Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2013 Issue | Page 24

From Virginia to Korea: Partnership Grows
The Very Rev. James C. McCaskill
Almost three years ago, at the 2010
diocesan Council, the Rt. Rev. Shannon
Johnston announced five priorities
for the Diocese of Virginia. One of the
five on that original list: multicultural
and ethnic ministries. As part of
that investment, and also to honor a
growing friendship, Bishop Johnston
accepted an invitation from the Most.
Rev. Paul Kim, archbishop of Korea
and bishop of Seoul, to make an official
visit to the Anglican Church of Korea.
Bishop Johnston invited me, in my
capacity as host to Holy Cross Korean,
Falls Church and dean of the ethnically
diverse Region VIII, and Scott Moser of
St. Barnabas’, Annandale to accompany
him on a seven-day trip in September.

Bishop Johnston articulated
three main objectives for this trip:
1) to strengthen ties with the Anglican
Church of Korea, including opening
avenues for parish partnerships;
2) to find out what our diocese would
need to offer to host Korean clergy as
part of a proposed residential
experience program, and; 3) to gain a
better sense of how to support our two
Korean congregations within the
diocese: Holy Cross, Bailey’s
Crossroads, and St. Francis’, McLean.

According to the Fairfax Times,
Koreans make up the third largest ethnic
group in Fairfax County behind Latinos
and Indians. The most concentrated
population of Koreans is now in
Centreville, followed by Annandale, Fair
Oaks, Oakton and Burke, according to a
report by the Washington Post in 2010.
Our two Korean congregations share
space with other congregations, operate
under mission status and face the
challenges of balancing first and second
generation Koreans, plus the challenges
of immigrants who left several decades
ago verses the immigrants who have
recently departed a more technologically
and economically developed society.
22

Bishop Johnston accepts the gift of a stole from the Most Rev. Paul Kim, archbishop of
Korea and bishop of Seoul, as Scott Moser, the Rev. James McCaskill and the group’s
translator look on.

One of the successes of the
Diocese of Virginia, according to
Bishop Johnston, is our established
links through parish partnerships
around the globe with a majority
of the provinces of the Anglican
Communion. One area where such
partnership is lacking, though, is in
Asia. Strengthening ties with Korea
would open new opportunities for our
diocese. To strengthen those ties and
to gain insight into strengthening our
Korean congregations, it is important
to understand the context. That is why
our traveling party of three enjoyed

Virginia Episcopalian / Winter 2013

an exhausting and amazing seven
days of the most gracious hospitality,
on-the-go tours [