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Courtesy of Theresa Hooks Eun Young Choi (right), president of the Women’s Society of Christian Service, presents a $5,000 check to Jan Love, top staff executive of the Women’s Division.

By Kelly Martini*

NEW YORK (UMNS) — In a demonstration of concern for women and children affected by Hurricane Katrina, the president of Korea’s Women’s Society of Christian Service presented a $5,000 gift to the United Methodist Women’s Division.

Eun Young Choi’s presentation of the check to the division’s chief executive, Jan Love, symbolized how the face of Westernized mission is changing. More than 100 years ago, the Korean women received Mary Scranton, the United States missionary who began what is now one of the largest women’s universities in the world, Ewha University.

Mission has come full circle. The Korean women’s organization, representing 800,000 women, is reaching out to women and children in the West with their gift to mission and an offer to work in partnership with the United Methodist Women organization.

“We as women in Korea have seen what is happening in your country, especially in New Orleans, and we are deeply hurt,” Choi told division staff. “We know that the United States is a rich country with a lot of resources, but we want to share a little token with your women for their work.”

Choi presented the gift to Love Sept. 16. “My heart is full of emotion right now,” Love said, as she received the check. “In the United States, this disaster has exposed some of the ugliest parts of America, and also some of the most remarkable parts of America.

“One of the things we know, through our belief in Jesus Christ, is that when one person hurts, we all hurt,” Love said. “And, when one person experiences joy, we all do. What a joy we find in the women of Korea who feel the suffering from our devastation. Thank you. Thank you.”

Choi explained that the history and relationship of Korean women with the organization of U.S.-based United Methodist Women extends more than a century.

“One hundred eight years ago, women in Korea lived in total darkness,” she said. “Korean women were not given names; they were given names of somebody’s mother. If you could not bear a son, if you disobeyed your mother-in-law, or if you had an illness, these were legal reasons to be divorced from men. Women had to obey father, husband and son into their old age. Only boys were educated.”

It was in this culture that the Methodist women’s organization sent Mary Scranton, the first female missionary to Korea. Scranton, a 52-year-old widow, arrived with her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, intent on educating girls.

“In those days, because Koreans had never seen a Westerner, she was called a ghost. She wanted to educate girls, but no students came,” Choi explained.

It took time, but Scranton gradually acquired students. “That’s how your foremothers came and educated our girls,” Choi said. “Out of the education of the missionaries came pioneers in medicine, farming, and education.”

One example was Helen Kim, who graduated from Ewha High School and discovered Christianity through the preaching of a Bible Woman. Today, the Bible Women program has been revived to teach grass-roots women literacy skills and help them address pressing issues in their community.

“Helen Kim came to the United States to study and addressed the Assembly of Methodist Women (at the beginning of the 20th century),” Choi said. “After she saw the assembly, she said how wonderful it would be if all the women of the world came together in an assembly and met together. She had this dream in 1929, and 10 years later, women from 28 countries came together to form the World Federation of Methodist Women.”

Choi complimented United Methodist Women on helping Korean Methodist women become a self-sustaining mission organization.

“Through your efforts, we have really grown up,” she said. “We are together. We want to be partners together in mission. We may not be able to reach around the world like you, but at least we can reach women and children in Asia with you.”

*Martini is communications director/information officer for the Women’s Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org

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