activities, first more background about the choir, at least the small amount I do know:

I recall anecdotes about the choir when in Good News Mission. Supposedly many were “normal” people, untrained in music, that joined the choir and would go up giving testimonies saying they were the “best” say tenor or alto or soprano, etc. This is a word of faith doctrine thing, that is they were supposed to be going up and saying it “by faith”. I think some might even have said God gave them a promise, but I don't recall exactly. And I have heard that indeed at least from those who first started in the choir, their musical ability has improved quite a bit.

I believe after they won the competition in Marktoberdorf, Germany, Pastor Terry Henderson, who often emcees, started to introduce them as the “world best choir”, which on their website on the “Prize” page state,

“…The Gracias Choir has been recognized for its excellence in musicality and has taken on being the best choir in the world.”

This is just to give you an idea of how big of a deal the Gracias Choir is hyped up to be while in Good News Mission. Also, I recall Ock Soo Park talking about forming the choir - but how other choirs would fall apart or not stay together and saying basically that to keep the Gracias Choir together and in unity, that wherever the Gracias Choir sung, the Gospel was to be preached. So again, while I do doubt Ock Soo Park’s motives, this is how it is told to the congregants. And I will tell you in this next section, I believe the members and the ministers and pastors that are sent out and that do a lot of the leg work, do have a heart to preach the Gospel…and sometimes there isn’t, but a lot of pressure can be put on you and/or being chastised for not having a heart to preach the Gospel.

Christmas Cantata

So the Christmas Cantata is a musical event divided into three acts, as US Christmas Cantata website delineates: Act I. Opera, Act II. Musical, Act III. Choir and orchestra with the “Cantata Message” in between Acts II and III.

When I went, it was either Ock Soo Park giving the message, or Yeong Kook Park, perhaps because we are in Los Angeles, which is the main hub of the west coast. That is, the Los Angeles head pastor is head of the west coast. This as I understand it would really be the whole point of the Cantata in a way. The music and performance is meant to “open the hearts” of the unbelievers so that they might be receptive to the Gospel and receive salvation. The Cantata work itself, as it is presented to the congregation, is for us, to see God work and change us, to break our hearts when we think “this isn’t going to work” and realize our evil thoughts are wrong.

So if you found this article because you got a “Dear Neighbor” letter, handwritten and then with a typed up letter, but then a hand signed name on the bottom, well. These people probably are not in your actual neighborhood. Maybe, but we’d be at church for hours, with I don’t know how many boxes of envelopes and letters, probably thousands. Signing and writing “Dear Neighbor”, folding into thirds, putting a flier and/or putting them into envelopes and sealing them, then putting them back into the boxes. The boxes were then stacked and eventually taken into vehicles and then distributed all around various neighborhoods in Los Angeles by members. I also recounted how I did this when in New York as well.

I don’t remember exactly what the logistical work was for exactly, except getting addresses and putting them into spreadsheets, for which I even bought a laptop to go into the church office and do work. I did have a physical map at one point to then like track where I walked in my actual neighborhood and then gave this information somehow to the pastor in charge. I was also sent to the Long Beach area at one point (wherever that huge annoying round about is) and sent a text with a map of the area I was to traverse and pass out letters. I also went to school districts at one point to try and see if the Cantata fliers could be distributed among the students. I believe we did just go out “witnessing” with fliers as well, inviting people to the Cantata.

Initially, the Cantata was free, and the fliers came with free tickets, then in later years, you did have to pay, with various seats having various pricing. I’m not sure where that stands now. Though from this post, u/Sufficient-Bid4924 points out that church members may be pressured into buying tickets. If this is your experience, please feel free to speak up as well.

After the Cantata, we would have to go on the computer and type in contact information for those who filled out their information from the Cantata. If someone had gone to a Cantata before, we would have to make phone calls and either leave a message or speak to the person, inviting them to the Christmas Cantata that was upcoming and update the lists accordingly. This might have also been where we asked people if they wanted to sign up for the Good News Magazine. Which then, I went at least once with a Samonim and knocked on a person’s door and was invited in. The premise was feedback for the magazine. The real reason, if I may be so bold, is to challenge the person and see if they are really saved; probably deduce that they aren’t, and preach the Gospel (in the GNM way) to them.

United States tour of the Christmas Cantata. First off, I was told something like all of the pastors and ministers in the United States had to get their tractor trailer license for the tour. The Pastors and/or Ministers themselves would be driving from city to city and be building up the sets for the Cantata basically in a day, breaking them down and then driving off pretty much once the performance was over to make it to the next city. I think they all also just sleep sitting in whatever vehicle they are in, as I recount my English speaking minister talking about how his feet were all puffy trying to put his shoes on. The minister of whom I received salvation through, recounted fellowship from another pastor, that when he was drilling and helping putting up sets, it was for the Gospel. Again, I say this to balance out the fact that while the “higher ups” may be corrupted, I believe many are also perhaps as sincere as one could be at times in terms of motive.

The Easter Cantata

The Easter Cantata is not as large in scale as the Christmas Cantata. It actually doesn’t even seem to show up on the Gracias Choir website, and I had to search “Easter Cantata Gracias Choir” to find the page which seems to show the 2025 tour schedule mostly in Korean. I actually tend to lean towards depictions of Jesus being a second commandment violation. Might by my scrupulosity, but it’d violate my conscience, so I won’t post a link for that. In that regard also, at the end of the Christmas Cantata first act, all the members on stage as the curtain draws all bow down towards the manger that is supposed to depict the baby Jesus…yeah. But, I suppose debates over these such things can be for another time and place.

The leg work for the Easter Cantata, I would say is perhaps a notch down from the Easter Cantata, but the overview of the Cantata work gives a fair idea of it.

You can also see on the Gracias Choir website that they do seem to have other events, but I would say those are the largest two.

School of Mahanaim – Gracias Music Programs – I typed this out as it is on this page of the town of Huntington, New York. The Mahanaim website as of current still shows a music program, though u/Sufficient-Bid4924 states the music school is to be shut down. In any case, I do not know how many people actually go to Mahanaim, and I would think most would already be part of Good News Mission and in some ways training to be part of the Gracias Choir.

Sesory Music Online/ Sesory Music Schools

So from the webpage alone, my understanding would be that the Sesory Music Schools are aimed at more grade school to high school age students. It states here under the “Mission” tab:

“The three-year course that Sesory offers (2 years of online courses + 1 year of live training courses in Mahanaim) will make you into a musician and fellow teacher who will give hope and happiness to other people.”

You will also notice an overlap of the “Instructors” on the Sesory Online website and with the Gracias Choir “Music Instructor” page.

While the webpage that is titled “Sesory Music Online”, does not show on ground options, from the history page, and pictures, it would seem to indicate there are on the ground schools in various places. As an example, one such seems to be here in this Facebook page that is Uganda Sesory Music School. Along with a Sesory International Instagram. I myself am not knowledgeable about the breadth and scope of the music schools, so if anyone else does know, please feel free to chime in.

In any case, I believe this was a general overview of Good News Mission’s musical offshoots that I am aware of.

“¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually give you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, LSB)