LOS ANGELES (BP)–For participants in the June 16-19 gathering of the Council of Korean Baptist Churches in America, a bridge in South Korea became an object lesson in the importance of a pastor’s ministry.
Jong Po Kim, pastor of Beautiful Baptist Church in Seoul, South Korea, spoke three times in two days to the 432 registered participants of the Korean group’s 27th annual meeting, which took place at Berendo Street Baptist Church in the part of Los Angeles known as Koreatown.
Each time he spoke, Kim referred to a bridge that now links his childhood home on Geoje-do Island, near Pusan, South Korea, to the mainland. The graceful concrete bridge provides an avenue of transportation that transformed the island from being a wartime POW camp to a shipyard that has placed Korea among the largest shipbuilding nations in the world.
Just as the bridge changed the island, so the pastor who allows his life to be a bridge between Jesus and humanity is an avenue of transformation as well, Kim said.
The 2008 annual meeting of 825 Korean Southern Baptist churches marked significant strides forward in ministry in four areas:
1) To date, nearly 300 Koreans have been assigned as career missionaries by the International Mission Board; the Korean Council’s goal is 1,000 by the year 2010.
2) A new Korean/English missions education curriculum for preschoolers and children has been developed by Angela Seonghei Kim of Houston and released in early June by WMU SBC in partnership with, and printed by, the Texas WMU. Information about the MissionFriends and Children in Action materials is available at www.koreanwmu.org.
3) A major world missions conference for Korean Baptists will be held April 21-23, 2009, at New Song Baptist Church in Dallas. The event, which is an outgrowth of summit meetings between Korean leaders from South Korea and America that have taken place the last two years will feature presentations by at least 100 missionaries of Korean ancestry whose assignments span the globe. Jerry Rankin of the International Mission Board, Loren Cunningham of Youth With A Mission, and Daniel Lee, pastor of the largest Baptist church in Korea all are expected to participate.
4) After 16 years of development, Chang Ho Hwang, pastor of Korean Best Baptist Church in Washington D.C., has completed work on a version of American Sign Language for Korean-speakers and is working on a translation of the Bible into Korean sign language. His goal is to complete the translation of the entire Bible into Korean sign language during his lifetime; he’s 48.
Reports from the Korean fellowship’s overseas missions, domestic missions, Woman’s Missionary Union, Brotherhood and Education departments added to the general sense of celebration at the annual meeting.
In addition to support of the Cooperative Program and seasonal missions offerings, Korean Baptist churches also support 15 Korean missionary families in Central America, South America, Africa, Central Asia and East Asia. Videotaped reports from them were presented during the first Tuesday evening session. The missionaries’ work includes orphanages, theological education and discipleship, as well as evangelism and church planting.
The visual effect of Koreans on mission around the world was for some people the best part of the annual meeting.
“This is the most important thing to Koreans, fulfilling the Great Commission everywhere in the world,” explained Daniel Song, pastor of Korean Baptist Church of Binghamton, N.Y.
During the Wednesday evening domestic missions report, several pastors expressed their appreciation for salary supplements, some of which come directly from the Korean Council while others are provided by churches that partner with the new work.
“That helped us a lot,” said Jae Lee, pastor of the Terre Haute (Ind.) Korean Baptist Church, told Baptist Press. “I’m so grateful. My church is a student ministry church; we can’t support ourselves.”
At least they couldn’t when Lee started the church less than four years ago. The $300 a month he received for three years made it possible for the church to continue to grow and stabilize, and now he no longer needs the supplement, Lee said.
The assembly also learned:
— A “Pastors’ Soul Care” conference April 6-9 in Monterey, Calif., was attended by 68 pastors, and 74 women from 15 states participated in the first national pastors’ wives retreat in April at New Life Church in San Francisco. In addition, 157 women from 22 churches participated in the Korean WMU’s annual meeting last August at New Song Church in Dallas.
— Korean WMU will hold its first national retreat July 25-26 at Disciples Baptist Church in Dallas.
— The Korean Brotherhood conducted basic disaster relief training in May at Global Mission Church in Maryland, which resulted in 21 Koreans from across the nation now have their basic certification.
Han Chung Ho, pastor of Immanuel Korean Baptist Church of Anaheim, Calif., was elected president in a run-off election with Sin K. Baik, pastor of New Way Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga. Baik became first vice president. Jong Keol Yoo, pastor of True Light Korean Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., was elected second vice president by acclamation.
Byung Jik Kim, pastor of Dover Korean Baptist Church in Dover, Del., was elected secretary, and Joseph M. Chang, pastor of Salt and Light Baptist Church in Hurst, Texas, was elected treasurer. Young Su Mong of Korean Baptist Church in Novato, Calif., was elected auditor.
Tuesday afternoon of the meeting was given over to a variety of workshops: relationships, ministry to military, health, creation, Korean War and several others. While the adults were in session, children from birth through sixth grade, and teens through high school graduation, participated in age-appropriate activities.
“It was really fun,” said 17-year-old Joseph Kang of Portland, Ore. “You meet so many people, and the worship services and messages are entertaining and touching.” Asked what God had said to him during the week, Kang responded: “He told me to be more better to my parents, to love them and thank them.”
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Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Louisiana Baptist Message (www.baptistmessage.com).
