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book_imageReflections Along the Journey: Theological Narratives of Korean American Clergywomen  (Judson Press)

Editor, Grace Ji-Sun Kim

 

We DID it!!

The Korean American Presbyterian Clergywomen’s group is publishing a book to celebrate our 25th Anniversary.  We want to sincerely thank the support of friends, family and community for all their donations.  The kind donations of each donor will bring our book to life.

77 people donated to this book campaign and we raised $6305.00. We are so grateful to each contributor.  We would like to acknowledge the following people who donated 100.00 or more to our book campaign.

We couldn’t have done this without the 77 donors and to each of the writers.

We thank the following people for their thoughtful donations of 100.00 or more:

Korean American Presbyterian Clergywomen’s Group

Joseph Ahn

Mark Koenig

Mickie Choi

Ann Menzie

Margaret Oget

Abby Mohaupt

Molly Casteel

Anonymous

David Rue

Suk Jong Lee

Cynthia Holder Rich

Sung Yeon Choimorrow

Jeannie Kim

Michael Wong

Marion Park

Jean Kim

Yena Hwang

Danielle Yip

Nayoung Ha

Hyeyoung Lee

Marion Lee

In Yang

Peace Lee

Myung Ja Yue

Sun Lee

Noushin Framke

J.P. Kang

Grace Kang

Kurt Esslinger

Chae Shim

Foreword:  Neal Presa

Chapter Summary:

“History of Korean American Presbyterian Clergywomen (KAPCW)” Unzu Lee

This chapter gives a wonderful history and overview of the Korean American Presbyterian Clergywomen’s group. The names of the original 7 women who began the group are listed as well as the names of important people along the way. The annual conferences are described as well as the location and dates. It is an excellent summary of the development of this important group of clergywomen.

Theological Reflections:

“Home Sweet Diaspora Home” Aram Bae

The Korean American church has become a “second home” to many who feel displaced, marginalized and subordinated in a new adopted land. The church has become a place for socializing, making connections, sharing Korean food, culture, history and ideas. The church has also become a place to share Korean identity with the next generation of Korean Americans. The role of the Korean American church is indeed a multifaceted one and often described as a home away from home. However, in the midst of positive attributes of the Korean American church, the church also has its problems as it is heavily entrenched with Confucianism that has had negative affects on women.

“Do you Speak English? Racial Discrimination and Being the Other” Grace Ji-Sun Kim

Foreigners have traditionally been viewed with suspicion and as a source for many problems. If we look at the foreign women within the book of Ezra (Ezra 10), they were told to leave their families. They were thrown away from the community. They were outcasts and were not welcomed into the community. Since I am viewed as a foreigner, I often feel a similar tension and discrimination from those in my circles.

I am often asked, “Do you speak English?” I wonder how many times I will be asked the question. And my heart aches when I consider how many times my children will hear the question.   To move forward, we must ask ourselves how our churches and American society can work together to attend to the fact that bodies marked by “foreignness” are hurting. This must begin with a critical re-evaluation of how systems of power and privilege mark certain people in small, but persistent ways. Only by attending to the daily existence of being marked as “foreign” or “other” can we provide firm ground for our larger goals of ending systematic racism.

“Go Somewhere” Christine Hong

This is a personal reflection of a young Korean American woman’s journey towards ordination. It includes her painful confrontation and experience of sexism within the Korean American church. Chris Hong faced strong sexism as she prepared herself for ordained ministry within the Korean American church. Through this difficult path, she prevailed and found love, peace and victory.

“The Transformative Power of Eucharist” Yena Hwang

Yena Hwang shares a personal experience of the transformative power of Eucharist in her essay. Eucharist is shared in many different ways in different churches around the globe. As one of two sacraments within the protestant church, Hwang reflects on her personal journey of sharing communion and how it has provoked new ways of being and understanding the body of Christ.

Korean American Theology

“Urgent Need of Ethic of Resistance in Korea” Nayoung Ha

            In this chapter, Nayoung insists on the urgent need of an Ethic of Resistance against the dominant Christ, which operates as an ideology of socio-politics serving the status-quo in South Korea. By examining the issues around the legislation of the Anti-Discrimination Act, she argues that kids and members of multi-cultural families, LGBTQI people and people who operate on the politically radical left are the outcasts who are exposed to open discrimination and violence in their everyday life in Korea. She urges that the dominant Christ within Korean Christianity, which must be resisted by Korean Christians in order to be in solidarity with the outcasts in Korea, is white racist, homophobic, and a politically religious right Christ.

