We have been richly blessed through our Fall Revival, “Grace Upon Grace,” which began last Friday. The four pastors who are preaching during this special revival—Rev. Kwang Nyun Kim, Rev. Byung Ku Song, Rev. Han Bae Lee, and Rev. Kwang Sup Lee—were all students at Methodist Theological Seminary, entering in 1979 and 1981, and lived together in the seminary dormitory. I only learned this last Friday.
Because I attended seminary in the United States, I cannot help but envy those who have friends from their younger seminary days with whom they studied, dreamed about ministry, and have continued to share the journey of faith and ministry through the years.
I am especially grateful for their connection through “Gonan Hamkke” (“Together with Those Who Suffer”) and the Laos Peace Mission. ‘Gonan Hamkke’ has sought to stand alongside those who are hurting and suffering most deeply in Korean society. In doing so, they have endured harsh criticism, much as Jesus himself endured criticism from the Pharisees. Several years ago, FUMC in FLUSHING supported ‘Gonan Hamkke’ because we believed it was one of the mission organizations in Korea most faithfully embodying the biblical spirit of Jubilee. We simply wanted to send them a message: “Take courage. Keep going.”
Our church’s 50th Anniversary Laos Peace Center project has also become possible because of the missionaries sent by the Laos Peace Mission, led by Rev. Kwang Nyun Kim. When I visited Laos last month, I was deeply grateful to see that the missionaries we support are people of remarkable character, dedication, and competence.
I was especially moved to learn that they had all been trained through ‘Gonan Hamkke’—in the contemporary Galilees and Samarias where Jesus would be ministering among those who suffer and are marginalized. It made me grateful and proud that our church had supported this ministry.
Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” reminding us that what happens to one person ultimately affects us all because our lives are deeply interconnected.
Today, in the aftermath of denominational separation, we are going through a painful season. One of the greatest dangers we face is isolation. Churches in both the United States and Korea are experiencing difficulties that are made worse by the loss of connection and solidarity. Isolation grows when we lose sight of a sacred purpose greater than ourselves.
As I meet and talk with the pastors who have come to lead our revival, we have been having conversations about the importance of solidarity—of standing together and working together.
The brokenness around us is real. Yet I pray that churches will see the crisis of our time not simply as something to endure, but as an opportunity for the sacred renewal God desires.
May beautiful new bonds of solidarity arise here and there—churches and people joining hands, sharing a sacred purpose, and becoming instruments of God’s healing and renewal in our time.