Hello, my name is Ian and I’ve been a member of God’s Vision Church since the autumn of 2017.
I was born into a practically atheist family in Korea where my mother’s and father’s respective sides came from Buddhist and Catholic backgrounds. I have developed my Christian identity in an Islamic country where I spent 4 years during my father’s international work assignment. During that time, my family was also blessed with amazing friends in faith who led us to God and eventually help us all become Christians. Now, every member of my immediate family serves the same church in Canada. After studying in Korea during my 8th to 11th grade, I moved with my family to Toronto, Canada where I finished high school and university, and spent most of the 20s chasing my career before having a personal encounter with God in my late 20s. Since then, I’ve become an expat myself and spent the last 7 years working as well as being a member of faith communities in Sydney, Australia and in London, UK.
So my faith journey started from knowing who I am to knowing God, and then wondering about how to live life as a Christian. The questions I have been asking God most frequently through this process were “God, what would you have me do? Where do you want me to be?”
Interestingly, God made me realize that He has been tirelessly at work throughout the Bible to break the confines of “where” so that He can be with us and us with Him. God accompanied the Israelites through fire and cloud pillars during their exodus journey through the wilderness on the way to Canaan. When Jesus died on the cross, God tore the veil of the Most Holy, allowing everyone to worship Him anywhere and without being confined to the temple. After Jesus, God sent us the Holy Spirit and has been with us wherever we went. Only a god who is omnipotent, omnipresent and who truly loves us could perform such things – sounds like something our God would do.
Essentially, God has answered my questions with the following message – “Because I’m with you, where you are is Holy. Serve the community to which belong humbly and with joy.”
As it turned out, I have also experienced firsthand breaking the confines of “where” when the Coronavirus pandemic started some 2 years ago and the GVC Choir had to operate as a “virtual choir”, shortly after I started leading the team. This couldn’t have been possible without the selfless contributions of many members – Eunji, our conductor who has been producing the sing-along recording guides for the team each week; Grace, who has been coordinating the orchestral parts (and whom will be our next Choir leader!); Wooil, who has shown utmost dedication in combining and producing the audio and video clips all the way from Korea each week; each and every member who have been sending in their voice and instrument recordings from within the UK and all around the world; and members who couldn’t have participated in a normal Choir setting due to their parenting duties and their children who grace us every now and then with their impactful, special appearances! Our weekly recordings – however challenging they may have been – and online fellowships were overall nothing short of fulfilling and joyful as God poured His grace upon these meetings in a different way He would have for the Choir’s normal offline practices (we are, BTW, looking for new members to join us for our offline ministry whom we hope to re-start soon 😊).
As I wrap up my time in London and head to Toronto for my new work responsibilities, I can say with confidence that where God wanted me during my time in London was right here, at God’s Vision Church. I am also grateful that God had His eyes on me and arms around me throughout the past 7 years, loved me even at my lowest point and has always kept me in His faithful company.
It’s been a blessing serving and having fellowship with wonderful members of this God-loving community. I hope and pray that every member of the GVC family lives in His loving company every day.