“The Passage Towards Parenthood as Vocational Practice” Mihee Kim-Kort

The work involved in having and raising a family goes without saying – anyone and everyone who has any experience with children understands the necessity for sacrifice and faithfulness in caring for children. If one adds the dimension of full-time and ordained ministry, children are not automatically the most natural dovetail for a Korean American woman who has to be a public figure, lead and administer programs in a church, and proclaim God’s word. Even more, providing the primary care for children can often seem like a barrier or obstacle to ministry. How can one care for two different families? But, it can be a way to shape one’s ministry, identity, and passions. This chapter looks at how important it is to intentionally and deliberately work through the logistics of caring for a family with a partner (if one is available), create boundaries that are physical, spiritual, and emotional in healthy differentiation, as well as surrender to the possibilities of how God continues to cultivate us as clergy through our families.

“Theme: Woman in Purple – Ministry in Purple” Jean Kim

Korean American clergy are engaged in many different forms of ministry. Jean Kim has devoted much of her adult life to a ministry to the homeless. This chapter chronicles her difficult immigrant life plagued by misfortunes, death of family members, racism etcs., which eventually led to her own call to ordained ministry. Her journey to minister to the homeless is an insightful and informative way of understanding the call of Jesus to serve the least of them.

“Miracle Baby” Mickie Choi

Mickie Choi was born in Seoul, Korea in a family of educators, 5 days after the Korean War broke out. She immigrated to the United States after she graduated from a college which was founded by the first Protestant Missionary sent by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) with Chemistry major. Her American dream was to become a successful “Madam Curie” with advanced graduate degrees, and contribute her scientific knowledge and skills to the world to the people. God later called her into the ordained ministry, and she became the first clergy woman ordained by the first Korean language Presbytery of the PCUSA in 1992.

From the first day of her birth, her life could have been summarized as “a work of Miracle of God” in one word. It is rather contradictory for the author since she has been struggling with the word and concept of “Miracle” as a scientist who could hardly believe the presence of “God” or the reality of “Miracle” as truths unless there are substantial evidences that can visibly prove the facts.

However, through the supernatural manifestations and intervention of the Holy Spirit, and the intellectual wrestling within herself, she now boldly claims that she is truly “a Miracle Baby.” Furthermore, her life and ministry can only be sustained by the grace and power of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Korean American Sermons

“Standing Tall” Irene Pak

This chapter is a theological reflection on the story of the bent over woman in the gospel of Luke and my own personal story of healing and learning how to stand tall in the midst of sexism and racism. It connects this biblical story of unbinding and freedom to my own–and how all that can be found through the healing touch of Christ.

“What to Expect When You’re Expecting” Joann Lee

Advent is my favorite season in the church calendar. I shared this sermon with my congregation during the 2013 Advent Season. I was eight months pregnant with our first son and both excited and terrified. While my pregnancy connected me to this “season of waiting” in a new and profound way, I knew we all needed Advent no matter who we are or how we connected with this season.

“Discerning Kairos” Yena Hwang

“Discerning Kairos” was preached as Hwang closed out her moderating year in the Presbytery of National Capital. She shares the importance of discerning God’s time as churches are challenged with many changes and encouraged presbyters to be filled with hope.

“words, words, words….and the Word” Yena Hwang

This is a poetic prose sermon, preached at the Presbytery of National Capital meeting where the ordination equality debate was on the docket. The sermon was to encourage spirit-filled discussions, rather than mean spirited debates on an important issue of justice and equality.

 

Please watch for the publication of the book in Fall 2015 by Judson Press.

Epilogue:  Laura Mariko Cheifetz

[read also: Military Drills & Jesus and the Cross]

_______________________________________________________________

BN7A3104-MGrace Ji-Sun Kim is Visiting Researcher at Georgetown University.  She is the author of 6 books, Theological Reflections on “Gangnam Style” co-written with Joseph Cheah, Reimagining with Christian Doctrines co-edited with Jenny Daggers (Palgrave), Contemplations from the Heart (Wipf & Stock), Colonialism, Han and the Transformative Spirit (Palgrave Pivot), The Holy Spirit, Chi, and the Other: A Model of Global and Intercultural Pneumatology (Palgrave Macmillan) and The Grace of Sophia: A Korean North American Women’s Christology (Pilgrim Press). She is a co-editor with Dr. Joseph Cheah for the Palgrave Macmillan Book Series, “Asian Christianity in Diaspora”.

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