Thanks to the graciousness of a donor, on September 29 we celebrated the extensive remodeling of an on-campus building for international student housing, as well as visiting professors, alumni, and guests. The following article is reprinted from a Korean newspaper covering the event.

The Completion and Dedication of Seok Nam House

Possible to accommodate five international students, as well as visiting professors and alumni

Westminster Theological Seminary has just completed extensive renovations on a gate house intended to accommodate international students and visiting scholars. The gate house on the Willow Grove avenue was originally dilapidated and outdated, and so this project would not have been possible without the generous donation of over $17,000 by a Korean-American couple: Hyun Seok Kim and Bok Nam Park, who currently reside in Chicago, Illinois. In honor of their generosity, the house has been named “Seok Nam House”—each syllable being derived from the first names of the donor couple. Although the house will be primarily for five international students including Koreans, there is a guest suite on the first floor to accommodate visiting professors and alumni as well.

On September 29, there was a dedication service for Seok Nam House, led by Rev. Yong Kol Yi of Yuong Sang Presbyterian Church, Horsham, PA. There were many who were present, including: president Dr. Peter A. Lillback, executive vice president Dr. Jeffrey K. Jue, vice president Rev. Steven Carter, other faculty and staff, Korean alumni, and current officers of the Korean Student Fellowship group. Rev. Yi preached a message from Hebrews 6:10 entitled, “God Never Forgets.” His main point was to stress that God will never forget those who serve Him with sincere motives. This led him to mention the dedication of Hyun Seok Kim and Bok Nam Park, whose generous donation was not easy to give up. Overall, it was a blessed time.

Rev. Hukmin Kwon, the Associate Director of International programs and the SaRang Korean Missions Center of Westminster, remarked, “It is my hope and prayer that as many Korean international students and alumni benefit from the ministry and presence of Seok Nam House, Westminster Theological Seminary and the Korean American immigrant churches will thrive as well.” He also added, “I hope that many immigrants will partner with Westminster to invest in the next generation, and be committed to the growth of God’s Kingdom.”

As Westminster Seminary continues to attract more Korean students, there have been and continue to be numerous efforts to provide opportunities for these students to serve Korean churches and invest in the next generation. One of those efforts has been the Mastering Theological English Program (MTE), where students who barely missed minimum required TOEFL scores, are invited to a 9-week summer intensive program. Successful completion of this program would result in the student’s matriculation for the following fall semester to their desired degree program.

           Currently, Rev. Kwon has dedicated himself to serve Korean churches by serving Westminster as the International Program Director, as well as the Associate Director of the SaRang Korean Missions Center. If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns in regards to Westminster Theological Seminary, please contact Rev. Kwon (hkwon@wts.edu; 267)403-0179.

The Completion and Dedication of Seok Nam House

Westminster Theological Seminary has just completed extensive renovations on a gate house which is intended to accommodate international students and visiting scholars. The gate house on Willow Grove Avenue was originally dilapidated and outdated.

The renovations would not have been possible without the generous donation by Hyun Seok Kim and Bok Nam Park, a Korean-American couple who currently reside in Chicago, Illinois. In honor of their generosity, the house has been named “Seok Nam House”—each syllable being derived from the first names of the donor couple. The new accomodations will house five international students, including Koreans. Additionally, a guest suite on the first floor accomodates visiting professors and alumni.

On September 29, there was a dedication service for Seok Nam House, led by Rev. Yong Kol Yi of Yuong Sang Presbyterian Church, Horsham, PA. Many were present, including President Dr. Peter A. Lillback, Executive Vice President Dr. Jeffrey K. Jue, Vice President Rev. Steven Carter, many faculty and staff, Korean alumni, and current officers of the Korean Student Fellowship group. Rev. Yi preached a message from Hebrews 6:10 entitled, “God Never Forgets.” He stressed that God will never forget those who serve Him with sincere motives.

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Rev. Hukmin Kwon, the Associate Director of International Programs and director of the SaRang Korean Missions Center at Westminster remarked, “It is my hope and prayer that, as Korean international students and alumni benefit from the ministry and presence of Seok Nam House, Westminster Theological Seminary and the Korean American immigrant churches will thrive as well.” He also added, “I hope that many immigrants will partner with Westminster to invest in the next generation, and be committed to the growth of God’s Kingdom.”

As Westminster Theological Seminary continues to attract more Korean students, there exist numerous efforts to provide opportunities for these students to serve Korean churches and invest in the next generation. One of those efforts has been the Mastering Theological English (MTE) program, where students who miss minimum required TOEFL scores are invited to a 9-week summer intensive program. Successful completion of this program results in the student’s matriculation to their desired degree program in the following fall semester.

Rev. Kwon has dedicated himself to serve Korean churches and Westminster by directing International Programs as well as the SaRang Korean Missions Center. If anyone has any questions or comments in regard to Westminster Theological Seminary, please contact Rev. Kwon (hkwon@wts.edu; 267-403-0179).

Adapted from Korean Phila Times, Issue No. 825, October 9-15, 2015, 주간필라(Korean Phila Times, Jugan Phila, www.juganphila.com

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