NYKEC (Church)

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Band playing at the church.

Our second institution was The New York Korean Evangelical Church. This building is beautifully built; it contains more of a European architectural structure and has a huge parking lot. It even has a volleyball and basketball court on the side of the building. Our first impression of the representatives was an open and welcoming one. The sight of white people in a Korean institution did surprise a few people, but no one was judgmental.

The services took place on Sunday at 11AM and are broken up into many subdivisions. For example, the main service in the main sanctuary is in Korean, but there is also an English-speaking youth ministry and separate services for different age groups. In the English service, we realized they incorporated a very American style of worship. The music was more of rock and contemporary genre consisting of guitars, singers and drums, rather than hymnal or orchestral. The congregation recited the Apostle’s Creed in the beginning and the Lord’s Prayer at the end. After the service ends, everyone sticks around to eat food supplied by the church, play sports, and socialize.

One way this church has american roots is their democratic governement-like system. After speaking to one of the pastors, Pastor Jang, he explained how the power in the decisions made for the church is separated like the American government. There is a board of elders who are elected into the board that take votes for specific quarries that represent the legislative branch. On the other hand, there is also the senior pastor that acts not only as a minister, but the president of an american executive branch. There are also many other positions in the church and volunteer opportunities that resemble the communal aspect of the Korean community.

After speaking to other people of the church, it seems that the younger high school and college students attending this church feel  a distinct barrier between the the second generation and the first generation. This distinct barrier is mainly because of different moral views and language.