John Louk

Just before Easter in 2002, Joy and I visited Seoul, Korea. We met with Bishop Sundo Kim, the pastor of the largest Methodist church in the world, Kwanglim Methodist Church. Bishop Kim was appointed to the congregation in 1971. There were 150 members. Over the next 30 years the church grew from 150 to 80,000. To begin with they had no money or resources. But every Wednesday evening became “soul winning” night. They gathered for thirty minutes of Bible study. Then for thirty minutes they went out by twos visiting door to door. At each house they simply talked about God and what they had experienced in their lives. They shared their personal stories. Then for thirty more minutes they gathered back at the church to share testimonies of what had happened that evening. Doing this they grew day by day and built the Kwanglim Methodist Church (20,000 people) and several branch churches (60,000 people). Kwanglim became the largest Methodist church in part because of the many branch churches...

[Recently I was asked to share Salem’s story with the East Central District as a witness of discerning God’s call and beginning new ministry. Of course, most congregations are not thrust into it as Salem was. Still, as God’s people we are always formed and reformed, made over and over again. This is the article I wrote.] How is God at work in our community? How can our church participate in God’s mission to renew creation and usher in the kingdom of God fully? How will God’s Word continue to be spoken and heard in our community? What is the consequence of our praying, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven?” These are some of the questions Salem has been asking since the flood of 2008. We looked at a church building that was for sale. We determined to accept the buyout of our downtown property. We considered building on the land that Salem already owns on Blairs Ferry Road. There were many opinions about what we could or should do. We determined we need...

For worship in September we continue in the Season After Pentecost (ordinary time) and return fully to the Revised Common Lectionary. In fact, we will begin reading all four scriptures appointed for each Sunday. Lectionaries are ancient, however, the revitalization of the current lectionary is usually traced back to the Second Vatican Council: "The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s Word. In this way a more representative portion of the holy Scriptures will be read to the people over a set cycle of years" ( The Documents of Vatican II , Walter Abbott, ed. [Piscataway, N.J.: New Century, 1974], p. 155).   While we will read all four lections, the sermon will usually focus on one or two of the scriptures. Even so, the Holy Spirit will speak to us in all the readings. We gather each week to hear what God says to us.

The bell was removed from the downtown building and moved to Salem's new location. Check out the local media coverage here and here .

Witness an Iowa-made Personal Energy Transportation (PET) vehicle being delivered to "Naomi" in July 2010. She is a 20-year-old woman in Nigeria and has crawled all her life until she received the PET. The PET was reassembled by Yusuf in his carpentry shop.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2 NRSV)   When we have guests over to our home, we do what most people do. We get ready. We vacuum and clean, prepare food, and set up the house. When guests are coming, we also fix things that have needed fixing or replace things that need replacing. When it is just my family, we clean and pick up. But often we do not fix or replace things because we get used to them and we are willing to live with them. It does not have to be the best for my family. But when guests are coming over, we do those extra things to make it as nice as possible. We want to offer our best. We want our guests to feel special and enjoy being with us.   That is what we are doing as we prepare our new location on 33rd Avenue. We are not just preparing a place for “us.” We are getting ready for guests! We are going to reach out to all the neighborhoods surrounding our new loc...

When Jesus came to the tomb of his friend, Lazarus, he ordered that the stone be removed. Even Lazarus’ sister hesitated. She said, “He has been dead four days." Jesus promised they would see the glory of God. So they took away the stone and Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” As Christians we believe in resurrection. We believe that God brings life from death. Salem has the chance to embody that theology. It is perhaps an opportunity that few congregations have. It has come at great cost. Still Jesus cries out, “Salem, come out!” Salem has been called forth to new life, to begin again in a new place. What does this mean for us? To begin with, we give thanks to our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God has rescued us and given Salem new life. We are God’s people, the people of his kingdom. God has not abandoned us. God has, indeed, been faithful to us, working in ways we have not always known or understood. Furthermore, we will continue to seek God’s wi...