A letter from Sook Hee and K.J. Bae in Korea
April 12, 2011
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Last winter was exceptionally cold here in Korea and finally spring is here.
We are enjoying cherry blossoms and all different kinds of flowers. We would like to update and to share our ministry with you. Clergywomen’s status is improving, but still there are many challenges to improve their position in the Korean church. Recently Sook Hee visited small churches during March and April that women ministers founded in the countryside. DaeMang church is located at KuMi, KyungSangBukDo Province, which is around 230 miles south of Seoul. Minister Kyung Ok Kim founded this church about 10 years ago. Most people of this area have worshiped shamanism and they didn’t hear the gospel until minister Kim came here. The members of DaeMang congregation are fewer than 30 people. They built a Christian community these last 10 years and planned to have their own church building. The construction of the new building is completed and the dedication service will be this Easter Sunday. Sook Hee envisions this church’s members serving the community even though they have financial hardship. Also Sook Hee visited CheonAn BukBu Church, where the Rev. Jae Ok Kim serves as a senior pastor. When Kim came this congregation was about 30 people and now it has grown to 180 members. They share their living testimony often and are spiritually strong, which makes the church grow. This church is one of the larger churches, while most of the churches where clergywomen serve are very small and financially weak.
Group discussion at the Korean-Japanese Women Theologians Forum.
The Women Ministers Association (WMA) held its Winter Retreat in January in order to nourish their members’ spiritual needs. Also the WMA ran a seminar, “Women Ministry Story,” in three sessions: January, February and March. This seminar was sponsored by the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK)’s Education Training Department. Speakers for it were well-known women theologians and scholars. They showed and discussed how we can empower and improve women’s ministry in Korea. Many clergywomen participated in this seminar and shared their ministry and are looking forward to a better future in serving God and His Kingdom. Sook Hee also attended the “Korean-Japanese, Japanese and Korean’s Women Theologian Forum” (KJWTF) held in Kyoto, Japan, in February. Fifteen women theologians and ministers attended from Korea and discussed various women’s issues with Japanese and Korean ministers who reside in Japan. This was a good experience for Sook Hee, and it helped to understand the differences in clergywomen’s situation in the two countries and the relationship and seeking for ways for empowering women ministers of both countries.
Women minister’s story seminar.
KJ Bae works at the Inter Presbyterian Mission Office (IPMO) Korea office and in team ministry with Sook Hee. He helps Sook Hee’s women's ministry where she needs support. Sook Hee and KJ attend Yeji Church regularly, where members of the congregation are victims of domestic violence and runaway girls. Yeji Church has a new women minster, the Rev. Im Sun Mee as its pastor. She is very excited to serve God at Yeji Church and has started her new church ministry with enthusiasm.
We are grateful to God to be able to serve people in need as our mission. We are asking for your continued prayer and support for our ministry to establish God’s Kingdom and His Glory.
You can contribute to our sending and support costs online at www.pcusa.org/give [You can always give online. See the Give box in the left column of every page. —Ed.]or by sending a gift to:
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700
Write “E200309 – Sook Hee and KJ Bae” on the memo line.
Churches and presbyteries can also allocate part of their Basic Mission Support by designating an amount to “D506044 – Sook Hee and KJ Bae”. Donations may be sent through your normal receiving site or through the address above.
We wish you meaningful Easter with your family.
Peace,
Sook Hee and KJ
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 145
