I am deeply honored to have been appointed to Virginia Korean United Methodist Church (VKUMC) in Suffolk, Virginia. I have served there since July 1, 2024. This is a significant milestone, as I am the first female senior pastor of the church. VKUMC is also the first Korean American church I have served as a senior pastor. Since my arrival in the United States in 2009, I have been blessed to serve in cross-racial and cross-cultural ministry settings.
VKUMC is recovering from a painful division caused by those who wanted to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church. The good and faithful people maintained their belief and trust in Christ through The United Methodist Church, stayed with VKUMC, and are now ready for a season of healing and renewal.
As my first ministry initiative for church renewal, I encouraged church leaders to include children and youth as Holy Communion servers. This idea, unconventional in Korean culture where elders or lay leaders typically serve Communion, initially surprised them. I explained that this is a way to grow as the body of Christ by acknowledging our children and youth as disciples of Jesus Christ. Following disaffiliation, we have had few children and youth at VKUMC. They lost their place in the church as Sunday school ceased and the main service became more adult-focused. By claiming the discipleship of children and youth in the ministry of the Lord's Table, we lay the foundation for our church's revival.
I witnessed the power of this approach in my previous appointment at Epworth United Methodist Church in Exmore, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. In 2013, I was appointed to the church as the first Korean pastor serving a primarily Caucasian congregation. After a long period of decline, a few young families and children remained. The church was faithful and enthusiastic about growing spiritually, increasing its numbers, achieving healthy finances, and becoming a missional church. One successful initiative there was having children and youth serve Communion. This began with the inspiration of a beloved child, Liam Mears.
One Sunday in December 2018, Liam, a kindergartener, asked, "Pastor Mikang, can I serve Communion with you today?" He was brave and confident enough to stand beside me. I usually gave the bread to individuals during the worship service. Liam wanted to hold the cup and say, "This is the blood of Christ, shed for you," to each person. Despite my surprise, I said "yes" because it was Liam's birthday weekend. The Holy Spirit was at work. Liam came out of Sunday school early and practiced serving Communion. The open Table was visible during the service through Liam's discipleship. The blood of Christ renewed our church community, and we expanded the body of Christ by embracing Liam as a disciple of Jesus Christ serving in Communion.
Afterward, Liam asked, "Pastor Mikang, can I serve Communion every Sunday?" I responded, "Of course! And if you become a pastor, you can preside and serve Communion as much as you like." Liam smiled. And his smile remained in my heart as the smile of Jesus Christ.
Thanks to Liam, Epworth had joyful children and youth as Jesus' disciples serving Holy Communion. Sometimes, they would go to homebound members, assist with me, and share the body and blood of Christ. When children and youth expressed their love of coming to the church to serve Communion, they brought their families and friends to the church and the Lord's Table. Truly, the body of Christ was expanding, and the church was a part of the growth of God's kingdom in Exmore. I left Epworth a month ago to begin this new ministry at VKUMC. I am grateful that Epworth now has many children and youth and is known as a welcoming church for young families on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
At VKUMC, our leadership team is preparing to equip our children and youth to serve Communion. I am deeply grateful for our leaders' unwavering support and willingness to invite these young Christians to lead Holy Communion. Their commitment is a testament to our church community's fresh wind of unity and strength. Ours was once a broken body of Christ, but Jesus Christ is ready to make us whole. May the restoring power of the Holy Spirit make us "the body of Christ redeemed by his blood" for our children and youth, the entire church family, our Korean and non-Korean neighbors, and friends in our community in Suffolk.
Reflection Questions:
- How are children and youth involved in your church’s worship services, especially in celebrating Holy Communion? How might including them as active participants, like Communion servers, deepen their sense of belonging and discipleship?
- This article emphasizes the power of Holy Communion to foster healing and renewal in a church community. How might your church use Communion as a time for unity and healing, especially after a conflict or division?
- The idea of involving children as Communion servers was unconventional in the VKUMC context, but it led to new growth. Are there any cultural or traditional norms in your church that might be reimagined or adapted to create new opportunities for spiritual renewal?
Rev. Mikang Kim is an active leader within the United Methodist Church, currently serving as the pastor of the Korean United Methodist Church in Virginia (VKUMC). Originally published by Discipleship Ministries. Republished with permission by ResourceUMC.