Family Ministry
students at first. In addition to that, the EM pastor left church will cooperate and work together in order for both
and there was a time when they attended the Korean ministries to grow. As 1.5 or 2 nd generation immigrants
Sunday worship service with the help of Deacon Peter living in America, we cannot avoid multilingualism
Yun’s simultaneous interpretation. Don’t you think the and multiculturalism. However it is very hard to find a
reason why they were able to persevere through these church that can accommodate and embrace them. There
lonely times was because they held on to the calling God have been many cases when the English ministry of an
had given them? However there came a time when the immigrant church would disappear due to friction and
small group of young adults realized that they couldn’t conflicts in the mother church. However, our church,
worship together with the college ministry anymore and FKBC, provides worship and fellowship in English and
decided to become independent as an adult ministry. Korean, therefore multiple generations can all worship
As a result, in 2011, through the leadership of Deacons together. Dan hopes that our church members will not
Peter and Julie Yun, the Young Adults Ministry was overlook this or take it lightly, but realize how precious
born with around 10 people meeting at the Yuns’ home. this kind of church is.
At first the Yuns led the group, and later on, Dan and
Anica became the new leaders. But as the number of Their two sons, 8-year-old Joshua and 6-year-old Isaac
college graduates who stayed in town after graduation have not only English names, but also Chinese and Korean
began to grow, and people other than Dan and Anica names, thanks to their Chinese paternal grandfather
started to get married and have children, it was no longer and Korean maternal grandfather. It is a great blessing
feasible for the young adults group to meet at homes to know that when multilingual extended families
on Monday nights anymore. Therefore after 4 years of meet, there exists a church where diverse age groups
first starting the young adults group, the young families and languages can worship together, and knowing
with children broke off again and made their own group that FKBC is that kind of church is an even bigger
meeting on Saturday mornings. They became known as blessing. They pray that FKBC will continue to work
“A2” which stood for “Adult 2”, and “A3” became the hard in embracing multicultural families, and seeing
group for single young adults while “A1” became the this couple eagerly work with the church members
group for parents with teenagers. Currently, they all to accomplish this is a beautiful sight. When Joshua
worship together at the EM Sunday service at 11AM, first went to preschool worship, because he didn’t
and like the KM cell groups, they have their small group understand any Korean, he used to cry every Sunday
meetings separately. A1/A2 has five small groups with and have a very hard time. The preschool director at
five families each while A3 has four small groups. You that time provided an interpreter who would sit next
can already see how much the EM has grown through to Joshua and help him understand. The fact that
all the years, can’t you? the church cared enough for one child to provide an
interpreter like that touched the heart of the Tans and
The future as EM they still remember it with gratefulness. Since then,
While starting off by serving VM and then running the church has worked hard to start a preschool class
headlong into the new EM Adults Ministry, Dan is now
currently serving as one of the leaders of A2 along with
being an EM deacon who is in charge of the EM Safety
Education ministry. Anica has been serving as the EM
worship coordinator for many years. Although there is
still a long way to go, this couple believes that the KM
and EM are not two separate groups, and hopes that our
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순례자의 샘터
for English-speaking children, and although during
the main preschool worship, these children still can’t
understand the Korean, they are willing to patiently
wait for their English class. The Tans love and are so
proud of this church that cares for each other and is
growing together like this. Dan saw the potential of
the EM and KM co-existing together when he saw
www.soonsam.org