Currently Reading An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical & Global Perspectives By Veli-Matti Karkkainen see related

Jin & Soon Pac with Steve & Sharol and Chuck & Laura

Dinner with Atef, Manal and Nayer from Egypt

Campbell Scholars present to the Columbia Seminary community

"You think you're better than me, Bishop?"

Seminary football every Thursday at 4:00

"Visioneering" pastor Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church

Everything executed to perfection at North Point

Virtual reality: couldn't tell whether this baptism was live or Memorex

Triple screen: the middle one shows life-size image of Andy Stanley

The "Kid Zone" felt like Downtown Disney

Top-notch audio/visual productions

Every venue felt like a live rock concert, even for the kids

Massive surface parking for this megachurch (shuttle service available)

Reformed/Catholic Dialogue on Baptism at CTS on Oct. 10, 2006

Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, downtown Atlanta

Emily, Norberto and I worship at home of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Members since 1972 and 1944 in front of new Ebenezer sanctuary

Campbell Scholars Seminar 2006, Sept. 25-Nov. 15

After a whirlwind tour around the world, this may not look like the most exciting segment of my sabbatical, but this is by far the most important.  To discuss a key issue (see description below) facing the church worldwide with top notch theologians from Kenya, Egypt, Argentina, Jamaica and the US for eight weeks is a gift to me that I do not take lightly.  Among us is three seminary presidents, one of whom is also an Anglican bishop, a woman professor from Kenya and an American pastor who served as chair of the PCUSA General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission (she was the church equivalent of chief justice).  Needless to say, it is very humbling to be surrounded by such accomplished pastors and scholars who also love the church deeply and serve the church faithfully.  Columbia Seminary evangelism professor Steve Hayner is doing a marvelous job facilitating our discussions - we've had a great start so far this week.  I'm also desperately hoping that I can complete a rough draft of a book I've been dreaming about for many years, about the future of the global church from a congregational perspective.  Pray for me!  Oh yeah, and thanks to future seminarian Risley who helped me drive 1,200 miles from Minneapolis to Atlanta.  Coming from apartheid South Africa, it wasn't easy for him to sleep in Arkansas, but who knew we'd have the wonderful experience of worshiping at the innovative, multiracial Mosaic Church in the morning?  God is good, right Ris?

From the prospectus:
“The Mission of the Church in an Age of Uprooted People”

“… A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien …”  [Deuteronomy 26:5]

The Campbell Seminar 2006 will address the question of "the mission of the Church in an age of uprooted people" as it builds on the work of [the four] previous Campbell Seminars.  There is a vast movement of peoples today throughout the world.  Many emigrate in search of a new way of life.  Others are refugees fleeing from some form of persecution or warfare.  Still others are displaced because of natural disasters or life-threatening human catastrophes.  The most reliable sources suggest that there are somewhere between 19.2 and 25.3 million uprooted people in the world right now.  In addition, there are also churches that have lived with the marginalization which has accompanied displacement for a long time, e.g. African Americans and others here, Indians in Nairobi, and so forth.  And the church as a whole has for centuries suffered from being uprooted from God’s intended unity.  What is the mission of the Church in an age of uprooted people?

Columbia Seminary's Campbell Library where we meet daily

Scholars from Argentina, Egypt, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea and the US

Campbell Scholars 2006: Howard, Jin, Jane, Atef, Steve, Emily, Norberto

A Doctors Without Borders global refugee exhibit at Piedmont Park, Atlanta

A typical refugee tent made of plastic tarp

With Emily from Kenya and Norberto from Argentina

Friday chapel at Columbia Seminary

Communio sanctorum

With CTS President Laura Mendenhall and husband Chuck

With PCUSA Moderator Joan Gray and husband Bill

With friend Scott Weimer, senior pastor at North Avenue Pres. Church

With theological mentor Walter Brueggemann

Campbell Scholars hanging out at Erskine Clarke's home

Risley and I worship at Mosaic Church in Little Rock, AR on our way to Atlanta

A multicultural black/white/hispanic church with dynamic, diverse band

Senior Pastor Mark DeYmaz leads this young non-denominational church

Below we wrote about our travels around the world during my six month sabbatical.  It was neat to see many of these places for the first time and to marvel at God's creation, but the best part was to do all this with loved ones.  We had a blast as a family traveling to Wyoming, Alaska and Asia together.  But in the seven years since we've had children, Soon Pac and I have not been away by ourselves (except for 4 days last year for our 10th anniversary in Princeton).  So to have these three weeks just to ourselves in Europe and Egypt on the eve of our 11th wedding anniversary was truly a gift.  It really has been a time of renewal, refreshment and joy.  There are no words to describe the gratitude I have to God for the most wonderful wife any man could ask for.  She will always be the love of my life.

