Page 5 - Mission Note Jan23

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to worship at Community United Methodist Church in Jackson
Heights, New York. The senior pastor, Rev. Eumin Kim and his wife, Prumeh, were missionaries to the Cen-
tral Asia for many years. They served in Almaty, Kazakhstan as United Methodist missionaries prior to serv-
ing Community UMC in Jackson Heights.

Jackson Heights is a neighborhood of immigrant population. About 30 or 40 years ago, many Korean immi-
grants also formed an enclave here as well. Today, the neighborhood is predominantly inhabited by Hispanics,
Asians, and immigrants from Eastern Europe. As other immigrant communities, the neighborhood of Jackson
Heights is full of life and energy.

The vibrant spirit and energy could also be seen
inside the Community Church. Since the appoint-
ment of Eumin as the senior pastor, the church has
undergone many changes and growth, not only in
the number of people attending but also the way
people worship the Lord on Sunday. During the
worship service, a praise team of young people are
leading the music and people are praying fervent-
ly. Pastor Eumin told me that his church member-
ship consists of immigrants from more than 60
countries!

After the church service, I also had an opportunity
to meet with the Rev. Dmitrii Lysin, the superinten-
dent of the Central Asia Mission who is currently
traveling in the US. The Central Asia Mission has grown steadily and is now being led by local leadership.
Rev. Lysin is in his early 30s and he is a good example of how important young people's role is in ministries in
Central Asia today.

I had a privilege of initiating the UMC mission to Central
Asia in early 2000 as a staff responsible for developing new
missions at the Global Ministries. The mission began
through a partnership with Korean United Methodist church-
es in the US. And with the help of the Flushing Korean
Church (then Rev. Joong Urn Kim was the senior pastor) we
were able to purchase the mission center in Almaty, Kazakh-
stan which served as a base for UMC mission in Central Asia.

The Central Asian mission has grown steadily and there has
been a remarkable cultivation of leadership among local people, especially with young people. In order to
ensure the continual growth of leadership among young people, we need financial and technical resources.
Hope5L2F is launching a project to help young adult ministries for Central Asia Mission this year.

As a staff of the Global Ministries, I had the honor of initiating new missions in many parts of the world.
Among these missions, the Central Asia mission is the one that is personally meaningful. We ask you to join
us and pray for the continued development and growth of ministries in Central Asia.