Korean church sports day is one of those Korean church traditions that I actually really enjoy.

Last Sunday, our church had its all-church sports day too.

May is known as Family Month in Korea, with several important family-related days such as Children’s Day, Parents’ Day, and Teachers’ Day. That’s probably why many churches also prepare family-style events in May.

I’ve attended many different churches over the years, from a very small church with around 30 people to a large church with about 3,500 members. But one thing I’ve noticed is that, whether the church is big or small, May always brings a similar kind of atmosphere.

Some churches hold these events at parks, school fields, public sports grounds, or indoor gymnasiums operated by the city.

I’m not exactly sure how churches with more than 10,000 members do it. Maybe they divide the Korean church sports day by district, department, or church group. If everyone gathered in one place, it would probably feel like a whole city festival.

Korean Church Sports Day Usually Starts with Worship

This time, because it was raining, our church held the event inside a gymnasium.

We started with worship first. We sang, listened to the sermon, and after the pastor finished praying, everyone moved back to their team seats.

That’s when the real Korean church sports day atmosphere began. There were two teams: the blue team and the white team. Kids were already running around, and adults were slowly getting competitive, saying things like, “Our team has to win!”

A Korean church sports day is not just a day for games. It feels like a mix of worship, school sports day, family picnic, and community festival.

It reminds me of school sports days from childhood. Families would pack gimbap, sit together, eat lunch, play games, and then the relay race would always be the highlight. Church sports day has that same feeling.

Wait, I Won the First Prize?

After worship, the first event was the prize drawing. Church members had donated different prizes, and the prizes were given out by lucky draw. Honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention at first because I was busy moving chairs and helping organize the seating area.

But I still needed to know my number, so I turned my back toward my husband and asked, “What number am I?”

“143! You have to go now!”

It turned out that my number was the very first one called. Among the prizes, there were several envelopes attached to a whiteboard, and I had to choose one of them.

I was so happy that I literally jumped up and down, because this was the first time in my life I had ever won a prize like that. Later, I found out that some of the envelopes were actually empty “losing” envelopes too. So yes, I was extra happy.

Korean Church Sports Day Games: Breaking the Ball, Ddakji, and Red Light Green Light

The first game was breaking the ball. This is such a classic Korean sports day game. A paper ball is hung high up, and people throw small beanbags at it until it bursts open. The team that breaks it first wins.

After that, we played ddakji. You might know ddakji from Squid Game, but for Koreans, this game has been familiar for much longer. Then we played Mugunghwa Kkoci Pieotseumnida, the Korean version of Red Light, Green Light. I joined this game and won a bracelet!

So my prize record for the day was pretty good:

Wasn’t I super lucky that day?

The Funniest Part Is Watching Adults Run

Of course, kids running around is cute. But honestly, the funniest part of a Korean church sports day is watching adults run.

This is especially funny during relay races. Everyone runs so seriously, but somehow the body does not move the way the mind imagined. People watching laugh, the runners laugh, and the cheering gets even louder.

When I was in my thirties, I once wore a cheerleader outfit and danced so hard as part of the cheering squad. Thinking about it now makes me laugh. I really had so much energy back then.

Church Lunch Always Feels Special

Lunch was also really nice. The men’s ministry prepared the meal for everyone.

Our church eats lunch together every Sunday, and honestly, the food is really good. It’s a small church, but the meals feel warm. It’s not only because the food tastes good. It’s also because of the atmosphere of sitting together and eating with everyone.

Life in Yangju Okjeong Feels Slower and Softer

I moved to Yangju about eight months ago. Before moving here, I lived in Bundang. Bundang was very convenient — the subway station was only a five-minute walk from my home, there were many restaurants, many people, and it was great for commuting to Gangnam.

But because it was such an urban area, life always felt busy. At that time, I didn’t even realize how busy I was.

“Oh wow, you moved to the countryside!” — my pastor

But honestly, Yangju Okjeong is one of the best-planned new towns I’ve seen. It has space, parks, wide roads, and almost everything you need. Since moving here, I even started riding a bicycle again. I hadn’t really ridden a bike since elementary school!

Oops, I was talking about church sports day and then wandered off again. But that’s very “I’m Uni,” right?

Dalgona and the Flipping Game

After lunch, there were more games, including the dalgona challenge, group jump rope for the young adults, and the flipping game.

Dalgona became famous overseas because of Squid Game, but the dalgona I remember from childhood was much thinner. If you pressed even a little too hard, it would break right away. You had to focus completely, almost holding your breath, just to carve out the shape. And why did we try so hard back then? Because if we succeeded, we could get candy. Haha.

The flipping game was also fun. There are square boards with one red side and one blue side. Within the time limit, everyone runs around flipping the boards like crazy. It’s such a simple game, but it’s hilarious. Kids and adults almost crawl around the floor trying to change everything to their team color.

I Was Sad I Couldn’t Stay Until the End

There were still many games left, but we had another schedule in the afternoon, so we couldn’t stay until the end. That was a little disappointing.

I think a Korean church sports day is most fun when you stay until the very end. As the day goes on, everyone gets more tired, but somehow the competitive spirit gets stronger. Next time, I want to keep the whole day free and stay until the end.

Handmade Pouches from a Church Elder

A few days later, after Wednesday evening worship, the pastor said there were still some prizes left. When I looked, they were handmade pouches made by one of the elderly church ladies. Each one was made stitch by stitch.

My husband works on projects with Japan and China, so he travels overseas often, and we also have international guests visiting us from time to time. I thought it would be lovely to give these pouches to our blog guests someday too.

Why Korean Church Sports Day Feels So Warm

A Korean church sports day is not just about exercise. There is worship. There is laughter. There is food. There are games. There are different generations spending time together.

Children run around. Adults run with their hearts ahead of their bodies. Someone wins a prize and jumps with joy. Everyone eats together, cheers together, and becomes a little closer just because they are on the same team.

I really like that kind of day. After moving to Yangju, I started attending a new church, and this was my first outdoor worship and all-church sports day here. Because of this day, the church felt a little more like my church.

If you are curious about Korean church culture, a Korean church sports day is something worth experiencing at least once. It is a little loud, a little old-fashioned, a little funny, and somehow very warm.