As I arrived at the Houston Airport and rode in the car, I finally saw the building of New Life Fellowship (the English congregation of Houston Seoul Church). I was deeply moved. This was because I already knew the beauty of that church filling the building. The dedication of many people who contributed to the establishment of such a beautiful church, the body of Jesus, passed through my mind like a breeze. A Bible verse came to mind.
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."
(Matthew 5:14)
The English-Speaking Congregation of Houston Seoul Church (New Life Fellowship) started off gathering in a small shipping container house. The Korean-Speaking Congregation of Houston Seoul Church became the mother church of the English-Speaking Congregation. NLF, which initially was a youth group and a congregation centered around Koreans, has now become a multicultural family church with over 90 Mokjangs. After a while, the ESC was able to build an impressive building right next to the KSC building, which is bigger and more modernized compared to the KSC building.
The English-speaking congregation's participation in this pastors’ conference is the first of its kind in the history of house churches. That fact alone deeply moved me. Moreover, each act of service was filled with joy, happiness, and dynamic energy. Sitting at the table, I suddenly had these thoughts. "Can our second generation grow like this?" "Can our second generation live happily and dynamically in a biblical church like this?" "Can we build such a church in the land of New England?"
I don't know about the others well. Only one thing is certain. "It's what God desires," God calls those who will participate in His ministry. If we just stand here, God will send His people that we need. Nashua Hanmaum Church is already shining in the southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts areas like a city set on a hill. I pray that Nashua Hanmaum Church can become the mother church of the English-Speaking Congregation. I pray again that a dynamic ESC where our children can happily attend can be established.
Following the shepherd…
Pastor Jiwon Choi