Keeping the Faith (Part II: Here’s Where YOU Come In)
Now that you’ve read all about my wonderful mom, it’s time for you to meet her pastor, and perhaps help out with a very special endeavor he is about to take on.
Pastor Youm has such a way with his words. I accompany Mom to Sunday services when I’m home and come out of it in near tears every time. One can just tell that he spends hours thinking about the way he leads the congregation and praying for each and every one of them. The congregation really only gets to see him once a week at the church but Pastor Youm really lives and breathes his calling every waking moment of his day. In fact, he leads by action, often hosting classes specifically for fathers as to how to be a better husband/father through the Christian faith. The most important tenet of his church is the weekly family group meetings I mentioned, which helps faith become stronger through the personal connection each person makes in smaller groups. I have no doubt he played a huge part in bringing mom to where she stands today.
What does this all mean and why should you care? Well, for reasons that are not worth my pixel space or your time, Pastor Youm had to come to the difficult decision of resigning from his current church. It’s going to be a rough few years for him and his family, emotionally and financially. But when a place of worship becomes riddled with politics and personal drama to the point of destruction, there’s only so much one person can do to save everyone.
So here’s what you can do to help with this exciting new phase of Pastor Youm and his remaining congregation (Mom included): help them come up with a name for their new church. And by church I mean, literally, a dozen or fewer people who truly believe in Pastor Youm’s leadership and faith.
It will primarily cater to the Korean-Canadian congregation, with services in both Korean and English. The aforementioned family groups will continue to play an important part. They would love a name that reflects these values yet would come off as friendly and open to people like me who are brand spanking new to the Christian faith. They’re also looking for a rental space for the church to meet, preferably not the basement of a dentist’s office. ;)
Got any suggestions? Please leave yours in the comments below and I will round them up to pass along to the pastor. Thanks in advance!!
