Missionaries wear many hats, some quite unexpected. Rev. Timothy (Byunggi) Kim is one such person. Rev. Kim and his wife Lydia (Kang Hyun Soon) Kim left their South Korean homeland more than a quarter-century ago to serve as missionaries in the Asia-Pacific Region of the Church of the Nazarene. They started in the Philippines and then transferred in 2016 to Pohnpei, in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to do support work at the Kolonia Church of the Nazarene.
Over the course of his career, Timothy has worn the typical hats of a man in Christian ministry. He is a husband, a father, the past pastor of a church, and is currently serving as the District Superintendent for the Micronesia District. When he moved to the FSM in 2016, he started an outreach to the island children. Lydia said, “Every Sunday afternoon he led an outdoor evangelistic meeting in the home of the lay pastor, Win Thomas. Several children came, and then some more came. My husband decided to set up a children’s meeting separate from the adult evangelistic meeting.”
The children’s meetings were successful beyond expectation. More children came, not only to hear Timothy’s words but to simply be with him. Lydia said, “In spite of the age gap and a language barrier in ministering to the children, children kept coming and enjoyed being together with him.”
Interest in Timothy’s children’s outreach ministry blossomed in the Pohnpei Church. People began to volunteer to help. In early 2020, Ms. Melody Jabar came from the Philippines to look for a job in Pohnpei. She joined Timothy’s children’s ministry team, and her giftedness as a teacher has been a blessing to everyone in the Pohnpei Church.
Although he now has help from the volunteers and Melody, Timothy has continued in children’s ministry. “With Melody in our children’s ministry, and my husband still as engaged as ever in effective ministry, our Pohnpei church has about 16 children every week who are growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” said Lydia.
Effective ministry is not limited by a person’s age. Timothy’s many hats remain firmly on his head, and may the same be said of us.
For more information on what it takes to serve in missions in the Church of the Nazarene, please visit SEND ME at https://opportunities.nazarene.org.
