Greetings from Pastor Joseph,
Greetings to my new congregation, Lebanon!
I am Pastor Joseph, your new Pastor, and I have arrived in Lebanon with a cordial smile and a happy heart. I have two adorable daughters. Sarah has just graduated with an MA in Clinical Psychology and expects to work as a Marriage & Family Therapist from this Fall. Julie is going up to her junior year in college. I have been married to my wife and the best company, Youngmi, for 28 years. We grew up together in the same beach town, and she knows pretty much everything about my life. It is so cool that we share so much of our lifetime and old, familiar stories. (Sometimes, a little bit “scary”).
I love to go fishing. When I was young, my dad used to take me to deep-sea fishing trips on a four-and-a-half-ton boat. I couldn’t quite understand to go that far into the sea only to keep waiting for hours with baits and hooks down and to come back with a few fish. You know what? I have grown up and found myself casting and waiting too, but this time willingly and joyfully. I have also become a fisherman of people for God. Fishing might be my destiny!
2020 is my 20th year in ministry. As I look back, I have to acknowledge that I have come this far deep into the sea of ministries by God’s grace and sustenance only. So, today, I have come to you with gratitude to God, to the welcoming community of Lebanon who has faithfully born many good fruits for God, and to Pastor Tim, whose leadership we all well recognize. Let’s keep him in our prayer for his blessed new chapter of life.
I look forward to seeing you on July 12th at our Sunday morning service.
Rev. Joseph Kim
Pastor of Lebanon UMC
MDiv, ThM, M.Ed., Spiritual Director