Schaffhausen,
Switzerland, Europe for Wednesday, 8 November 2017 "
Where Worlds Meet - NOVEMBER 2017 / ISSUE 9"
Where Worlds Meet - November 2017
In this month's edition of Where Worlds Meet, you will:
Find out how God orchestrated the planting of a Korean church in England
Hear from a family in India how theological education prepared all three for pastoral ministry.
© 2017 Eurasia Region, All rights reserved
NOVEMBER 2017 / ISSUE 9
Korean church planted in
England
A church was looking for a shepherd, and a
pastor wanted to serve: a match made in heaven.2
A family call
A pastor’s wife pursues theological education
and begins pastoring. Inspired by his parents,
their son obeys God’s call.4
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Local Church
Korean church
planted in England
A group of Korean families were
looking for a temporary pastor
to help them form a church in
Manchester, England.
That was the word that spread
from Manchester to a contact in
London and back to Manchester,
where Eun Ho Kim and MiJa Wi
were approached this past January
while still involved at Nazarene
Theological College (NTC).
Eun Ho had been volunteering at NTC in maintenance
while MiJa completed the last two years of her PhD
research and writing. After her graduation in October
2017, they planned to move to the Philippines.
That was still about a year away, so they invited what
they thought was a group of just two to three families to
their apartment on campus. Car after car pulled into the
parking lot, and soon they realized their small room was
not large enough to accommodate what was actually 10
families. So they moved over to the chapel to discuss the
group’s needs.
After prayerfully considering their story, Eun Ho and
MiJa agreed to offer support while the new church plant
found their direction.
“From the first meeting onwards, [Eun Ho] was very
understanding of our situation,” said Joon Kim, a
founding member. “He was very empathetic and that’s
what we need. Within the church board, we agreed we
would like to have him in a permanent basis.”
Formerly a pastor of a Korean church in Australia until
2015, Eun Ho says he has always had a pastor’s heart
for Korean immigrants. He said goodbye to the church in
Australia when he and MiJa were married and he joined
her in Manchester while she completed her studies. But
his calling did not waver.
While getting to know the city, he realized there were
many Korean students at the University of Manchester,
and he thought about starting a Bible study for them. But he believed he would not be in the country long
enough to invest in starting a ministry, so he waited.
“When [this] church came, actually that all met together,”
he said.
What started out as a temporary support to the
families as they organized their church has turned into a
permanent role as the newly organized church’s pastor
couple. The couple have set aside their plans for the
Philippines, and applied for – and received – residency
visas to remain in the UK.
MiJa, who was still in her final year as a PhD student
with NTC, joined Eun Ho in supporting the congregation,
including participating in the weekly ladies’ Bible study.
“We have high expectations,” Joon said of the role of a
pastor’s spouse. “Nobody will admit it, but we all do. She
absolutely meets everything and beyond. As a couple,
they do make a lot of sacrifices for us.”
Yedam Korean Church was officially organized as a
Nazarene church on the British Isles South District, and
now worships in the NTC chapel on Sunday afternoons,
followed by a community meal in the campus café.
On 8 October, the growing congregation, along with
many people from other Nazarene churches in the city,
came together to officially induct Eun Ho as the church’s
pastor.
The congregation is developing its vision for reaching
out to the city of Manchester. They gave an offering to
NTC’s hardship fund for students, and also are sending
volunteers to help in the Friday night asylum seeker
ministry at another Nazarene church in the city.
“[Eun Ho’s] full of energy,” Joon said. “He wants to do
things the right way. He’s outward looking; he wants to
go out and reach people, especially young people.”
“The congregation is very open and actually quite
excited about it,” Eun Ho said. “It’s not looking toward
a Korean church, being a good Korean community and
having social meetings. I want them to be equipped
by the word of God to serve the local community
here, especially refugees and asylum seekers and the
marginalized in the UK, since they live here.
“Even though they themselves are strangers, I still want
to challenge them to serve others, especially those who
are less privileged in the UK. That’s one vision.
“Even though they themselves are
strangers, I still want to challenge them
to serve others, especially those who are
less privileged in the UK.” (Eun Ho Kim, pastor)
“Second, especially for the students,” Eun Ho added.
“We have several hundred [Korean] students in
Manchester. We want to reach out to them so they can
be growing in God’s word here while they are studying
abroad. Wherever they go after they study, they can
serve others.”
Sarah Jin is a recent graduate of the University of
Manchester, and has lived in England longer (14 years)
than she lived in Korea (7).
However, attending the
church with her family and playing the piano in worship
keeps her in touch with her culture and heritage.
“I miss Korean culture,” she said. “When I come here, it
reminds me of home.”
She and other youth stay after the Sunday meal to
discuss the pastor’s sermon and what it means.
Since some families are mixed Korean- and English speaking,
services include translation of song lyrics,
scripture and the sermon.
