Relevant and Honest Message,
Creative and Inclusive Ministry,
Bold and Humble Mission,
These are how I strive to live out my vocation.
Pastor PyungAhn “Peace” Kim joined Lodi UMC in July 2019 with his family – wife Jongjin, daughter Claire, son Clay.
His Korean name, PyungAhn, means peace. His parents gave me the name with hopes that their son would bring the peace of Christ to others with the help of God. Pastor Peace says, “As was my parents’ prayer, this is my prayer that I may live out God’s call to proclaim Christ’s peace by words and actions in this world.”
Pastor Peace’s education includes bachelor’s degrees in philosophy, religious studies, and PEP (Politics, Economics, Philosophy) from Sogang University, Seoul, and a Master of Theology with a focus on missiology from the United Graduate School of Theology in Yonsei University, Seoul. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. He confessed, however, that the most important theological, ministerial, and life lessons came from his parents who taught through their lives the importance of faith, family, and respect for others, especially the elderly and the marginalized.
He came to Lodi with various experiences in ministry. He served as student pastor in charge of young adult ministry and as an intern chaplain at a continuing care retirement community. After graduating seminary, he served as pastor of Elroy and Wonewoc United Methodist Churches in Wisconsin and then as the associate pastor of Whitefish Bay UMC in Milwaukee. Beyond parish ministries, he also serves as the conference’s Peace With Justice Coordinator and a member of South West District Committee for Ordained Ministry, represents the conference on the Board of Directors of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, and is enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program for transformative leadership at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL.
Pastor Peace’s email: PastorPeace@LodiUMC.org