Building social capital is developing relationships within the community, drawing on people's talents and resources for the good of the community. Most churches have a Praise Team that leads praise every service. I am a part of the Praise Team at my church and I play the keyboard/piano. Pastor Jun somewhat helped to forming this praise team, by critiquing, cutting, and shaping this praise team that I am now a part of today. By drawing on people's talents, he was able to form this great Praise Team. Our Praise Leader, Thomas Chang, the main male vocalist and guitarist, Solomon Kim the bass player, Chris Lee the drummer, Sarah Seo the main female vocalist, and me as the pianist, are what make this Praise Team. Everyone is gifted and talented which allow us to be in harmony with one another when playing and performing. Our praise team has a somewhat well-known reputation within the Korean-American community, bringing many to our church to learn about God. This enables the church community and Christian community to grow which is why this is an example of building social capital.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
2nd Quarter: AOD Blog #18
Celebration and appreciation is expressing joy and appreciation for what we learn as well as what we achieve. Pastor Jun celebrates special events and shows his appreciation for accomplishments. This is shown by our joint Volleyball tournament which consisted of 11 other Korean-American churches. It was a very intense tournament, and the prize was $500 that would be go into the winning church's missin trip funds. Although NCFW [New Church of Federal Way] was not the winner, we came in very close. At the beginning, only 2 of our members actually new how to play volleyball. In the end we became a great team that worked together and helped each other, practicing weekly. The winning church ended up donating the money to a charity because they felt that that was best. Though NCFW did not win, Pastor Jun showed great appreciation, and we all celebrated.
2nd Quarter: AOD Blog #17
Mentoring is when someone supportively guides others in learning the arts of public life. Pastor Jun has been there for me to help guide me as well as other youth group members. A great example of this is my best friend Karen Pak. Pastor Jun arranged to constistently meet with Karen every Friday to discuss any issues or problems she may be or may have been going through. He would actively listen as well as mentor her by guiding her and giving effective suggestions on helping her. Therefore, mentoring is shown by my pastor.
2nd Quarter: AOD Blog #16
Public Dialogue is public talk on matters that concern us all. Every Sunday and Friday, Pastor Jun speaks in front of the youth group and adults, giving sermons that he has prepared. In these sermons include lessons, Bible verses, and opinions on what God believes is right. After years and years of speaking in front of others, he has gotten used to it. The matters that are given in his sermons concern us all because it has to do with tips on bettering our lives.
2nd Quarter: AOD Blog #15
Political Imagination is reimaging our futures according to our values. Pastor Jun has turned around and changed many people's lives by ministering to them. He has helped and lead many people to God. By praying for these people as well as teaching these people about God's Word, the miracles that were performed, and more, Pastor Jun has helped change the lives of many by leading them to the right path that God has chosen for them. For example, as I mentioned before, the father that became a Christian right before his death. Pastor Jun helped change his life and helped him realize that God is the answer, not hatred towards God and Christians.
2nd Quarter: AOD Blog #14
Mediation is where someone facilitates interaction to help people in conflict hear each other. In the past, Pastor Jun has dealt with many different types of broken families. One that he has mentioned to me was the conflict between a man and his father. The father was a very strong athiest who despised all Christians. Unlike the father, the man was a very strong Christian, who payed for his father continually, hoping that he would change his mind sooner or later. After years and years of prayer, still nothing happened. Eventually, the father ended up in the hospital because of health issues due to his old age. He had about 7 more days to live, and so the son contacted pastor Jun and asked him to come in and pray for his father. Unfortunately, his father did end up dying, but instead of dying an athiest, he died as a Christian. For the first 3-4 days, Pastor Jun visited daily, talking about God's Word and praying for the father. Around the 5th-6th day, somehow, the father finally decided to accept Jesus as his Savior instead of rejecting him. Finally, he died on the 7th day, but the son knew that his father had gone up to heaven because he has accepted Jesus, believing that God sent his one and only Son to die on the cross to save us from our sins, and asking for forgiveness for all the sins he had made. The father finally understood his son and finally decided to listen to what he had to say about God after all these years.
