Norfolk Korean minister is a first for East Anglia
 Some 130 years after English missionaries first helped take the Christian Gospel to Korea, the Rev Seung-Wook Jung will today (September 1) become the first-ever Korean Methodist minister to serve in East Anglia, based at Aylsham in Norfolk. Keith Morris reports.
Rev Seung-Wook Jung is the new minster at Aylsham Methodist Church and he comes to Norfolk with his wife Eun-Hee and their three children So Lee (10), So Yun (7) and Yunsang (4).
Seung-Wook visited North Norfolk earlier this year with his family and was warmly received. His visit was delayed until March because he damaged his Achilles tendon playing basketball and he had been recovering.
Seung-Wook said: “I aim to serve the church through leading worship, administering the sacraments, pastoral care, enabling spiritual development and by seeking opportunities to engage with the community beyond the church.”
He said he sees minister and congregation learning from each other and together seeking to discover where God is leading them. He hopes that people’s personal relationship with God would be deepened by his ministry.
Seung-Wook (approximate pronunciation Sunook) attended Seoul Theological Seminary in Korea for his ministerial training and then worked as an assistant minister for 15 years in the Korean Holiness Church.
He has an MDiv degree and he also studied at London Theological Seminary for a year and did an MA course in Bristol Trinity College for a year. He was ordained in 2008, and served the Korean Christian Fellowship in Chessington as a minister and secretary chaplain. He has also been a local preacher in the Kingston–upon–Thames circuit of the Methodist Church.
The Methodist Church now recognises him as a Methodist Minister to serve in the Aylsham Section of the North Norfolk Circuit for the next five years.
North Norfolk Circuit Steward, Cedric Brown, said: “Having previously had a minster from America for a year we are really looking forward to the ministry of the Rev Jung who comes from further afield in South Korea and for a longer period. It is good to receive the insights of Christians from other cultures and experience and I am sure we have a great deal to learn from each other.
September 1 is the start of the Methodist year and the date when Methodist ministers tend to move to their next appointment.
New ministers welcomed to East Norfolk
Meanwhile, the East Norfolk Methodist Circuit is holding a welcoming service today (September 1) 7.30pm at Christchurch, to greet two new ministers to the area.
Rev Steve Cullis will give pastoral care to the Methodist churches in Acle, Halvergate, Freethorpe and Lingwood as Superintendent Minister. He comes from Wootton Basset.
Rev Andrew Fielding has come from London to give pastoral care to the Methodist churches at Christchurch and Newtown Great Yarmouth, and Caister-on-Sea
Rev Chris Shreeve continues with pastoral care of the Martham Section and Rev Betty Trinder continues with pastoral care of the Gorleston Section.
The presiding minister at the service will be the Chair of the East Anglia District, Rev Graham Thompson, supported by Circuit staff: ministers from the United Reformed Church [as Christchurch is a local Ecumenical Partnership between the URC and Methodists], and clergy, members and friends from local congregations and communities
The Circuit welcomes all to the service and refreshments will follow in the Christchurch Coffee Shop
Pictured above is the Rev Jung and his family outside Aylsham Methodist Church when they visited earlier this year.
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