"We'll always have Paris"

Europe Tour

Ireland, Aug. 12-13

Even though the government has declared "red alert" due to the foiled plots out of Heathrow Airport, we thankfully got through security with ease.  We landed in Dublin, our first stop in Europe, to find a surprisingly beautiful and sophisticated city.  We loved walking through the city park and the crowded streets full of cafés and street performers.  All kinds of people were out and about - Bohemians, families with young children, and lots of tourists like us.  We never imagined Ireland would be a romantic place, but Soon Pac and I will always remember it as such.  (Stop sighing)

In Dublin city center

Soon Pac hanging out with typical Dubliner

 Grafton Street, Dublin

Scotland, Aug. 13-15

After a short plane ride from Dublin, we were greeted by my friend Dugald, a Church of Scotland minister in Glasgow, whom I met in Geneva at a theological consultation last year.  He and Pauline graciously opened up their lovely home to us for two nights, giving us a taste of the city from an insider's perspective.  I especially enjoyed coversation over coffee with Dugald and another minister friend Malcolm about multiculturalism, ecumenism, and the state of the church in general in the 21st century.  Dugald is quite the historian and gave me the non-Hollywood version of what really happened with William Wallace (aka Braveheart).  I'll tell you about it over lunch (your treat).  I learn so much from these precious conversations with colleagues from another context.  After a delicious dinner prepared by Dugald and Pauline, we were entertained by their two adorable girls who sang and did the Scottish Highland dance for us - surely the highlight of our stay in Glasgow!

A short one hour train ride took us to Scotland's capital.  We were fortunate to arrive in Edinburgh during the largest arts festival in the world.  The view from Edinburgh Castle overlooking the city was breathtaking, but the real fun was at the Royal Mile where performers of every stripe came from all over the world to strut their stuff, even a fan dance troupe from Korea.  It was terrific entertainment, and all for free!  In the middle of this festive madness stands the majestic St. Giles Cathedral, a Roman Catholic church built in the 12th century that became the center of the Scottish Reformation in the 1500s.  It has been considered the "mother kirk" (or church) of Scottish Presbyterianism ever since John Knox preached from its pulpit.  Visiting St. Giles and the John Knox House down the street gave us a deeper understanding of who we are as Korean American Presbyterians, and why the PCUSA faces the challenges that it does.  For further elaboration on that, buy the book that I plan to write this fall (ask for a special "friend of Jin" discount).

Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Pastor Dugald's family, our host in Glasgow

The Scottish Highlands Sword Dance

Edinburgh's famed Royal Mile

View from Edinburgh Castle

Korean Dance Troupe at the Edinburgh Arts Festival

St. Giles Cathedral - Scottish Presbyterianism's "mother church"

London, England, Aug. 16-17

Long time no update.  We've been traveling like mad and we could not find internet cafes easily.  We stayed next to Hyde Park in London after a short but fun visit to Edinburgh.  We strolled around the park and took it easy - I even got a haircut.  Our main appointment was to have dinner with a friend who is very involved in the PCUSA, and who happens to work mostly in London.  Soon Pac and I thoroughly enjoyed our time with Doug and his generosity in treating us to a gourmet meal.  We did the typical London thing: Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the fascinating new Gherkin building, and watching the boats go by on the Thames. 

Hyde Park, London

SP excited to be at Piccadilly Circus, then disappointed to find out not a real circus

Dinner with Jin's friend Doug, a lawyer who works in London and NYC

The River Thames

Westminster Abbey

Buckingham Palace where we had tea with the Queen - NOT!

Always thinking about church

NEW: the "Gherkin" building - wondrous!

OLD: Big Ben - majestic!

Paris, France, Aug. 18-20

Wow, the weather continues to be good, and it's gorgeous in Paris, the City of Lights.  It's my second time here, but definitely more romantic with Soon Pac this time.  Our hotel is right between the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, so very convenient to walk.  Soon Pac is amazed at the scale of the tower - it literally dominates the Parisian skyline.  Of course we had to see the Louvre, the world's most famous museum - still couldn't figure out what Mona Lisa was smiling about.  The next day we saw Napolean's grand monument to himself, the Arc de Triomphe (gotta love his style), and from there breathed in the scene along the Champs Elysees.  We walked through some lovely French gardens, dotted with beautiful sculptures and monuments, until we got to the Musée d'Orsay, known for its Impressionist collection.  Afterwards, we took the Metro to the Sacre Couer Cathedral, then saw the facade of the Moulin Rouge (no time to watch the Can-Can though).  We started the third day with worship at the Notre Dame Cathedral where we were reminded once again that we Christians are all one in Christ, and that we are all scandalously divided.  We did not partake in communion, the high point of the service, since non-Catholics are not invited, and the beauty and majesty of the service with people from all over the world only drove home the absurdity of our dividedness as people of God.  Right next door is Saint Chappelle, famous for wall-to-wall stained glass windows of exquisite craftsmanship.  But what we really enjoyed was strolling along the banks of the Seine on a Sunday afternoon - priceless!

La Tour Eiffel

Doesn't taste like crêpe at all!

The Peace Monument (notice the English and Korean)

At the Louvre Museum

Arc de Triomphe - viva la France!

Everybody seems to breakdance in Europe (not a generalization)

The Sacré Couer Basilica at Montmartre (1875 AD)

Worshiping at the Notre Dame Cathedral (1163 AD)

The panoramic stained glass windows of Sainte-Chapelle (1245 AD)

Along the banks of the Seine and Notre Dame

Barcelona, Spain, Aug. 21-22

We saved time by taking a sleeper train from Paris on a 12 hour trip.  Our hotel was in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, the oldest part of the city.  We saw the beautiful coastline and beaches first by renting bicycles - a great way to get a feel for the city.  Barcelona is principally shaped architecturally by one man, Antoni Gaudi, whose direct work and influence are evident everywhere.  Soon Pac and I were absolutely conviced by the end of our time here that he was a genious without parallel.  She hopes our house will one day reflect some of his influence as well.  We found Barcelona to be the most romantic city so far.  The tree-lined streets with the outdoor restaurants and cafes were always filled with people with not much to do except to enjoy life.  Along La Rambla, the main pedestrian thoroughfare, we had a traditional Spanish dinner of paella - delicious, esp. with some Tabasco sauce.  The city was festive, relaxed, culturally sophisticated and warm.  This is one place we definitely would love to visit again.

