Following the Sunday Service at GVC in Central London, It was early Monday evening when I arrived at Seoul, so I immediately went to Gapyung Woori Village, where the Discipleship Training Seminar for Pastors was being held. The seminar was being led by Pastor Chan Kyu Lee from Hanmaum Church in Germany, so the church members who had come with Pastor Lee recognised me and warmly greeted me. Although I missed the first session, I was able to join my first meeting with the pastors in my small group. We were a diverse group: a newly appointed head pastor of a church; a pastor who had served as the head pastor for nearly 40 years, a pastor who was preparing to plant a church, and a pastor who had been running discipleship training sessions for a long time but came to seek other alternatives.

What resonated with me the most from the seminar was that the content of the discipleship training was focused on the gospel. Most discipleship training can feel like well-structured Bible study sessions, but Pastor Lee’s discipleship training program had been designed to deliver the gospel by proclamation, rather than through a discussion. The focus is not just on understanding the gospel, but on continuously practicing it so that it becomes a holy habit. All of this was in line with the conclusions I had come to during my ministry at our church and what I had actually experienced in my own ministry, so it was a time of reaffirming that the path I’ve been walking was the right one. However, that training material would have to be adjusted to fit the logic and terminology that our church is familiar with to be fit for use at our church, so I am considering whether it might be better to update our church’s B2 material instead.

The seminar concluded after lunch on Thursday, and Pastor Young Jo Kim came to pick me up afterwards. It had been 17 years since we first met, so though he is now in his 40s, I still felt like meeting the young man that I remember him to be. After settling into the hotel he had prepared for me, I led two evening services, which included preaching and leading prayer. We started at 8 PM and finished by 11 PM. The church was in Seongnam, an area where relatively more struggling families live compared to Seoul. Two participants had lost their parents to suicide, which was heartbreaking. They said that the two seminars had been too short, and that they hoped to invite me again in the future.

On Saturday afternoon, I went to my eldest daughter’s house and finally met my granddaughter, who was born last December. She smiled so sweetly, and it was adorable and heartwarming. In the evening, I had a dinner and coffee date with my two daughters. I was so thankful for how well they have grown up. On Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evening, I preached at the church that had invited me, and during other times, I met with members of my previous church and members from God’s Vision Church. I didn’t have much time so I just met up with those who reached out to me; it’s always a joy to hear how God had been working in each of their lives.

What particularly stood out to me during this visit to Korea were the children from multicultural families – those who would be considered diaspora children, had they been in London. Since the parents work on weekends as well, they said that many children attend church as they teach math and English on Saturdays and hold worship services. It is expected that within a few years, the number of college students will decrease from 500,000 to 300,000, and non-Korean children will be filling that gap. There will be an increase in students who can speak Korean but are from non-Korean families. While they are currently receiving help, these children will soon be participating in the youth and young adult ministries of Korean churches. I heard that the leader of a mission organization at a certain university is already from a multicultural background. As I return to London, I want to fulfill that vision of diaspora ministry by raising the next generation as key figures in global city missions. “Lord, continue to guide me well.”