My Story

My first opportunity to teach the Bible came several years ago when I was serving as a leader in my church’s student ministry.  Although my knowledge of the Bible at that time was quite  limited, when I got up to preach, something awakened in me.  I realized then, that God had called me to be a Bible teacher.  When I graduated from High School, I pursued this sense of call by enrolling at Calvary Chapel Bible College.

 After graduating from CCBC, I remained on the College staff as a lecturer and dorm dean.  I loved the combination of ministries involved in this position.  As a dean I was able to counsel, pray with, and lead students and as a lecturer, I had an outlet for my passion for Bible teaching.  This role further defined my calling in ministry.  It became clear to me that God had uniquely gifted me as a pastor and a teacher.  Although I loved this position, I realized that if I wanted to fulfill my calling I would need to pursue an accredited degree.  Soon, I left CCBC to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at UCLA.

 At UCLA, I developed a love for learning and began a time of testing my call to ministry.  I majored in history, focusing on the ancient cultures in which the Bible was written.  As I learned about ancient Israel, Greece, and Rome, I began to feel torn between a career in academia and my original call to ministry.  Throughout my undergraduate years I remained involved in ministry as a volunteer leader in the young adult ministry at Grace Brethren Church of Long Beach.   Upon graduation, I enrolled at Yale Divinity School, hoping to keep my options open for both academia and ministry.

 It was not long before I realized that ministry was my true calling.  Although I loved studying the Bible on a scholarly level, I felt a need to integrate what I learned from the Bible with practical theology and pastoral ministry.  In short, I wanted to use what I learned from my studies not to write scholarly articles, but to edify and inspire Christians to love Christ and engage in his Kingdom mission.  It was at Yale that I became a Presbyterian and, upon graduation, began a one-year pastoral internship at Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, TX.

 During my time in college, I met and married my wonderful wife, Anita.  Anita and I met at church in California and attended UCLA together.  After our graduation I proposed and a year later we were married (August 2003).  She has graciously accompanied me to the East Coast and worked in business administration to support us while I completed my MDIV degree.  I am so grateful for Anita.   She is a wonderful encouragement to me and source of great strength in my ministry.  

 Currently, I am serving as the pastor of Impact, the English Ministry of New Haven Korean Church.  In this position, I am able to fulfill and further develop my calling as a pastor as well as work with a diverse, multi-ethnic group of college students and young adults from Yale.  My passion is preaching the gospel in a way that is Christ-centered, interesting, and practical and helping college students to develop a robust Christian world and life view.  My ultimate goal is use my gifts to lead those in my sphere of influence towards a greater love for Christ and faithful discipleship in the world.