Columbus pointing to the New World (but pointing south in this monument)

Barcelona's Mediterranean boardwalk

Street life on La Rambla

At the Salvador Dali Museum

Eating late, the traditional Spanish dish "paella"

Soon Pac on the balcony of the Hotel Barcino

Casa Batllo, one of Antoni Gaudi's masterpieces

Casa Batllo's rooftop, Gaudi's hallmark

On the rooftop of Gaudi's La Pedrera

Gaudi's Park Guell

Gaudi's final project, the Sagrada Familia Cathedral

Sagrada Familia's interior columns that resemble trees

Breakfast on our way from Barcelona to Milan

Our private sleeper cabin

Venice, Italy, Aug. 23

Just one day in Venice, but boy, what a day!  We knew the whole city was underwater, but you really have to see it to believe it.    Never saw an entire city without a single car!  They have taxis and buses, but all on water.  Venice is not the place to spend time in museums, but out and about along the public squares, narrow streets, and the lovely canals.  We got lost a lot, but didn't matter since it is a small town really, and everything leads back to the Grande Canal.  Glad we got to see this incredible city before it disappears through global warming.

Venice was allegedly founded in 422 by Roman refugees fleeing the Goths

At St. Mark's Square

Traffic jam - Venetian style

The Grande Canal

A truly romantic city that will soon sink due to global warming

Florence, Italy, Aug. 24

This whole city is like an open-air museum.  Still, the highlight has been to see Michaelangelo's "the David" statue at the Galleria dell Accademia, truly a masterpiece for all times.  He looks calm and serene from the front, where his head tilts leftward.  But if you look at his face square, there's an intensity in the eyes that is almost frightening.  This was supposed to be David right after his battle with Goliath, after all.  The real one was in the museum - no photos!  The replica was in the main square where birds were pooping on it - so sacriligious, but fun to watch.  Ciao for now.

Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence

Fortuitously, we caught a midday mass at Santo Spirito

After a while, we just had to have Chinese food

Obviously a fake "David" - the real one has no bird

Rome, Italy, Aug. 25

Finally, our ultimate destination in Europe, the place of my spiritual pilgrimmage, the Eternal City - all roads lead to Rome, after all.  My commitment to the multicultural incarnation of the church has fueled my passion for the visible unity of the global church.  Multiculturalism includes the eccesial cultures represented in the various denominations and traditions of the Christian church.  The scandal of the church is that we are not scandalized by the ecclesiastical tribalism, triumphalism, sectarianism and endless divisions of the church of Jesus Christ.  We visited Rome in part to see the place that Protestantism grew out of, and that one day, we may need to return.  The pizza was great too.  How's that for a segue?  Find the direction I'm going intriguing?  Buy my book, which will be published in 2007, God willing, and again, ask for a "friend of Jin" discount (5% off after adding 10% shipping and 30% handling; getting a book handled by Jin is like getting a rare autograph of someone like Jin; autograph extra).

Complimentary breakfast delivered to our room - awesome!

 Ancient ruins (not talking about us!)

The Roman Empire at its height

The Coliseum, where Christians were fed to the lions

Vatican City

Pope John Paul II's resting place

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

Peter here, literally, the "rock"

View of St. Peter's Square and the Eternal City from top of the cupola

Michaelangelo's La Pietà

The Papal Swiss Guard, founded in 1506

Dinner at outdoor cafe fronting the ancient Pantheon

Trevi Fountain, Rome's most enchanting

Egypt Tour

Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt, Aug. 26-31

What a dream come true to have the chance to visit this ancient biblical land for a week!  We left Rome on Saturday morning and arrived safely at the Cairo airport.  To see the Pyramids, the priceless relics of the Egyptian Museum (esp. the King Tut exhibit), the Nile, the ancient city of Alexandria - this was truly a once in a lifetime experience.  But even more meaningful for us was to fellowship with Christians who were faithfully serving God in a predominantly Muslim land.  The president of the historic Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC), Dr. Atef Gendi, graciously invited Soon Pac and me to be guests of the seminary.  My primary assignment was to lecture on the topic, "The Church Between East and West," and I'm happy to report that it was well received and generated a lot of interesting conversation during the Q&A time.  Another reason for my visit was to connect with an old friend from our Princeton Seminary days, Dusty Ellington, who serves on ETSC's faculty.  We were truly inspired to see the faithfulness, courage and sacrifice of this very capable family for the sake of reaching the seminarians and their Egyptian neighbors with God's love.

The Christians in Egypt are very dedicated and active.  It seemed like we were worshiping at some church almost everyday!  We were shocked to learn that about 13% of the Egyptian population is Christian, mostly Coptic Orthodox, but also Protestant (called "Evangelicals" there), Roman Catholic and others.  Egypt actually has a reputation for being somewhat "liberal" in its tolerance of non-Islamic religions, but that's by Middle Eastern standards.  Besides the difficulty of living in a land of limited religious freedom, the Christians also face internal distrust and discord among the three aforementioned Christian streams.  The Coptic Orthodox have been a continuous Christian presence in Egypt for 2,000 years!  This division is heartbreaking, especially given the minority status of Christians there, and because these few are to be witnesses of the love of Christ to their neighbors.  Of course, these divisions are mostly imported from the Western church, so we also have to take responsibility.  As I always say, we Christians need to demonstrate a unity that is fundamentally different from the sectarianism and triumphalism of other religions, or else our Good News will not be heard as good.

