Preparing for Missionary Service
Rev. Su Kim, a recent graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS), is joining the staff of First Church as an Assistant Pastor beginning in July. He and his family (wife Christina and children Jenna, Nicole, Isaiah, Joshua and Timothy) have just relocated to Southwest Florida. They are planning an eventual move to Thailand to serve as missionaries. Over the next two years, as they prepare for this calling, the Kims will raise mission support from individuals and churches nationwide, and prepare for their cross-cultural transition and overseas service.
Pastor Su will be serving in the areas of student ministry and missions, and participating in the general pastoral duties of teaching, worship and visitation. Many First Church members got to know Su during his January 2018 internship with us—part of our pastoral mentorship program with Gordon-Conwell. With a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and an MBA from the University of Maryland, he worked in management at a public utility company before sensing a call from God to become a pastor and missionary. This past May, Su received his Master of Divinity summa cum laude and was ordained as a pastor for mission service by the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians in June.
“What a blessing to have Su Kim join the First Church family! I am excited to utilize the strengths God has given Su to continue to grow our mission program and to share our many mission resources and partners with the Kim family as they prepare for a future on the mission field in Thailand.” – Trusha Barner, Director of Missions
Epistle: How did the relationship between First Church and your family begin?
Su Kim: The short answer is God. I’ve always heard stories of how God provides exactly what is needed, when it is needed. After being accepted to Gordon-Conwell (GCTS) in April and missing many scholarship deadlines, we did not have enough money to move there. In late May, GCTS informed me that I would be receiving a call from Dr. Doug Pratt. I was floored! The special scholarship from First Church was the exact amount we needed to come to GCTS! Beyond the financial support, I know that First Church was praying for us. In January 2018, we visited as part of the seminary student mentorship program and left with lifelong friendships. In Spring 2019, another door opened to continue this relationship with First Church. My entire family is eager to see how the Lord will continue to strengthen and use this partnership for His glory and His Kingdom!
Epistle: Tell us about your calling to be a missionary in Thailand, and the timetable for that.
Su Kim: My wife and I have been leading short-term teams to Thailand since 2006. During our fifth mission trip in 2013, we sensed a call as a family. After much prayer and discernment, in 2016 we accepted God’s call—which was not necessarily to a ministry, or even a country, but to the Thai people. From our first trip to Thailand, a country less than 1% Christian, we grew to love and carry a deep burden for the people. Our dream is to raise disciple-making disciples so that people from the Kingdom of Thailand will fill the Kingdom of Heaven. Lord-willing, we hope to head to Bangkok, Thailand in Summer 2021.
