Ki Sok Park, 1928 – 2006

The Rev. Ki Sok Park was born Dec. 31, 1930, as the first child of Mr. Heung Jin Park and Mrs. Chun Oak Park (Kim) in Hweing Sung, Kang-won Province, South Korea. His father died in 1935 when Ki Sok Park was 5 years old. In 1950, due to the outbreak of the Korean War, he was separated from his mother.

In 1953, he enrolled at Methodist Theological Seminary in Korea. Throughout his 46 years of service to the Lord, he oversaw the construction of three churches, started two new churches, and pastored a total of 10 churches.

His ministry in the United States started in 1981 with Korean UMC (currently Central Korean UMC) in Dallas, Texas. In 1988, his ministry took him to Savannah and Hinesville, Ga. In 1992, he served Charleston Korean UMC. He moved to Portsmouth, Va., in 1994. He retired from the clergy in 1998. In 2002, he started a Korean United Methodist church congregation in Rocky Mount, N.C., until the church was able to find a permanent senior pastor.

Rev. Ki Sok Park’s life was full of many hardships in both his personal life as well as in his ministry. Having no source of financial support since age 15, he worked several jobs in order to pay for his education. Also, due to the hard economic conditions in Korea after the Korean War, many of the churches in Korea could not support a pastor or construct new church buildings. Looking back, one can see the good Lord protecting and comforting Rev. Ki Sok Park in his difficult journey. His life was a testimony of serving and trusting Jesus in every walk of life, even in the deepest valleys.

In 1961, the Lord gave him Chae-youn Cho as his wife and blessed him with two sons and two daughters. Having no family since age 15, he cherished God’s blessing and sacrificed much to ensure a better life for his children.

On May 4, 2006, the Lord called the Rev. Ki Sok Park into his everlasting arms. He is survived by his wife, two sons (Hyo C Park and Young C Park), two daughters (Annie E.K. Lee and Amy H.K. Park), and six grandchildren.

May the Lord continue to bless him and his family.

— The Park Family