We worshiped at the 7,000 member Kasr el Dobara Evangelical (Presbyterian) Church in the heart of Cairo, the largest Protestant church in the Arab-speaking world.  This church has an excellent reputation, even among Muslims and government officials, for doing social ministries that help the poor and oppressed.  Of course, their numbers also point to their commitment to evangelism, but it was nice to see that these two aspects of ministry were integrated.  But we were especially excited to worship with two multicultural congregations, both led by black men.  Lutheran pastor Clifford Lewis, ordained by the ELCA, leads St. Andrews United Church of Cairo, a small but diverse congregation that uses "high church" liturgy.  We also worshiped at Senate International Church led by a Pentecostal pastor from Nigeria, Isaac Bassey.  An American PCUSA pastor Brice Rogers (on staff at the seminary) and "Hakim" Kim, a Presbyterian missionary from Korea, complete this multicultural staff. 

Chinese dinner on the Nile with Dusty, Sherri, Clayton and Chris

Evening cruise on a sailboat along the Nile

Can you see the pyramid?

An Egyptian family living on a boat

Pastor Clifford Lewis telling a joke after worship at St. Andrews United Church of Cairo

Sunday evening service at 7,000 member Kasr el Dobara Evangelical Church, Cairo

Middle Eastern-looking Jesus at Kasr el Dobara Church

The great pyramids of Giza

The Sphinx

Senate Int'l Church's pastoral staff: "Hakim" Kim, Brice Rogers and senior pastor Isaac Bassey from Nigeria

Mural of Jesus' escape to Egypt at the Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo

These three doors represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Sarah Kim, missionary to Egypt for 30 years, at her office at the Evangelical Synod building

The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC), founded 1863

ETSC trains future pastors from across the Middle East and around the world

Delivering my lecture at the ETSC seminary

Pastor Gendi Ibrahim Rizk, center, of Fairhaven Evangelical Church, Alexandria

The Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria

Pompeii's Pillar (a tribute to Roman Emperor Diocletian, 284 AD)

The stunning new library in Alexandria (2002)

Street markets in Cairo

The new Al Azhar Park in Cairo

Dinner at the home of Magdi Gendy, acting President of ETSC

My new Iraqi friend Rami, a second year student at ETSC

Asia Tour

Tokyo, Japan, July 9-11

We arrived at our hotel after a grueling 24 hours from Anchorage to Tokyo via LAX.  We skipped dinner and went right to sleep – the kids did well but were knocked out!  We’re staying at the Hotel Nikko on the Odaiba island.  We have a fabulous view across the bay to the beautiful Rainbow Bridge and the Tokyo skyline.  From our balcony the vista is stunning both in the daytime and at night.  The pier is right in front of the hotel so after lunch we took a ferry to downtown and visited Toyota City, the Imperial Palace, the Ginza district (Tokyo’s “Time Square”), and even saw a show at the world famous Kabukaza Theatre.  The city is clean, the subway system is efficient and the food is fantastic.  Best of all, the people are unfailingly courteous, showing great patience to ignorant foreigners (us).  I found it interesting that one could now find official Korean translations in public places in many parts of Tokyo, considering that during Japanese colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945 the Korean language was suppressed to the point that the native people were not even allowed to use their Korean names but formally had to adopt Japanese names.  My father experienced that first hand.  We have come a long way since those days.  I was surprised to see so many cultural similarities between the Korean and Japanese people, although I’m fully aware of the historical differences.  I hope a full reconciliation can happen between these two nations beyond the Korean people buying Hondas and the Japanese buying Hyundais (or Sonys and Samsungs).

 Family photo at the hotel

 Japan's Imperial Palace

 The Ginza district (Tokyo's Times Square)

 Japan's National Theatre: the Kabukaza

 Photography not allowed in theatre

 View of Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge from our balcony

Hong Kong, July 11-14

It is very hot here in Hong Kong, but the views sure make the trip worth it.  From our hotel in central Kowloon peninsula we can see the world-famous Victoria Harbor and the skyscraping skyline of Hong Kong Island.  We’ve tried all kinds of transportation here – taxi, subway, ferry, double-decker bus and tram.  The Peak Tram takes you up a steep mountain from which to view Hong Kong below – truly breathtaking!  We also visited Stanley Market at the southern tip of the island.  From there Repulse Bay is just a short bus ride away.  The name is ironic as it is as inviting as any bay I’ve ever seen, even the ones I’ve seen in Cape Town.

We enjoyed visiting the Buddhist sites such as Man Mo Temple in Central, Tin Hau Temple at Stanley Bay and the Buddha pavilion at Repulse Bay.  Tourists like us abounded, to be sure, but there were also plenty of devout people burning incense and praying.  I was especially impressed that at the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon the three major religions of China – Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism – are practiced in harmony.  It made me wonder why we Christians of various denominations could not worship together too.

The kids’ favorite time is back at the hotel where they can swim at the outdoor pool on top of the 45^th floor.  Soon Pac and I are loving the food.  Attached to our hotel is the greatest food court I have ever witnessed.  It has Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Korean, Italian, French and authentic Hong Kong cuisine at cheap prices – is this heaven on earth?  Unlike Japan, the shopping is affordable here.  One has to go shopping inside these massive malls just to escape the oppressive heat; plus I accidentally left all my shirts in the dresser at the Hotel Nikko in Tokyo.

