Dear friends at home,

It is a beautiful spring season in Seoul. Art enjoys teaching a course at Yonsei University’s International Division in Religions in Korea along with his work in the mission office at the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) and the other things he has been doing. Sue worked hard as guide and driver when there was a three-country church seminar, "The Reformed Church and the Global Economy," which had a week of meetings in Seoul before it moved on for more of the same in Seattle and São Paulo, Brazil. Sue was co-opted for that because she is the missionary working with the PCK’s society department.

In May, Sue was excited upon returning from her third trip this year to northeast China. Although her assignment is here in South Korea to the Koinonia Sheltered Workshop for the Disabled, which she started ten years ago, the workshop and the society department encourage her to take time to visit Manchuria. She has been working with churches to set up small projects for people of Korean ethnic background in vocational training and employment of the handicapped and underprivileged.

Sue was excited because of the many opportunities not only to help those in need through Christian congregations but because she and those who traveled with her—Kum-Ja Lee to help with training in dressmaking, Kwang-Sook Bae for beautician training, and deaconness Mari Weldy—were able to witness to Jesus Christ, with great results. Sue is helping small congregations in northeast China provide for and nourish physically and spiritually some of the more than 100,000 migrants from south of the border. For some years we have been giving scholarship money for seminary students in northeast China.

The April homegoing of 98-year-old Dr. Kyung-Chik Han—father figure for Korea’s Protestants, dedicated pastor and leader, winner of the Templeton Prize in Religion and friend of Art’s father since Princeton Seminary days—was the passing of an era at the beginning of the new millennium. It was a beautiful way to go—on the Wednesday before Easter. With several meanings we can repeat "He is not dead, but lives…."

At our Inter-Presbyterian Mission Office (IPMO) three staff persons with 127 years of combined service to missionaries and mission work are getting ready to retire. Elder Kwang-Yoon Kim has served as accountant since 1953 with the northern Presbyterian Mission and the IPMO. The Rev. Kwang-Tak Kim served in Andong from 1961 to 1975 and thereafter he has served in Seoul as office manager for the mission legal holding bodies dealing with property in South Korea. Elder Tong-Ho Chang served as vehicle repairman in Taegu from 1960 to 1969 and from 1970 to the present, he has been doing building maintenance and repairs here in Seoul. In addition to supporting the life and work of mission personnel these three have provided leadership for Korean congregations as well.

The plan is to replace these long-time faithful servants with two or less staff persons. Art is the IPMO facilitator and signer of checks and asks for your prayers of thanks for the faithful service of these three and God’s guidance in training a successor.

Yours for Christ in Korea,

Art and Sue Kinsler

The 2000 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 168