Vestry Class of 2027
As a life-long Christian, I was raised in Presbyterian and UMC churches and worshipped in Korea and in the United States. I actively participated in several ministries, including being a choir member for two decades and leading the men’s worship group which served the congregation and community.
I was introduced to St Luke’s four years ago and have been attending 10am services and singing in the senior choir. I have served where I could contribute, such as organizing Lunar New Year celebrations, coffee hours, and grilling for Easter BBQ. I participated in efforts to connect with congregation members for the annual Pledge campaign by actively reaching out and chatting. Recently, I started a social lunch gathering called St Luke’s ‘Gentlemen Who Lunch’ as a way to provide for men in the congregation to gather and socialize.
As my time and engagement with St Luke’s has grown, I’ve realized that I have found a spiritual home here. Father John and Tristan are people that I want to connect with and worship together. I want to show up and contribute (“Ask not what the church can do for you, ask what you can do for the church”). For the Vestry, I offer strong skills in matters of business, real estate, finance, and building relationships. I look to serve and help support decisions for the congregation and continue to identify ways to engage our current and future members.
My personal journey has opened my eyes to the needs of my fellow neighbor, including those that are experiencing the difficulties of a broken family, abuse, addiction, long term family illnesses and economic hardships caused by involuntary dislocation. I have known loneliness, as well as compassion and redemption being a part of a loving community like St. Luke’s. I want to reach out and help others as I have been helped.
Having spent my career in financial services, I’ve been an institutional broker and regulatory compliance executive for various firms including big banks, big 4 consulting and the Federal Reserve Bank of NY. I am currently a senior officer with the New York chapter of Ascend, a national Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) advocational professional networking group. I am a proud single father of three kids (Ethan/22, Emily/18 and YaeJin/16) and I love to read, travel, discover and enjoy food, experience different cultures and outdoors activities. I am also a long suffering Mets fan.
I’m honored to be considered for this important role to serve you. I will do my best to shepherd the church into the future for the benefit of our vestry and congregation.