Chillin' at the hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong

 The famous skyline of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor

 Claire and Bruce

Nighttime view of Hong Kong from our hotel

Austin: future Shaolin warrior

 Defending his delicate sister Claire

 ???

 Sizzling at Stanley Market

Buddhist temple at Repulse Bay

  Finally, American food!

Jeju Island, Korea, July 15-20

This is probably my seventh visit to Korea, but only the second for Soon Pac and Claire, and Austin’s first.  But it’s the first time any of us have been to Jejudo, Korea’s largest resort island off the southern coast.  We are staying at the Shineville Resort in Pyosun with a view to the ocean.  Jejudo is famous for three things: rocks, wind and women, or so we were told.  There are plenty of jet black rocks as this island was formed by a volcanic eruption from Mount Halla at the center of the isle.  We’ve experienced wind too, especially during our boat trip around the tiny but beautiful island of Udo off the eastern coast.  But we haven’t seen the kind of rugged, take-charge, Amazonian type women that is part of this island’s lore.

It’s been wonderful to spend our time here not only with mom and dad who were already in Korea a week before us, but with my sister-in-law Jinah and her younger daughter Ashley (my brother and Emily are in the States).  The kids especially enjoyed spending time with their cousin for the first time in three years.  We arrived Saturday afternoon and just got settled.  We started Sunday morning with worship at the Tosan Presbyterian Church right down the road from our hotel.  The eight of us brought the total attendance to 18.  We enjoyed singing the hymns and hearing the sermon about selflessness.  It was a wonderful way to start our tour of this beautiful island.

The variety of attractions is impressive.  We saw some gorgeous waterfalls at various parts of the island, rugged coastlines, a sailboat shaped stadium built for the 2002 World Cup, a Korean paper doll museum, a cute park full of miniature landmarks from around the world, and a traditional Jeju village with homes made of volcanic rocks, straw and mud.  But most of all, we have been EATING!  This island is well known for its seafood and its pigs.  We’ve been eating so much authentic Korean food that we all had to eat Popeyes fried chicken on the last full day.  Overall, we had a great time here.  Jejudo is truly a national treasure.

Tosan Presbyterian Church in Jejudo

 Traditional folk village

Soon Pac as traditional Jejudo lady

Happy to be taken away

 Sad

 ???

Sins of the fathers

In front of the Great Wall of China of Jejudo

Can you see the lion's face?

Seoul, Korea, July 20-23

After arriving in Seoul from Jeju Island, we settled at the Riviera Hotel in the Kangnam district.  My dad’s youngest brother is the top manager of the COEX building and invites us to dinner at a fancy buffet restaurant there.  We got our own private dining room with very personal service.  It was wonderful to see my uncle’s family for the first time since I stayed with them in Seoul for two months in the summer of 1990, between college and seminary.  My aunt has become a lay pastor, Sehi is now a 27 year old working girl and Moon Sung is a 23 year old about to finish college after the required stint in the military.  I was also happy to hear that he plans to go to seminary and become a pastor.  I haven’t seen these kids since they were 11 and 7 – strange, considering that Claire is seven now.

On Friday we went shopping at Itaewon, then had dinner with Niki Yoon and her mother.  Will Hosier was able to join us too.  Niki made reservations at the Mad for Garlic Italian restaurant very close to our hotel.  What a perfect concept for garlic-crazed Koreans; the name describes almost every Korean I know, except my wife.  Soon Pac was complaining that I already smelled from eating massive quantities of both cooked and raw garlic that is served in abundance in Korea.  Oh well, garlic never killed anyone, except Dracula.  After a festive dinner, my dad, Soon Pac and the kids went up to their hotel rooms while my mom and Niki’s mom got more acquainted over coffee.  Niki, Will and I got our own table and had a wonderful conversation about life, death, marriage, parents, adoption, life in Korea, life in Minnesota, and the weather.  We, like so many before us, talk about the bad weather in Korea, but do nothing about it.  Niki and I were always close, even before she worked as the Church of All Nations’ first admin assistant, so it was great to reconnect.  But I was particularly pleased to have connected so well with Will – in Korea of all places.  We talked a bit about the recent death of a friend here, but mostly about what he’s learned in the past year spent in the country of his birth.  He promises to treat me to lunch back in Minnesota – I’m just writing that down so I’ll remember.

We began our Sunday morning with worship at Youngnak Church in downtown Seoul.  It used to be the largest Presbyterian church in the world with some 60,000 members.  The liturgy was rather simple, much like American worship was in the 19^th century.  Most impressive was the 200 member choir who sang beautifully in the cathedral-like sanctuary.  What’s even more amazing is that there are five such distinct choirs singing at services throughout the day.  Most of the members seemed to be older in this proudly conservative church.  One could still sense the presence of Kyung-Chik Han, the legendary founder of this historic church.  I’ll never forget the day he visited Princeton Seminary while I was still a student.  He had just accepted the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1992, the most prestigious award for religious leaders, and came to visit his old campus.  In his sermon at the chapel, he recounted that during the previous day he wanted to see his old dorm room in Hodge Hall.  He knocked on the door and was shocked to be greeted by a young female seminarian – unthinkable in the 1920s when he was the first Korean student at an all male seminary.

 Dinner at Biz Baz with Dad's youngest brother's family

 Dinner at Mad for Garlic restaurant (thanks Niki!)

