Rev. Park’s Pastoral Pondering
Dear St. Matthew’s family,
My name is JW Park, your new pastor as of July 1. I am so happy to come to St. Matthew’s. It is my joy and privilege to serve God with you, so I am looking forward to meeting all of you and getting to know each other.
God is calling us to serve. I believe that what we do and where we go depends on God. After eight years of serving as a District superintendent, God sent me to St. Matthew’s, and I said yes to the appointment with a glad heart. I served God faithfully during the last eight years and I will dedicate myself to serving God at St. Matthew’s in the years to come.
I came from a non-believing family. I accepted Christ when I was in college, so I understand those who do not believe in Christ. I believe that my experience as a non-believer in my youth helps me effectively bring new people to Christ. My father served in the Korean Army for over 35 years, retiring as a major general, and then serving in the presidential cabinet. My mother was a school teacher. I have three older sisters and one brother, making me the baby of the family. [I don’t think I am spoiled rotten, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.] I came to the U.S. to finish my MBA, but God called me to the ordained ministry while I studied. This year marks my 29th year in the ordained ministry. My wife, HiRho, is also an ordained elder in the Baltimore Washington Conference and has been appointed to Bethesda UMC, in Bethesda. She and I have one daughter, Felicia, who is getting married to Jesse.
I came to St. Matthew’s to walk with you in our journey together, bringing healing and harmony. I am here to care for you and love you. We have suffered long enough from the pandemic, and we are more than ready to come back in full force to be the body of Christ. I can sense that God is doing something new with us as the prophet Isaiah says,
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19, NRSV)
I am very excited to serve Christ with you and witness what God can do with us.
Blessings, JW
Read more about JW in his biographical sketch