We have baptism ceremonies almost every week. There's a long list of people waiting to be baptized but I try not to baptize more than 8 people a week. Otherwise the worship service can get too long. Baptism is a solemn occasion but we have had our share of lighter moments. Some larger members do not trust my strength. Several have said to me with a worried look, "I am pretty heavy. Can you handle me OK?" Let me assure you that this is not a problem. The buoyancy of water makes it relatively easy to support any person's weight. If there is a problem it is usually not ...

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A certain businessman was appointed as a shepherd. As is the custom in our church he stood on the pulpit during our monthly shepherds' meeting and said how honored he felt and he promised to serve God and his brothers and sisters in the Lord faithfully. Another businessman was in the audience that meeting. He had not received payment from the newly appointed shepherd in quite some time for merchandise he had sold him. This man later told others that he felt bitter listening to the new shepherd. He could not help but think, "Why doesn't he pay off his debt first before he ...

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Recently, more people have been asking if the church can help financially with their mission trips. Let me lay out our church's policies regarding mission trip funding. The annual mission trips to Mexico and the well-digging projects in South America are sponsored by the church. So the church will fund the entire cost of these trips except airfare. Participants are responsible for transportation. The church will pay 1/3 to 1/2 of the total cost for mission trips initiated by Seoul Baptist. In the future, Pastor Shin, when he is in charge of both the Korean and English ...

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Recently, someone made a post on our church chat room with the title "A Depressing Morning". It was written by a medical doctor who became a follower of Christ through our church when he came from Korea to Houston for training. He wrote about his feelings as he watched the bombing of Baghdad on TV. He was confused about how President Bush, who is very public about being a born again Christian, can invade a country. For those of you who might have similar questions, let me share my personal opinions about this issue. Many people, including Koreans, firmly believe that ...

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When we have revival meetings we ask for volunteers to host the guest speaker. We put a sign-up sheet on the board in the fellowship hall and ask members to sign up for the day they can take him out for a meal. We do this to give as many people as possible the opportunity to receive God's blessings. As the Lord said: "Anyone who receives a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward." We've slightly changed the procedure with Pastor Chun, who will be leading our upcoming revival. We're still ...

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"I'm sure you don't remember me but..." Sometimes when people call me they start the conversation like this, assuming I don't remember them. They are surprised when they see that I remember not only their names but something personal about them as well. I know almost all of our church members' names because I pray for them every morning. I pray over their family prayer requests, which are collected at the beginning of the year. I also pray over any special prayer requests, which are submitted every week. One of the reasons church members liked me when I first came to ...

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