Strengthening Gospel Partnerships In South Korea
An update from Marty Machowski, Executive Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, USA…
It was with great joy that I visited Lord’s Grace Church in South Korea at their new location in Suwon City. Suwon is approximately 30 kilometers south of Seoul, where they met previously. The church was forced to move in September of 2021 due to the high cost of rent in Seoul and lost eight families in the process. Now more than a year later, the Lord has added ten additional families, most attending for the first time in the last six months, as word spread of their vibrant church.
We packed a lot into my short five-day trip. I met with families who use the family devotionals I authored that have been translated into Korean. It was wonderful to hear stories of parents leading their families in gospel-centered devotions daily with a consistency that demonstrated Songhwan’s leadership in their lives. I was humbled as children lined up to have their books signed. Many expressed their thanks and shared how God used these materials to introduce them to Christ.
On Saturday, I spoke on the gospel-centered family with a session on marriage and another on parenting. The question-and-answer sessions revealed a hunger for applying the gospel and a desire to grow. One woman shared how when she came to Lord’s Grace church, she planned to divorce her husband, but after being touched by the gospel, God restored her marriage, and both she and her husband are now actively serving in the church.
The Sunday gathering lasted from 10 am until 3 pm with two messages, a potluck meal, another round of Q&A, and a group photo. On Monday, I spent time with the pastoral interns for lunch. They joined Songhwan, his wife Miran, and I for a trip to the Seoul Tower, with its breathtaking views of the sprawling city of 9.9 million people.
Person after person shared their love for the church and gratitude toward Covenant Fellowship and Sovereign Grace for sending me on this visit. Perhaps most significant was the time I spent with Songhwan and Miran, who are still grieving the loss of their dear friend Larry Malament. Larry’s care and wise counsel over many years served them well. It became clear that the Lord used my visit to reinforce our partnership in the gospel, provide a caring pastoral touch, and a continuation of our friendship which began in my two earlier visits prior to the pandemic.
Songhwan expressed a strong desire for their church to send out a church plant. Lord’s Grace Church has begun saving money for a future church plant and is praying God would raise up a church planter. Join me in praying that God would answer their prayer and raise up a pastor from among their number with a vision to church plant in Korea.
