The Eugene (Ore.) and the Eugene Korean churches celebrated the baptism of one of their own March 26.
As a child of Buddhist parents in Korea, Soyeon Park was forced to attend a school that the government chose, forced to read the Bible and forced to pray to God. Soon she was running from God.
When Park moved with her children to Eugene in 2007, her neighbor, an Adventist, invited Park's children to the Adventist Church with her own daughters. Park agreed they could go.
Eventually, Park decided to attend as well. So Sept. 11, 2010, became "the first day I was in God's House." She was inspired by Greg Middlestetter's sermons and became friends with Charles and Clara Young, church members. The Youngs introduced her to Irving and Sonja Kim, who invited Park to attend the Eugene Korean Church.
Park began attending both churches with her children, and her faith grew. When bad things happened, she prayed and gave thanks that things were not worse.
When Park accepted a job in New Jersey, Myungjun Choi, Eugene Korean Church pastor, suggested she be baptized before moving. Park agreed.
It felt right to her, but Park worried about the bits and pieces of knowledge of God she had. Was that enough? Choi explained that getting baptized was the first step in believing in God. He and his wife gave Park baptismal preparations for the three weeks leading to her baptism.
Her baptism was a wonderful celebration of her love of God and acceptance into the family of Christ. Members of both churches attended her baptism and praised God for Park's faithful journey.
Of the future Park says, "The only thing I want is to have my family together in God and to become a true Christian."
Greg Middlestetter, Eugene Church pastor (left), and Myungjun Choi, Eugene Korean Church pastor (right), nurture Soyeon Park's faith as it grows toward baptism.
