photos courtesy of Rev. Sunny Ahn
by Alyssa Fisher, Director of Communications
The 2024 Korean General Assembly of the Korean Association of The United Methodist Church was held at Los Angeles Korean UMC from October 7-10, with 270 registered attendees. Among them were 31 participants from our California-Pacific (CalPac) Conference, with an additional 15 visitors from CalPac attending various sessions.
The gathering, themed “Surrender to Grace,” centered on 1 Corinthians 15:10: “I am what I am, by the grace of God.” Each day focused on aspects of grace: grace upon calling, grace upon ministry, and grace upon mission. The event served to remind Korean American United Methodists that they are united in their faith and calling, with God’s grace guiding their ministry and mission.
Monday’s opening worship set a hopeful tone as participants reflected on the present and future of their shared ministry. Key sermons were delivered by Rev. Stella Eunbyul Cho (Horizon Texas Conference), Rev. Hongyun Won (CalPac Conference), and Rev. Andrew Lee (CalPac Conference), with Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank (Los Angeles Episcopal Area) and Bishop Hee-Soo Jung (Ohio Episcopal Area) also serving during the service.
Throughout the week, participants were spiritually nurtured by sermons from Elder Suk-Chung Yoon (Unity in Christ Church), Rev. Sam Park (CalPac Conference), Rev. Hwa-Young Chong (Northern Illinois Conference), Rev. Eugene Han (CalPac Conference), and Rev. Hyok In Kwon (California-Nevada Conference). Rev. Ken Suhr, Director of Leadership and Congregational Vitality for CalPac said, “The worship times were full of joyful and heartfelt singing, nourishing and inspiring sermons, unhindered and surrendered prayer, and a reminder to the depths of my soul “why” I desire to faithfully serve and follow Jesus.”
A highlight of the assembly was the celebration of the ongoing partnership between Korean United Methodist churches and the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) to support 140 United Methodist missionaries over the next three years. Rev. Dr. Judy Chung, Executive Director of Missionary Service at GBGM, expressed gratitude, sharing, “I love the fact that Korean United Methodist Churches are committing to pray for these missionaries and to offer financial support. This taps into the strength of the Korean UMCs whose spirituality is focused on prayer and mission.”
Rev. Tom Choi, Hawaii District Superintendent, reflected on the event as “a time to move on to envision a new reality post-General Conference and post-Disaffiliation for Korean United Methodists. I was definitely heartened by the intentional inclusion and embrace of CRCC (Cross-Racial, Cross-Cultural) pastors, clergywomen, second and 1.5 generation English speaking pastors (whose group is known as Nexus). It was eye-opening to realize that there are over 930 pastors who are of Korean descent, and 500 serve in CRCC settings.”
In addition to worship and fellowship, practical action steps were also taken during the assembly. Rev. Chung noted the formation of a task force to advocate for improvements to the R1 visa process, which has faced significant delays in recent years, complicating the work of those serving in the U.S.
Rev. Suhr added that beyond the physical gathering, the group will continue “strengthening the Korean churches, supporting missionaries, intentionally seeking to bless the next generation while honoring the previous generation in Korean churches and all churches, declaring why and being proud of being United Methodist, and supporting those who are serving beyond Korean churches in churches, boards, and agencies.” This year’s assembly not only celebrated the unity and strength of Korean American United Methodists but also looked toward a vibrant future of mission and ministry, fueled by the grace of God.