“It has a strong Korean flavor, yet we still want to be
open to others,”
Eun Ho said.
The congregation is also thankful to be able to use the
chapel at NTC for their meetings. Joon said that its
location, with garden spaces and away from a busy road,
make it more family friendly than other locations they
have tried, and “by far the best.”
“We feel really safe here,” he said.
---
Education
A Family Call
A pastor’s wife pursues theological
education and begins pastoring.
Inspired by his parents, their son
obeys God’s call.
INDIA – Shai* decided to study theology through South
Asia Nazarene Bible College after the church pastored
by her husband, Baru*, planted a second church. Shai
was assisting in leading the newly formed congregation
and saw that theological study was already benefitting
Baru in his pastoral role.
Shai worked hard to fit her studies and class attendance
around her church ministry and caring for their family. At
the same time Baru was balancing his tailoring business
in the village with his work as a pastor. The flexibility
of SANBC’s program made studying amid other
commitments possible for Shai.
She graduated from the program in May 2017 and
expects to be ordained at an upcoming district assembly.
Baru graduated in 2015.
“I learned leadership qualities and how to preach,” she
said, of the preparation she received through SANBC.
Her favorite class was systematic theology. “It helped
me to teach my congregation the right knowledge about
God and His people. I learned Old Testament, and New
Testament, and then I learned about the people of God
and their faith, and how they walked with God.” Shai said
this helped to develop her own spiritual life.
“At SANBC, we are concentrating on knowing, being
and doing,” said Simon Jothi, principal. “Strong biblical
knowledge and doctrinal integrity develop character
while they’re studying, and develop their competency in
what they learn. They have to apply those in the context
of the people.”
Baru also told Jothi that he observed Shai’s preaching
and evangelism become more effective in the past four
years.
Shai said that she is encouraging more women and
men in the three congregations they have planted to
undertake the Nazarene Course of Study.
“I have a vision to help lay people train in the local
church so that as [the churches] continue to expand and
grow, there will be lay people who can take care of the
newer congregations.”
*Names changed for security
---
Inspired to Serve
Suba* grew up as the son of a mother and father -- Shai* and Baru* -- who are both Nazarene pastors in Northeast India.
“My parents taught me to depend upon the Lord and
I learnt to trust in God always for our needs,” he said.
“I saw my parents faithfully serving the Lord with all
limitations.”
Despite their faithful witness to the community and
their family, Suba resisted giving his own life to God.
Yet, on Christmas day, 2008, Suba realized he needed
God, too.
“My parent’s way of life leads me to think about God
and made me to realize God is able to change a person
like me. I realized that all I have achieved in my school
and college was nothing compared with God’s love. I
was very proud and thought I can be successful by my
talents and wisdom. On 25 December I realized that I
am nothing without God and I need His saving grace to
cleanse my heart and to lead a holy life.
“I felt peace in my heart after confessing my sin to
Jesus and He assured forgiveness. I started leading my
life in the will of the Lord from the day I accepted him
in my life.”
Suba began serving in pastoral ministry, and became
involved as a volunteer in his local Nazarene child
development center (CDC), as God put children on his
heart.
Suba watched his father work hard in the Course of
Study offered through South Asia Nazarene Bible
College.
“I realized I need to educate people like my father who
cannot afford to go to Bible college,” he said.
So, Suba enrolled in South India Bible School to earn
his Master of Divinity degree, while continuing to work
with the CDC and in pastoral ministry. His hope is to
teach with SANBC in the future, so he can help train
other pastors like his parents.
“God is good always and with His faithfulness I can do
anything for Him. I will share the joy of my salvation to
others. I wanted to encourage more young people to
come to Bible college to develop them for ministry.” q
*Names changed for security.
---
Thank offering 2017 for
mission
Every October and November, Nazarene churches around the world
show their gratitude to God for His abundant gifts by supporting the
global mission of the church through offerings.
We must fix our sight on places where the church is not yet, engaging
in intercessory prayer, sacrificial giving, and physically going to and
mobilizing others to go to these places. Each time we give to the
World Evangelism Fund, we send the message of the gospel into
areas where “the church is not yet.”
This year the suggested date for the offering is 19 November.
To promote this offering in your church, a video, print and digital
resources have been made available at http://nazarene.org/
generosity
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“This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.” (Psalm 34:6)
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Prayer requests
- Please pray for Yedam Church of the Nazarene, recently organized in Manchester, UK, and for Pastor Eun Ho Kim and MiJa Wi, as they lead the new congregation. Ask God to help the church find ways to share His love with their community and city.
- Pray for Shai, Baru and Suba as they fulfill God’s call to pastoral ministry and theological education. Ask God to bless them, their churches and the ministry of South Asia Nazarene Bible College, which is serving hundreds of others like them.
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Where the World Meets
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