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USA
January 21, 2014

On January 17th and 18th we had our Greater-New-York regional director’s conference at Stony Point, New Jersey. The attendants were: Pastor David Baik (New York), Msn. John Park (New Jersey), Shp. Jason Perry (Rutgers), Msn. Matthew Um (B.), Msn. Mary Um (B.), Matthew Um Jr. (B.), Msn. Moses Kim (Trenton), Msn. Mary Kim (Trenton), Msn. Zechariah Choi (Mercer), Dr. Peter Cho (Stockton College), Msn. Wesley Yoon (Stony Brook), Msn. Samuel Shin (Columbia), Msn. Caleb Kang (Manhattan), Dr. William Shin (NYU), Msn. Joseph Han (St. John’s), Msn. James Kim (St. John’s), and Shp. Saehan Hwang (Queens).

We started with dinner on Friday. After dinner Msn. Zechariah Choi led us in vigorous praise to God for about 15 minutes. Then we had our group Bible study on 2 Timothy 3:10-4:8, titled, “Preach the Word.” We were challenged by a soon-to-die Apostle Paul giving his final instructions to his spiritual son Timothy. His charge to “preach the word” was like the charge of a commanding officer relaying the duty for his soldiers to carry out in the time of war. We concluded that we must discharge the duties of our ministry knowing that our obedience to this charge is a matter of life-and-death.

The next day, we heard several 2014 key verse testimonies from some of our members. We were thankful that in 2013 God opened the door for the gospel to be preached in two college campuses through allowing two of our members to become Professor Shepherds. Msn. Peter Cho was accepted as a Math Professor at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Atlantic City is a resort city known for gambling. It is the setting of the HBO television series “The Boardwalk Empire”, which depicts the history of corruption of the city. But Msn. Peter Cho begins his class by declaring that he is a Missionary and Bible teacher and he chose 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the Word” as his key verse.
Msn. Zechariah Choi was accepted as an Adjunct Math Professor at the Mercer County Community College of the Trenton Metropolitan Area. Msn. Moses Kim, Msn. Zechariah Choi, and two other Missionary families had been co-working to preach the word in Trenton for several years. In 2013, God opened the door for campus evangelism through Msn. Zechariah Choi’s hiring at MCCC. Also, through John’s Gospel Bible study they received Jesus’ command to love one another and when they did, they could experience God’s kingdom in their midst.
Msn. Caleb Kang had been struggling financially after Msn. Pauline Kang suffered a wrist injury and could not work as a nurse. They were almost evicted from their Manhattan apartment before their two daughters could finish the school year. But God intervened and allowed them to stay one more month until their daughters finished school and He provided a place for them to stay in Princeton, NJ, through the help of Msn. John Park. In the midst of such turbulence, Msn. Caleb Kang received God’s word to be faithful to small things rather than focusing on big things like big city, big business, or big ministry. So he began a Bible-reading ministry with his students and he could experience the power of God’s living word.
Shp. Jason Perry has been working on his Ph.D. at Rutgers University and he is in the last stages of his program. His first go at a Ph.D. was interrupted when his advisor was denied tenure and he had to start all over again. However, he accepted this as God’s discipline and deeply understood Jesus’ word that the Kingdom of God belongs to the poor in spirit. We thank God who refines His children to desire His kingdom more than the things of this world.
Our guests from C., Msn. Mathew Um’s family, also briefly shared God’s great work of salvation in China. We gave thanks to God that He spreads the good news to every corner of the world and we could see God’s vision for us to be used as ministers of His word wherever He leads us.
After this, God led us to pray for one another. We raised up intercessory prayers for those who needed them the most through the laying on of our hands. When we did, we could experience a bond of unity and solidarity among us. Through our prayers, those who are in small ministries could feel that they are not alone in their struggles, but that God is with them through our prayers, like soldiers who fight the war side-by-side. In this time of pluralism and diversification, our united prayers are one of the main weapons to fight the good fight of faith. We concluded the retreat by praying for one another in groups of three.
We thank God that He has been working through His various servants scattered throughout New Jersey and New York. Some of us are experiencing the season of harvest. Others are experiencing the season of toil and sowing. Like Paul’s charge to Timothy, we must be prepared in season and out of season. We pray that we may preach the word and discharge the duties of our ministry. And may God bless our struggles and raise faithful disciples through us.