With Will Hosier and Niki Yoon in Seoul

Claire and Austin in traditional Korean hanbok outfits

Youngnak Presbyterian Church

Asian-looking Jesus on Youngnak's stained glass window

 Newly renovated Chung-ge-chun stream in the heart of Seoul

Yosu, Korea, July 24-28

Mom and dad accompanied us on our five-day trip to Yosu, a city on the southern coast of Korea, and my father’s hometown.  For me, this is the highlight of our time in Korea – visiting this beautiful seaside town where most of my father’s eight siblings still live.  He has an older sister whose home is like family headquarters to us, but as the eldest son my dad is considered the leader of this particular Kim clan.  As soon as we got off the train we were escorted to a restaurant where all of dad’s family was waiting.  We were all overjoyed to see each other.  They were meeting Soon Pac and Claire only for the second time, and Austin for the first.  It was a big deal for Austin to visit because he is the “jangson,” meaning the male heir of the family’s leadership.  Although I have an older brother, he has two daughters, and even though Claire is older than Austin, he is the first male grandson to my father – this is ancient Korean tradition.  I felt a little bit like Charles and Diana, except we produced a female and a spare (which I know doesn’t make sense).

Even though Claire and Austin don’t speak Korean very well, they were a hit as they always said hello, goodbye and thank you in vigorous Korean.  Looks like our training paid off as they bowed to the floor whenever the occasion called for it.  They even showed off their Taekwondo forms to enthusiastic acclaim (what else from a captive family audience?).  We did only a little bit of sightseeing and spent most of our time visiting relatives.  I was reminded of how blessed I was to have this wonderful extended family to come home to when visiting Korea.

 My father's family in Yosu

View from eldest aunt's rooftop

 Another view of Yosu

(back in) Seoul, Korea, July 28-31

After stopping by my sister-in-law’s apartment, we take her SUV to her weekend house cabin in Yangpyung, about an hour east of Seoul.  She and my brother Tae did a great job with the design of this house, and it has a fabulous view of the mountains and a stream running alongside it.  The kids are thrilled to be sleeping in a house for the first time in almost a month.  We’ve been staying at relatively fancy hotels most of the time (thanks Lilly!), but nothing beats the feel of a real house.  It was a little scary at first because of torrential rains, but it cleared up nicely by the morning.  The kids loved dipping their feet in the cool stream.  At a local restaurant we ate awesome chajangmyun (Chinese black bean noodles) for the equivalent of $2 each!  Afterwards, we visited the Asian Center for Theological Studies (ACTS) not far from the cabin, since I was recently elected to the ACTS-USA board.  This impressive and still expanding theological institute/university was founded by the legendary Samuel H. Moffett, long-time missionary to Korea and professor emeritus at Princeton Seminary.  I’m proud of my continuing friendship with Sam and Eileen, and their nephew David Hackett who introduced me to the board.

After a restful two days in the boonies we returned to Seoul Sunday morning so that I could worship at the Yoido Full Gospel Church.  The sanctuary seats 25,000, and they have seven services on Sundays.  Soon Pac and I were quite surprised at the “classical” feel of the service.  There was no praise team or contemporary music at all – this at the most famous Pentecostal church in the world!  A modest choir (by megachurch standards) was backed by a full orchestra.  Even the special music was offered by a classically trained singer – a young man with the deepest voice I’d ever heard.  The founder, Yonggi Cho, does not lead all the services any more (he’s now 70 years old).  But early in the service they showed a 10 minute video of his leading a revival in a small town in western Korea, and he was greeted as if he were the pope.  The associate pastor preached a sermon on spiritual blessings, and then prayed a long prayer that had multiple references to Pastor Cho’s health and well-being.  The torch is being passed, but not yet.  The church still has a mind-boggling membership of 700,000, but they have not grown in 10 years.  One can sense the church in maintenance mode.  There were bursts of fervent prayer, but in a way that felt somewhat routine.

As I reflect on my visits to two of the world’s largest and most visible churches, it confirmed what I had suspected for a while, that the church in Korea has plateaued, and may even be on the verge of decline.  Nothing causes people to be on their knees in fervent prayer like suffering, and Korea as a whole is just too wealthy for that now – it is, after all, a top ten global economy.  Everything was more expensive in Korea than Japan or Hong Kong (except for the subway).  About the Full Gospel Church, my hunch is that the charismatic Pastor Yonggi Cho has been more masterful than anyone else in blending Shamanism, the religious impulse at the root of all spirituality in Korea, with American prosperity gospel.  But shamanistic prosperity gospel has a dubious future in a Korea that is highly technological and increasingly prosperous.  Is this syncretistic?  Of course, but not any more so than the church in the West which has always been shaped thoroughly by Platonic and Aristotelian thought.

After worshiping in three different churches in Korea, I have two thoughts.  One, that my spirituality is fundamentally Korean, and my early theology profoundly shaped by the religious landscape of this ancient-future country.  Two, that my understanding of God, the church, and God’s work in the world is fundamentally alien to Christians in the Korean peninsula whose ecclesial life is still relatively parochial and even cloistered.  When explaining to family and friends about the kind of church I am a part of, the beautiful tapestry of peoples and cultures called the Church of All Nations, I got mostly quizzical or baffled looks.  I still believe that as the most ethnically diverse nation in history, we in America have the opportunity to demonstrate God’s sovereignty over all nations, and the power of Christ to bring together what we mortals tear apart.

