With pride in being
the first Korean-American nongeographic presbytery in the denomination,
Hanmi Presbytery, with 5,460 members in 35 churches, has endeavored
to fulfill its role as a partner in mission with the rest of
the church. It has made significant cultural and spiritual contributions
to the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), working with
the governance of the denomination.
Since 2006 Hanmi Presbytery has been converting all areas
of mission from congregations to the presbytery leadership in
response to the rapidly changing circumstances of its neighbors
and the world. This necessitated the revision of Hanmi Presbytery’s
mission statement in 2007. It now reads: “The mission
of Hanmi Presbytery is to be a faithful partner in mission and
ministry with the sessions, congregations, and minister members
of the presbytery; to empower, support, nurture, and walk with
them in their ministries. As a presbytery, we hold ourselves
accountable to Jesus Christ as Head of the Church, and to the
Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); working cooperatively
as mission partners with the Synod and the General Assembly.
The presbytery expresses commitment to God’s grace and
love by seeking opportunities not only to continue serving Korean
immigrants, but also for promoting racial and ethnic harmony
in a multicultural society; and in glorifying the Lord our God
with modest and faithful lifestyles.”
Under this new mission statement all churches are actively
transforming their ministries so they are more responsive to
God’s calling in their dynamic culture and community.
Through this transformation process, Eden Presbyterian Church
found a new calling in reaching out to multicultural peoples
who live in Honolulu, Hawaii. The presbytery installed the Rev.
Peter Song to carry on this ministry. He has had multicultural
mission experiences in China, Korea, and the United States and
is fluent in Chinese, Korean, and English. |
