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What began as a “business arrangement” grew to a merging of ministry, when a Korean Methodist Church became part of The Salvation Army Tri-Cities, Calif. corps.
During the inauguration ceremony, Lt. Colonel Charles Strickland, Del Oro divisional commander, welcomed the Korean ministry with a sermon about unity based on Ephesians 2:19-22.
Two years ago, Pastor Eung Jo approached The Salvation Army, in need of a place for his church to meet. The Tri-Cities Corps provided a place, and they began working together.
Pastor Jo knew nothing about the Army. But several months after they began meeting in our building, and after helping with our Christmas effort, he said, “I always thought the Methodist Church was the real church, but now I believe The Salvation Army is what church should really be.”
Although the corps was initially concerned about sharing the building, they grew to love and appreciate the Jo’s very quickly. Kisook, his wife, is the corps’ pianist. Their older son, Jason, became a junior soldier over a year ago. He and his brother Tommy have also been involved in Adventure Corps.
Finally, several months ago, Pastor Jo said his congregation wanted to join The Salvation Army. At this point, Pastor Jo and Kisook accepted this as confirmation of God’s call on their lives. They immediately contacted their parents to request their blessing on this decision. As a result, Pastor Jo and Kisook became soldiers. He will begin teaching soldiership classes to his congregation next month. He currently has five families attending.
Pastor Jo has his M. Div. from Fuller Seminary in California. Kisook is an accomplished classical pianist. They have three children, Jason, Tommy and Grace.