We had a fabulous time as a family together in this "Asia Tour" part of my sabbatical.  We appreciate our loving and gracious congregation’s granting of this precious time to us for our growth and happiness.  We look forward to ten days back home (and some golf) before leaving for Europe.  Of course, the highlight will be the celebration service on August 6 of Grace Church/Shiloh Bethany merging into our congregation – I do look forward to seeing our people again.  Thank you, God!  Thank you, Lilly!  And thank you, Church of All Nations!

My brother's weekend cabin in Yangpyung

Cooling off in the backyard

"Look children, here comes the stick."

Naturally built like a sumo wrestler

Asian Center for Theological Studies (ACTS) in Yangpyung, Seoul

Jin serves on the board of ACTS-USA

 Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea with 700,000 members!

Yoido Church ushers bowing to church-goers as they leave the building

Alaska Tour

Anchorage, Alaska, July 4-7

The conference in Anchorage is the first leg of what we are loosely calling our “Asia tour.”  We will visit Japan, Hong Kong and Korea afterwards.  The reason for this visit is to attend the 35^th National Korean Presbyterian Council conference, our denomination’s Korean caucus.  My first was in 1996 in New Hampshire when I was asked to preach.  People who remember hearing me speak in Korean then and who heard me give a report at this conference about CCAM and the state of the PCUSA couldn’t believe my Korean had improved so much.  Even though this was my 11^th NKPC conference in a row, it was the first time I felt like they included me as an equal.  This is strange given that my ministry as pastor of a multicultural church is considered more radical than most, and also that I’m about the only English speaking pastor that ever shows up at NKPC.  The worship services were uplifting and the business meetings interesting – at least the parts I could understand.  I was glad that the passage of the Peace, Unity and Purity Task Force Report at the recently concluded 217th General Assembly of the PCUSA did not seem to negatively impact the caucus.

I was glad for the opportunity to give a report on the NKPC 3M Internship Program, of which our church is the first grant recipient.  It was thanks to this grant that we were able to fund Paul Hoang as our youth ministry intern for a year, and later Pastor Joo Kim who will start this coming January.  Praise Church in New Jersey is the other participant, and our own Ben Park will serve as intern there starting this summer.  NKPC also did something momentous in terms of English speaking ministry by pledging $40,000 per year to fund a national director to help develop English and multicultural ministries in the Korean caucus.  We now need to locate the right candidate.  This is urgent, because it is widely acknowledged that second generation ministry in the PCUSA is a disaster nationwide.

It wasn’t all work as we also had an opportunity to take a bus tour of downtown Anchorage and a cruise of the Kenai Fjords National Park.  We got some great photos of majestic mountains, gleaming water, blue skies, bears, elk, bald eagles, sea lions, seals and best of all, whales right by our boat!  The kids loved watching the animals, but Soon Pac and I really were awed by the massive glaciers flowing into the sea.  We leave at midnight Friday for Tokyo.  We had a great time in Anchorage with wonderful people and God’s awe-inspiring creation.

Glaciers near Anchorage

35th Annual NKPC Conference

With lifelong mentor Rev. Sun Bai Kim and his wife Grace

Claire as Padme and Austin as Darth Maul
 

Whale watching

Western Road Trip

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, June 18-25

This road trip through the great upper Western states was for the whole Kim household: Jin, Soon Pac, Claire, Austin and Jin’s parents.  We left Sunday after church and slept in Fargo, the first time any of us had ever been in ND.  We drove through the stark beauty of North Dakota, the Big Sky country of Montana, and a little bit of Idaho before getting to our destination in West Yellowstone.  Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is truly a wonder with all kinds of varied attractions: geysers, waterfalls, canyons, hot springs, rivers, lakes, mountains and wildlife.  The sulfurous steam coming out of the earth’s core had Austin holding his nose throughout the park saying “stinky!”

After a few days at Yellowstone, we drove down to Grand Teton National Park, just south of Yellowstone.  We rented a motorized boat on Jackson Lake and got to see the spectacular mountain range up close.  Grand Teton Mountain is of course the star attraction.  We enjoyed staying in the town of Jackson, Wyoming – a charming place with both an old West feel and an upscale atmosphere.  A tram ride to the top of Rendezvous Mountain from which to view both the Grand Teton mountain range across and the Jackson Hole valley below is a must.  Dad and I also got in a round of golf at Jackson Hole (I’ve been hitting in the mid-eighties since my sabbatical started, but not at this difficult course).  I found it impossible to be at the Grand Tetons and not to constantly thank God.

We took the longer way home through Nebraska and South Dakota so that I could connect with our church’s mission contact at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.  We had dinner at Big Bats while filling up the gas.  On our way home Sunday morning we worshipped at an Episcopal Church in Chamberlain, SD.  Our family of six doubled their attendance!  I was heartened to see the faithfulness of the members, the similarities with our Presbyterian liturgy, and a conversation afterwards with the priest.  Of course, it also reminded me how much all the mainline churches are aging and declining.  This service was a great way to end our trip.

Even though we drove some 3,000 miles, it didn’t seem that long.  We also had a great time as a family considering that the six of us stayed in one hotel room the entire trip (except for one night)!  It was a fun eight days on the road.  This was the best family vacation ever!  Our common refrain throughout this trip was: Thank you God (and thank you Lilly)!

 Driving through North Dakota

 Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana

Henrys Lake State Park, Idaho

 Korean picnic in our hotel room at West Yellowstone, MT

 At Yellowstone Park

One of numerous sulfurous geysers throughout the park

 "Stinky!"

Yellowstone Lake

 Old Faithful

View of Grand Tetons from Jackson Lake

 Praying at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart (Anglican) 

 Yummy! Chocolate ice cream!

