Grace Toronto. A church for the city in the city. Get to know us.

1. Where were you born?
Seoul, South Korea.

2. Where did you grow up?
Seoul, San Francisco, the Bronx.

3. Where were you educated?
The Bronx High School of Science, New York
Columbia University, New York
McGill University, Montreal

4. Can you tell us about your journey of faith?
I grew up in a Confucian family, where obedience to ancestral and parental authority was paramount. At the same time, from my youth, I intuitively knew that I was flawed, and did many things that would offend the Creator. I also believed in a merciful Creator, who would pardon my offenses if my repentance was sincere and remorseful enough. My parents started taking my brother and me to church after a car accident while we were living in San Francisco when I was about 7. However, I only heard the gospel clearly explained at church in Seoul when I was in junior high school: it’s not the degree of penitence or strength of my faith that saves me from my guilt, but simply by receiving what Jesus has done on the cross as a substitution for my guilt. I received that message with gladness.

I started to have a more personal relationship with God throughout high school, but it wasn’t until I went to college away from home in New York City that I was really challenged to live out what I believed through the fellowship of Christian classmates. It was also in NYC where I understood the centrality of the gospel at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Through Tim Keller, I learned that the gospel is not only the way “in” to a relationship with God, but also the way to grow in Him. I also learned the importance of the city and the need to engage the culture and challenge the intelligentsia with the message of the gospel.

As I have been growing as a Christian, I have been learning how to be free yet be enslaved to the One who makes me free. Also, as I gain confidence in my identity in Christ, I am learning also to be less self-conscious and be more other-focused in my relationship with my friends and coworkers. Through the death of my younger brother a year ago, I have also been learning how to be joyful even in the midst of devastating sorrow.

5. How did you come to be apart of the Grace Toronto Church body, and how have your gotten involved since?
After studying in Montreal for 10 years (I also got married and had my first son there), I moved to Toronto for work 3 years ago. I was referred by John Smed from Grace Vancouver, whom I met in NYC when he was leading a prayer conference. More than anything, the gospel-centered, city-positive, seeker-welcoming values of the church made me want to get involved. We started hosting Grace Gatherings a few months after we moved to Toronto, where we made good friends. I have been co-leading studies at Grace Gatherings and Children’s Church.

6. Are there any other things you might want to share with us?
I live with my wife Janey and have 2 sons, Joshua (5) and Jonathan (2). We are expecting our third in May. We have been married 6 years. We live in North York. I work as a physician specializing in Respirology and Sleep Medicine in Scarborough and Thornhill.