I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13) This is a calligraphy written in the Korean language.

 There are a few stories about their rewards from their faith.

Mr. Lee is 45 years old and he is a senior deacon. When he first attended church, he didn’t offer a tenth donation.  But suddenly he was allowed to study at Michigan University to study management course for a year. For a long time, his only hope was to study in the United States. That dream was accomplished when he attended our church.  So he went with his family.   After finishing a year course at Michigan University, he came back to Korea in 2002.  Also he bought a spacious apartment before he left to America. When he returned from America, the price of the apartment increased double.  So I said it was the result of his serving church. He accepted God’s help in his faith. So that’s why he offered much donation for the church and acts as a lay believer’s leader.

Mr.Oh is a deacon, but he didn’t attend church in the past. He had no religion. A few years ago he suffered from the congestion of the brain.  He almost died, but as God helped him, he recovered soon. Also he lost his job, so he couldn’t get his job for a while.  When he first attended our church, he got his job as a servant at an elementary school. The job was temporary and unstable, but after his family attended church for six months, he became a public servant at an elementary school. So I said God is very pleased of his attending church, especially in a small church. As he already experienced the door of death, he regularly has attended church on Sunday even though he don’t play in front of people. Also, he bought a quite a big house at a chief price recently. So I said it was a gift to him from God as a reward to serve church as a manger who is responsible for a church building.

Miss Chun was an old maid whose age is 38 when she attended CHMC alone.  She was a former Methodist but she moved to the next door to the CHMC.  After attending church for six months, she met Mr. Kim, a boy friend and they came to live together as a family. Mr. Kim had suffered a burn on the face in his childhood. So he had a problem to meet persons. One day he was sick and he had no man to help him.  That is why he wanted to marry her. It was his fortunate to meet Miss Chun. They have the same hometown, so they had homogeneity in their thought. That’s the reason why we got two believers near the church. So I said God is pleasing for people’s activity to serve in a small church. That is the reason why she met her husband.  They moved to other place which is about 10 km away. However they still attend our church. As they were absent for a month, I visited her home last week, she gave her pastor, me, much food, considering the pastor’s wife and promised to attend church again.

             Also, there is a woman whose age is 70 years old. Although he has attended a big church, she has donated much money to CHMC. Even this week, she offered US$500.  I think this is pure belief because there is no merit from us because we don’t give her anything except for a player.

About its program and its effectiveness.

Since our church was established, the church had many programs; bible study, QT, and English program for children. When I started this church first, I opened many programs, but people were vacant in all the programs.  There was no person who registered the programs. So I cut the number of programs and focused on one or two church programs. Before we moved to this place, there were many children because we provided them with not only Christian Mission School( CMS) program which gives children English study service, but also Bible study and QT program for the congregation.

After we moved to this place, we have both Bible and QT program but also English study program.  At first we focused on high school students with English because there is a high school nearby, but we failed in gathering students because the school offered too much programs for students, so students cannot go to church during the weekday period. Even on Sunday, they didn’t come to our church because there was no program for the high school students and they are very tired.  So we opened English program for adults by advertising the program on the Internet site. We had 10 students with the program instead of the high school students.  Now we stopped the program temporarily because of my wife’s illness.

Also, as for the bible study and QT, we have done it for a year. Because we finished a book and congregations request to take a rest for a while, now we stopped the program. But from the next year, we start it once more.  Also, we invited a student guitarist to teach our church students a guitar. So some students learned the guitar. Also, we have done mission activity from time to time in the next door area, but there was no remarkable results up to date.

About its faith story

Here I would like to introduce my wife’s story about faith. This is a translated story by me.

A  very good God who helps us go well whenever we face with any difficulties.

“If a life gives you sour lemon, make it into lemonade.” This saying is a lesson saying not only you have to make an effort to change a trial into the happiness of your life, but also you live a much more mature life based on the trial. I played to God at the church to prepare for the doctor’s diagnosis a day before I went to YangJi Hospital. I shed tears for repentance because of my ostentation for I didn’t offered my fullness to God and I felt regret for my life in front of God even though I had tried my best to give students at a Yongrak high school God’s love and to offer money and mind for Chuhyang Methodist Church which is a newly established.

