June 30, 2006

Dear Friends and Colleagues in God’s Mission:

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; may God be with you, guiding and protecting you in the Kingdom of God! In these days, in view of “the signs of the last days,” such as national conflicts and wars, horrible attacks of terrorists, as well as natural disasters of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, floods, wild fires, etc. as mentioned in the Bible, we have to examine ourselves to see whether we are in the strong faith in Jesus Christ, and also keep it in mind that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matt. 24:14).

At the moment—in the middle of the year of 2006—I would like to thank you for your sincere prayers and financial supports for our Russian mission as well as your concern with my health. I am in good health! Praise the Lord! Herewith a brief statement of what God has done with me in the mission field is made below.

Teaching at the Canaan Theological Seminary

In the beginning of the 2005-2006 academic year, the Seminary extended the program from three to four years in order to provide freshmen with an opportunity to study some general education courses as preparatory to theology. During the past spring semester, I taught an introduction to psychology course for first year students and a required course of Christian education to second year students. On May 12, seven students graduated and I received a plaque of gratitude in honor of serving the seminary more than ten years, along with a few of other Korean missionaries. Please pray for our seminary to be developed into a regular seminary with the Master of Divinity degree and other master’s programs.

Serving the Light of Christ Church

In an effort to solve a problem of space for worship services, our church has been integrated into a Russian Reformed Church. As co-pastors, the Rev. Mixail Boluboiarinov and I are serving the church with a focus upon youth groups and Korean descendants. A Steering Committee consisting of three deacons each from two churches has been organized to be responsible for operating the church. Our church is directed toward becoming self-sustaining through the voluntary participation and lay-leadership of church members.

As a result, a group of women lay-leaders has initiated a special prayer meeting from midnight on Friday to 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning once a month. Reading the texts of the scriptures and sharing their personal testimonies, they prayed not only for spiritual growth of their own families and other church members, but also for evangelism and outreach of the church—especially for resolution of a building space for worship services.
During the last year we paid rent of $500.00 per month for a space that seats 60, along with an office space; and from January of this year, the rent fee increased to $700.00. Then, in May, they requested us to pay a monthly fee of $1,200.00 starting with June. Can you believe that? Of course it was far beyond our financial capacity under the current situation. We had to search for another place, but it was not easy. We were so pressed and worried about this matter!

Meanwhile, I was introduced to the pastor of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, which was built downtown in the center of the city long time ago. During the era of communist government, it was used as a swimming pool. The property has recently returned to the church. Initially I met with him to discus the possibility of sharing the building spaces with us for our worship services. After a number of official meetings between two church administrators, an agreement has been made for us to use a sanctuary that seats more than 700 for our Sunday worship service, which will follow their service. We will also have a chapel room for small group meetings and an office space for $500.00 per month as part of the building maintenance expenses. Halleluiah!

Thanks to God, we have a beautiful building and a huge space for worship services. Now, we have to do more endeavors to bring in people, so that the house of God will be full. In an effort to extend our mission, we are going to start a special ministry for international students from South-Asian and African countries. Please remember it in your prayer that God may send us His faithful servants to work with us and to make international students Jesus’ disciples and prospective missionaries to their own countries.

The 15th CIS Korean Missionaries Conference

I attended the Conference, which was held at Nobosibirsk, Russia, from May 29-June 2, 2006. It was a good opportunity for us to be charged with the power of the Word of God, along with His grace and challenges, through the guest speakers’ lectures and training sessions. The participants were divided into several small groups to participate in a topical forum. I was assigned to prepare a paper concerning theological education in the mission field, and developed “An Analytical Framework for Evaluating and Improving Educational Programs at Seminaries.” After my presentation, we had good discussion sessions for the improvement of theological education in the mission field.

Additional Prayer Requests

In addition to the on-going projects mentioned above, I would like to revive two projects: Torch Mission for Russian Pastors and Ministers and Siberian Development Mission Activities in cooperation with the Medical Ambassadors International, both of which were temporally discontinued due to my illness. Also I have a plan to open a church for Korean descendants in the city of Luga, which is located 150 kilometers from St. Petersburg. Your additional prayers and continuing support for these projects will be deeply appreciated!

Self-Care of Personal Health

Thanks to God and your prayer, I am doing fine in good health. Every Monday morning, with some Korean missionaries I play tennis for exercise, and take care to relax, avoiding physical fatigue and severe stresses. A few weeks ago, I came back home and took both the C.T. and PET scan tests. The results were quite negative. The doctor reported “no significant symptoms appear and nothing to do for the moment, just keep taking medication, and we will see the result of next test in the middle of August.” Currently I am resting and preparing for lectures, sermons and other things relevant to my mission work. Upon the completion of tests, before the Seminary starts, I am going to return to St. Petersburg, my second hometown!

Grace and Peace in Christ,

Rev. Jin Eun Kim

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 188