| Art and Sue Kinsler
135 Yunji Dong, Rm. 202, Chongno-Ku
Seoul 110-470 Korea
Email: Art
and Sue Kinsler
Since 1972 Art and Sue Kinsler have been mission co-workers in
Korea. Art has been involved with evangelism in Korea as a co-laborer
with the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK). This service included
church planting in rural Korea and industrial mission in new factory
cities, Christian outreach through the Bible Club schools for
the disadvantaged and teaching, as well as serving in the General
Assembly offices of the PCK, a denomination with two and one-half
million members. Sue has worked with the physically challenged
through a vocational school, sheltered workshop, and the Fig Tree
Association.
"During a time when Korean Presbyterian churches have grown
to maturity and church growth has slowed, it is a challenge to
be one of the few mission workers remaining as a bridge to the
world church, a link to the church’s roots and institutions,
and a fellow servant ministering in Christ’s name,"
says Art. In 1999, on reaching age 65, Art became a mission volunteer.
Since his "retirement," he has worked as the facilitator
and treasurer of the office that supports PC(USA) mission work
in Korea. His work with correspondence, reports, and visitors
at the church headquarters is balanced by preaching at Yonsei University's global worship and the
English or Korean worship services of Korean congregations.
Ten years after the disabled
graduates of a vocational school met and prayed with her for a
sheltered workshop, Sue started the Koinonia Sheltered Workshop
and welfare center in 1991. Space, equipment, and some funding
for this were provided by the Korean government and supplemented
by church help. After changing jobs from director to advisor in
1997, Sue turned her attention to the needy in China and North
Korea.
Since 2003 Sue has visited North Korea six times a year. She
now runs a program to feed thousands of young children soybean
milk and bread in the North. Through the Lighthouse Foundation,
founded by Sue in 2004, clothing and medicine for over 700 orphans
are provided. The Lighthouse Foundation has been an effective
channel to help North Korea’s medical needs. Sue found an opening to serve the physically challenged and returned with a signed agreement to refurbish the 4,000-square-foot first floor of an apartment building. A year later, in May 2007, the Potonggang Welfare Center for the Disabled was opened in Pyongyang with four sheltered workshops, plus bath, treatment, and eating facilities. |