I seemed to have a dream in the operating room at the hospital which is strange to me

Because I gave counsel to my students even yesterday and was very busy to prepare for the next semester. Because of very good God, I was able to meet a patient in the hospital room and she let me know the details of breast cancer, so I had no dreadful mind of breast operation. Also why I got peaceful feeling at the surgery is God’s love shown to me through all the churches including Berkland Church’s player teams who played for me for 24 hours in Boston, Russia, Japan, and Korea. Also included are Youngrak high school teachers and its students, pastors in Kwanak Methodist churches and their congregations, even Drew D.Min students, and Chu hyang Church’s congregation.

Throughout my life, I have felt God’s love a little vaguely, but through my breast operation, I felt a confidence that even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I will feel no evil, for you are with me (Psalms 23;4). I didn’t have a good association with God because I was too busy, but I was able to endure the long operation of breast cancer with myself engraving the word of God on my mind everyday.  When I praise God and I see only God with my whole mind which don’t see the worldly things and people, I was able to experience that all the things were filled for myself and everything goes well with me.

The surgical time was AM 11 o’clock, but I was able to receive the operation by PM 4 o’clock, so I was hungry as I didn’t eat breakfast and lunch. When I recovered my conscience after two hours’ surgical operation, I praised God by singing a Hymnal “Joyful, Joyful, we adore there.” I was filled with God’s victory and gratitude. Oh! I came to live again!  I thought God has something to do through me. I imagine Moses felt this kind of deep emotion when he finished crossing the Red See with the Israelites.  When I finished the operation, I didn’t eat any water for almost 12 hours, So I thought that water is so important even with a drop of water which I was felt only with the clothing being wetted as I wasn’t prohibited to drink water for 6 hours after the operation.

This reminded me of the parable The Rich Man and Lazarus because of the importance of a drop of water. As soon as I recovered from the illness, so that I go out of the hospital, I decided to do my best to be witness of Jesus Christ, so that many people don’t go to the hell in front of God’s wrath resulting from the people’s hypocritical faith. Two days after my operation, I had a dream showing that a snake like a lizard which is larger than me went on dying a miserable death.  That is to say, God showed me a dream showing the power of the evil spirit which had harassed me for a while collapsed.  When I came to recover my health, I remembered all the thanks which were just passed due to the busy life.  I was thankful for a beautiful flower on an unknown road, all the trees which makes fruits, the beautiful moon in the night sky, fresh air, and endlessly spread sky. I was very thankful for all these things.

In the midst of life, I suffered breast cancer which drove me to a desperate situation, but I felt even this is a plan of God.  It’s time that I should learn a lesson from God to improve my faith. God will know clearly how much I should learn and improve in my faith steps. God knows my limit within which I have nothing but complain of all the things when something goes wrong. I offer My Father God glorification, gratitude, and hymn as He gives me heavenly blessing, grace, and peace at times. God’s efforts which made Abraham from Abram will continue to reveal in my life.  “ Load is an earthenware maker and I am earthenware. Let your will be accomplished. I will obey Load.”

The above is written by my wife after her surgical operation because of breast cancer. Now she receives radioactive treatment everyday.

About my stories

I have several stories which I think are important in my pastoral sermon. 

1) After graduating from Dongsan high school, I failed in the collage entrance test, so I studied a professional school as scholarship student, which is now Kyonggi Institute of Technology. I majored in Electronics.

One day in 1977, I met a university student called Kim Jae Suck who attended Sungdo Presbyterian Church. He said me to come to Seoul Station on Sunday to talk the next day. So I met him again the next day.  He led me to his church, Sungdo Presbyterian Church. Because of his guidance, I became a Christaian. I went to Sungdo Presbyterian Church and studied Bible.

2) After I graduated from the 2-year professional school, Kyonggi Institute of Technology, in 1978, I got a job as an electronic engineer at Gold Star Electric Company for a time.  But I couldn’t be satisfied with the job.  I decided to study again at a university further. So I had to take a test for University again. But at that time the physical situation wasn’t good. I had to finish three-year military duty as a soldier. It was difficult for me to endure three years. I received a physical examination for conscription. I wanted to do reservist duty because there was no enough time for me to take the university entrance test and I was very weak because of my illness, pulmonary tuberculosis.  

