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Korean United Methodist council sets vision for 2005-2008

Feb. 2, 2005	 News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470*
Nashville {05078}

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.

By United Methodist News Service

The Korean church is a "gifted community with much to offer the whole
church," a bishop told leaders at the organizational meeting of the
United Methodist Council on Korean American Ministries.

"We actively serve God's people through our collective gifts and wish to
join continually for glorious transformation and God's miraculous
expectation for the United Methodist Church," said Bishop Hee-Soo Jung,
who leads the denomination's Chicago Area.

In setting a vision for the council, he said members of the
Korean-American United Methodist community are not just consumers but
contributors toward a "future-oriented, gifted community of faith."

Thirty-one lay and clergy members from around the country attended the
council's meeting, Jan. 27-29, in Houston.

Jung said the Korean United Methodist Church could offer "an excellence
of hospitality," a class-meeting model for discipleship, "passion for
prayer life and missional zeal."

In the first session, retired Bishop Hae-Jong Kim described how the
council worked for the Korean community and its churches in the
2000-2004 quadrennium. "The United Methodist Council was just a funding
organization responding to churches, programs asking for money," he
said. He recommended the new council "should work as a body that gives
direction and functions as a think tank."

The 2004 General Conference approved continuing the Korean American
National Plan with a budget of $3.2 million. The 2000 General Conference
approved $2.83 million for the work of supporting Korean American
Ministries. During the 2000-2004 period, the council focused on
leadership development, next-generation ministry and congregational
nurture and support.

Bishop Kim expressed thanks to the Rev. Brandon Cho, who served for four
years launching the council and helping secure funding for another
quadrennium. Kim also expressed gratitude to Bishop Mary Ann Swenson,
Los Angeles Area, and the staff of the Board of Global Ministries.

The council agreed on three vision areas for the Korean American
National Plan:
·	Servant-leadership formation for clergy, laity and youth.
·	Next-generation ministries to develop English ministries and campus
ministries for English-speaking 1.5 and 2nd generations.
·	Congregational development, nurture and redevelopment focusing on
new Korean-language ministries, existing Korean United Methodist
churches and Korean mission congregations.
The council also set six goals:
1.	Implement an effective servant-leadership formation strategy and
program for clergy, professional staff and lay leaders for first and
next generations. Emphasis will be on spiritual servant-leadership
formation, the United Methodist connection, community outreach and
justice ministry, mission interpretation, intergenerational partnership
and cross-cultural communication.
2.	Emphasize a leadership formation program and integration plan for
Korean-American clergywomen, focusing on ministry in Korean
congregations as well as the overall United Methodist Church.
3.	Strengthen existing next-generation congregations and campus
ministries, and establish 15 new ones.
4.	Implement a strategy to recruit next-generation men and women for
training and ordination through United Methodist-related seminaries.
5.	Help existing Korean-American mission congregations become
self-sufficient, strengthen chartered Korean United Methodist churches
and establish 15 new Korean congregations.
6.	Expand culturally relevant resource materials and national data on
Korean-American United Methodist churches and mission.
For the 2005-2008 quadrennium, the council elected Bishop Jeremiah Park,
president; Bishop Jung, vice president; and Jeney Park-Hearn, secretary.
The job description for a new council executive director will be decided
during the executive committee's Feb. 21 conference call.

# # #

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470
or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org