'Jesus Retreat' Celebrates 30 Years, Hopes to Continue Raising Up Future Leaders

RCA Jesus Retreat 2016
'Jesus Retreat,' a retreat for Korean American youth in the Korean immigrant churches of the Reformed Church of America (RCA) in the New York region, took place from August 14 to 17 in Pennsylvania. |

A retreat for Korean American youth in the Korean immigrant churches of the Reformed Church of America (RCA) in the New York region took place from August 14 to 17 in Pennsylvania.

Called the 'Jesus Retreat,' the event for young Korean Americans from 6th to 12th grades in the Korean immigrant church began in 1986, making this the 30th summer that the retreat will be taking place. Starting this year, all of the organizing staff of the retreat were either '1.5 generation' or second generation Korean American leaders.

Over the past 30 years of its history, the Jesus Retreat has built up leaders who went on to become organizers and staff of the retreat. Paul Lee, a pastor who serves as a staff of the retreat, has never missed a retreat since the first one in 1986. All of the other staff are also former attendees of the Jesus Retreat.

"Initially, the purpose of the Jesus Retreat was just to come together and worship, and that in itself was a blessing," said Lee. "The many blessings that I've received through this retreat has made me who I am, which is why I'm so thankful for it and which is why I have a big vision for this retreat."

Organizers of the Jesus Retreat also expressed hopes that the retreat would be a channel through which many Korean American pastors and seminarians would be raised up, and shared that they hope to have scholarship programs for Korean American seminary students in the near future.

This article has been translated. For the original in Korean, visit kr.christianitydaily.com.