I should have gone to the three-year army if the conscription officer had sentenced to a soldier on active duty. I played to God very sincerely to give me a chance to study at the University for five minutes at the physical test room. God responded my player immediately.  He allowed me to serve as a reservist soldier for only one year. Even though the conscription ordered me to do three year duty, the conscription saw my record again and he corrected my military duty into one-year reservist. In Korea, all the men should do for one-year or for three-year military duty.  I was only one among 600 people who changed after the decision.

Partly this results from my previous illness, pulmonary tuberculosis, but as I was cured perfectly there was no reason for me to do reservist duty. Still I believe God heard my player at that time. Because of this help, Not only I became healthier, but also I was able to get into Kyung Hee University with the major in English and English literature. If I went to the three-year army immediately, I think I had no chance to study at the university, so that I couldn’t become a pastor later.

3) When I took a test for Methodist Theological School (MTS), I was 35 years old and I had no time to study the Bible and others. So I asked my company boss to give me two weeks vacation so that I can prepare for the entrance test. I got the vacation and started to study entrance subjects. But my old apartment began to drop water because pipe laying was very old. So I had to work to lay pipes. And my children went to a hospital because of cold.  I almost the entrance test because I lacked the knowledge of the Bible. On the entrance examination day, I took a test for a subject and the bible test was scheduled to be taken after lunch. I started to read the bible reference book over lunch. I was surprised to see the bible questions. Many of the questions were the same as the contents that I had read just before the Bible test. Lunch time study helped me to pass the entrance test. If I couldn’t have passed the test, I couldn’t have become a pastor.

4) When I studied at MTS, there was a time when I couldn’t afford the tuition.  I had only a third of the tuition, US$300. As I am not a person to ask a neighbor or others to lend money, I decided to summit a temporary absence request for a semester. So I went to MTS registration office to submit the request. But I was surprised to know I became a scholarship student, so the benefit was two thirds of the tuition, US$600. This allowed me to pay all the tuition, US$900. God helped me to study continuously regardless of money.

The above stories are four models I frequently mention on my sermon.

The first story means that if someone met a Christian, it will be a chance for him to become a Christian according to his acceptance. This can be applied to church growth. If the church is prepared to receive a new person, this method is useful to increase the number of church congregation.

[As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said,” and I will make you fishers of men.]<Mark 1:16~17>

Church should have a relationship with a society, so that church should invite people to church for mission.

The second story reflects God’s immediate response for a sudden request from a believer. For example, [ “Come,” he said, Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and come toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out caught him. “ “Load, save me ! Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith”, he said, “why did you doubt ?] <Matthew 14:28~31> Peter asked Jesus to save him and Jesus save him immediately.   Also, this story makes me preach the healing stories of the Bible,  [ Jesus turned and saw her, “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment. ] <Matthew 9:22>  People come to church in the perilous situation to ask God to give them a way to avoid danger. This experience is very important in my sermon.

The third story means that God leads us according to his will. If there is an obstacle

 God gives us a way to avoiding the danger or failure. [ No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.] <1Corinthians 10: 13> If we follow God’s will, there will not be any definite obstacle. This message becomes a power and ability to believers whenever they face temptation.

The forth story is related with a pastor’s money problem.  When a pastor has a problem, God will give what he requires. In the Bible when Elijah had a problem because of no rain for several years, God said to him “ Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.” We haven’t met any financial crisis even though we were a small congregation because of God’s help. This experience gives congregation conviction on God’s help.

These stories make congregation have courage and faith in front of difficult situations. God is a power and ability, so that we can do something difficult where there is no helper in the modern society. If we lose faith and God, we will have no hope and we should do anything only with human knowledge and personal power.

Chuhyang Methodist Church is a place where people feel God’s help and grace in the face of the hardship of this world. If people have a mistreated situation, how can he understand it ?  With regard to this, we preach the Bible to him and advise him to play to God. If anyone suffers from illness, we play for him by mentioning the Bible. [ Therefore confess your sins to each other and play for each other so that you may be healed. The player of a righteous man is powerful and effective.] <James 5:15>  If people fall into the worldly things, we preach to them by mentioning the Bible. [Jesus answered. “ It is written: man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”] <Matthew 4:4>

Especially as a small church pastor, I want to apply on-line religion to our church, so that I want to prove even a small church can do a good work in front of God. .