 The town of Jackson, Wyoming

 Chillin' at the hotel

 Last shot of the Grand Teton (Claire's about to sneeze!)

 The last shot of the Grand Teton (for real)

 Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota

Worshiping at Christ Episcopal Church in Chamberlain, SD

 Playing dress up back home

 Austina?

 Doing the sprinkler by the backyard sprinkler

June 11-18, 2006 – Visiting churches in the Twin Cities area

June 11:  This is the first official day of my sabbatical, and I start with the 9:00am worship service at the historic Bethlehem Baptist Church in downtown Minneapolis.  Ironically, the senior pastor John Piper is not there due to his sabbatical – I was of course disappointed, but I’ve heard him preach in other venues – a truly brilliant preacher.  It is announced that he just completed his latest book that week.  I wonder if I will be able to write my first book during this sabbatical.  The sanctuary is a lot smaller than I had imagined.  The praise team with the backing choir does a fine job in leading worship.  Immediately after this service, I put in the address for Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul into my GPS (a birthday gift from some church members), and get to the 11:00 service just in time.  It is a converted K-Mart or Menards, so it looks like a warehouse.  The sanctuary is very dark, with no windows and a low ceiling.  It’s a huge space but feels tight, squeezed.  The praise team is excellent and able to change up the style from contemporary Christian to traditional hymnody to pop to country.  The main draw is Pastor Greg Boyd’s preaching.  Not only does he have an M.Div. from Yale and a Ph.D. from Princeton Seminary, he was also once a professor at Bethel Seminary and is an accomplished author.  You can tell he knows what he’s talking about, but he also has a very easy going style and a spontaneous, gregarious sense of humor.  He was very engaging, but also tended to wander from the text and provide too much information.  I saw in Pastor Boyd my own strengths and weaknesses.  Afterwards, I had the privilege of conversing with him for a few minutes.  I asked about his reference to American patriotism and he recommended that I buy his latest book on that very topic.  He asked for my name and I was surprised that he knew of me already.  He said I was known in the Twin Cities as a leader in multicultural ministry – of course, I was flattered.  So afterward, I went to the bookstore in the foyer and bought his book entitled, The Myth of a Christian Nation.  I’m about half-way through and it is a powerful critique of the idolatrous patriotism of the Christian Right in America today.  He quotes extensively from Bonhoeffer, Hauerwas, Willimon, Yoder, MLK and Kierkegaard.  This man is nothing like the typical megachurch pastor.  One can tell he has drunk deeply from the well of the Church’s best theologians.  But it’s not the analysis itself that surprises me – not uncommon in the mainline context.  What is downright shocking is that he is writing to the evangelical community as a leading evangelical on a topic considered near sacred, and precisely for that reason he treads on dangerous ground.  He told me that the book originally came out of a preaching series on this subject two years ago, after which his church lost over 1,000 members.  He said that they have been able to regain the numbers, but it was still a very difficult time for him and his church.  I truly came away from that encounter with a great deal of admiration for Greg.  I expect we will meet again in the not-too-distant future.

June 18:  I worship at Park Avenue United Methodist Church, a little bit south of downtown Minneapolis.  This church is famous for being one of the first in the Twin Cities to integrate racially in the 1960s – it was even featured prominently in Curtiss DeYoung’s book United By Faith.  The congregation is housed in a beautiful, traditional church building with an inviting sanctuary.  The music is led by a multicultural band and choir that is funky and soulful.  The congregation does not seem to be as into it as I had expected, maybe because they’re used to it, but I suspect it is mostly because they are between pastors.  The senior pastor for over a dozen years, Mark Horst, resigned a few months ago and their next pastor, the first black senior pastor in this congregation’s history, would be installed the following Sunday.  Their one Associate Pastor is a Liberian woman; she preached that day.  She articulated the congregation’s anxiety by saying, “How will we deal with having two black pastors in what used to be an all white church a few decades ago?”  The congregation of about 300 worshippers seemed evenly divided between black and white.  I can only hope that such a constructive equilibrium will hold in the next chapter of this storied congregation’s life.

 Park Avenue United Methodist Church, Minneapolis

Jin's Sabbatical Itinerary, June to November 2006

Western Road Trip: Jin, Soon Pac, Claire, Austin, Jin’s parents

June 18-25          Road trip to Yellowstone National Park/Grand Teton National Park, WY

Asia Tour: Jin, Soon Pac, Claire, Austin

July 4-8              Anchorage, Alaska (NKPC conference)

July 9-11            Tokyo, Japan

July 11-14           Hong Kong, China

July 15-31           Korea (Seoul, Jeju Island, Yosu) with Jin's parents

Europe/Egypt Tour: Jin & Soon Pac

August 12-13       Dublin, Ireland

August 13-14       Glasgow, Scotland

August 15            Edinburgh, Scotland

August 16-17       London, England

August 18-20       Paris, France

August 21-22       Barcelona, Spain

August 23            Venice, Italy

August 24            Florence, Italy

August 25            Rome, Italy

August 26-31       Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt

Columbia Seminary: Jin

Sept 25–Nov 15    Campbell Scholars Seminar at Columbia Theological Seminary, Atlanta

Description: Seven scholars are invited from around the world to discuss a pressing issue facing the church and society.  This eight-week program is conducted every two years, and this is the fifth round.  I feel honored to be in theological dialogue with leaders from Kenya, Egypt, Argentina, Jamaica and the US.