When the preschool of Hope Community Christian Reformed Church in Flagstaff, Ariz., was relocated, the church began renovations and prayed for a new purpose for the old space.
Pastor Song Cha, a Presbyterian Korean missionary who works for Northern Arizona University (NAU), was praying for space to host a ministry outreach to the university’s international students, led by Cha and two other Presbyterian missionaries.
God answered prayers by bringing the two groups together. Linda Kuczynski, an elder at Hope Community, said, “After praying for a year regarding what the Lord would have us to do with our church building, our council was pleasantly surprised to find out Pastor Song Cha and other Korean leaders had also been praying about where to hold an outreach service to NAU international students and teachers. When they approached us and asked for help, the direction was clear because we saw this opportunity as a door the Lord was opening up for us all.”
Originally, Hope Community pastor Dave Reynolds was invited to sit in on meetings with the Korean ministry. Soon he was asked to preach, and now preaches twice a month with a Korean interpreter.
As the ministry grew in numbers and in diversity, the format of the worship services also transformed from a traditional model to a blended model. Reynolds said the outreach ministry also includes other activities such as bowling and hiking.
About the Author
Shashi DeHaan is the Banner's regional news correspondent for classes Arizona and Red Mesa.