Fruits, vegetables, and meat might be affordable, but everything else in the UK is expensive. Naturally, when living is so tight, it’s more common to be accustomed to receiving rather than giving. When I first came to the UK, it felt awkward that visiting lecturers and pastors from abroad would bring all the necessary expenses for any gathering they attended, and even provide some sponsorship before leaving. This just shows how hard it is to do ministry or mission work in the UK on one’s own.
There are roughly 70 Korean churches in the UK, but only about three of them own their buildings. The rest rent spaces by the hour. Despite the challenges of living in rented spaces, owning a building seems a distant thought due to the high costs and difficulty in self-sustenance.
However, my wife and I, in the year we arrived from Korea, thought of buying a church building. Initially, my salary was mostly supported by the church that sent me from Korea, and our church’s finances were not abundant, but I still hoped to buy a building before I retired.
By God’s grace, after about two years of ministry, our church became self-sufficient, and thanks to the dedication of our congregation, who served like ministers, I could minister alone until we grew to 300 members. So, we started saving a portion of the church’s surplus funds to buy a building in the future. Although buying a building requires a significant amount of money and must be done in faith, I thought it necessary to be prepared to at least place a deposit if God shows us a good building to buy. However, we did not cut back on necessary expenses for the ministry.
I believed that if God were to give us a building, it would be when the stage for mission-focused ministry was set. Just buying a building for our church’s use, like for worship or small group meetings, didn’t motivate me enough. I hoped it would serve as a comfortable gathering and training place for many diaspora church leaders who struggle without their own buildings.
Thankfully, as I got to know various missionary organizations and foreign church leaders in London, a movement to achieve missions in London together is actively taking place. I feel the time has come. If God gives us a building, I hope it serves two main purposes. Firstly, as previously mentioned, for missions. Secondly, as a house of prayer. Prayer and mission are closely linked. Missions can’t be accomplished by our power alone; the gates of heaven must open. So, I hope it becomes a house of prayer for all people, where anyone can come and pray anytime.
When people are young, they receive more than they give, but as they grow into adults and become parents, giving and sacrificing become much more prevalent. Like Jesus Christ, who was equal to God but did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, and made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, I hope our church building will be used to establish God’s kingdom on earth. This year, I hope our congregation will pray together about this.
