There is something remarkable about returning to the place where a story began, especially when it was written by people who could hardly imagine what the future might hold. This October, more than 300 Korean American United Methodist clergy and laity gathered in San Francisco to celebrate 50 years of shared faith and ministry. Under the theme “Encounter, Engage, Empower,” we worshiped, embraced old friends, made new ones and remembered those whose names may never appear in our history books, but whose prayers helped build the church we know today.
Our gathering reminded me of the biblical Jubilee. In Leviticus 25, the 50th year is not simply an occasion to celebrate what has been accomplished. It calls us to reconsider how we live together, what we owe one another, and who might still be waiting for freedom and belonging. That question felt particularly meaningful as we visited San Francisco Korean United Methodist Church, where this journey began. The immigrant Christians who gathered there were not just building a church for themselves. They were making room for a future they might never see.
Perhaps that is also our calling today. I am especially grateful to the Horizon Texas Conference for supporting Korean clergy in participating in this gathering, making space for us to reconnect with our heritage, strengthen relationships, and return to our ministries renewed. Such support for racial and ethnic clergy is more than an investment in individual pastors; it affirms that our histories, identities, and voices are essential to the life and future of the whole church.
As United Methodists, we speak of loving boldly, serving joyfully and leading courageously. These words take on deeper meaning when we remember the generations who practiced them long before they became a denominational vision. We came to San Francisco to remember where we began. We left asking a different question: Who will find a place to belong because of what we choose to do next?
Rev. Jae Jun “Daniel” Cho is a Provisional Elder in the Horizon Texas Conference and a student at Vanderbilt University.