The Joy of Unity

On December 8, three Korean CRCs – Namu Church of New York (Flushing, NY), Seed Church (Long Island City, NY), and The Story Church (Flushing, NY) – came together for a joint worship service in celebration of Advent. 

Rev. Jason Chung of Namu Church opened the service by sharing Psalm 133, which begins: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

Chung emphasized the beauty of unity among believers and how this was visible even as the three churches formed a joint praise team which planned the service together. 

All three churches are members of Classis Hudson and share the commonality of being Korean congregations in the borough of Queens. However, what binds them even more closely is their unique relationship centered on Namu Church. Five years ago, Namu Church became their parent church, helping them join the CRCNA.

The Beginning of Joint Worship: Service and Sharing

Rev. Chung explained the inspiration behind this joint worship service: “One day, I learned of a prayer request from the pastor of Seed Church. Since their Sunday worship was held in a rented school building, they lacked space for weekday dawn prayer services. Our church offered them a place, and through this opportunity, our church transitioned from online dawn prayers to in-person services, allowing us to hold a special Lenten dawn prayer together.”

This experience became a meaningful opportunity to discover the joys and benefits of unity among churches, ultimately leading to their first joint worship service.

Learning Unity through Diversity

Rev. Insoo Oh of Seed Church shared, “Although the generations and the atmospheres of our churches are different, this was a valuable opportunity to experience the richness that comes from diversity.” 

Eun-kyung Ko of The Story Church added, “While each church has its own worship culture and congregation characteristics, this was a time to embrace those differences and learn humility.”

As a worship leader on the united worship team, Ko reflected, “Facing the discomfort of unfamiliarity and harmonizing with each other’s voices was a time to emulate Christ, who came down to meet us where we are. This was a practice of living in humility and letting go of ourselves to see and celebrate the image of Christ reflected through one another.”

A Time of Learning and Sharing

The joint worship service became an occasion to learn from and share with one another. Ko said, “Through another church’s choir, we could reminisce about the worship of our homeland, while younger congregations found new richness in worshiping alongside senior believers.” 

Children, though initially hesitant, soon blended in harmoniously. The service also inspired fresh approaches to worship practices.

The Grace of the Word and Communion

Rev. Oh delivered a sermon based on Luke 2:8–20, emphasizing that the shepherds praised God not when they saw the angels but when they encountered baby Jesus. He noted that the joint worship was a realization of God’s Word. 

Rev. Kwangbae Lee led the celebration of communion, a time of repentance and gratitude as participants experienced the grace of God’s Word becoming flesh and bringing unity.

The Joy and Anticipation of Unity

After the worship service, the congregation shared a meal prepared by Namu Church. Smiles and laughter filled the room, embodying the joy of God’s delight in their unity. Rev. Oh expressed, “As we anticipate the coming of Jesus, we also look forward to next year’s joint worship service. This marks the beginning of a greater unity to come.”

The joint worship service also demonstrated the practical application of the CRC’s system of having an organized “parent church” help emerging and newly affiliating churches that wish to join the denomination. Moving beyond church governance, this worship service demonstrated how genuine sharing and service can bring life to the church. The love and support extended by Namu Church, Seed Church, and The Story Church vividly exemplified how the body of Christ can remain interconnected in the world, celebrating the beauty of diversity within unity.