The Pakistan Union Mission (PKUM), newly included in the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD), held its annual administrative meeting to review the year’s work.
The Pakistan Union Mission held its Year-end meeting under the theme “Mission First, Get Involved” at the conference hall in the union mission’s auditorium from November 30 – December 1.
This was the first Year-end Meeting after the administrative and mission areas were transferred to the NSD. It was especially meaningful as it coincided with the 100th-anniversary week of the opening of Pakistan Sahmyook University. Pastor Yamaji, the Executive Secretary, Pastor Choi HoYoung, the youth director, and Pastor Kang SoonKi, the president of the Korean Union Conference, were present to discuss ways to develop the business.
The PKUM is led by Korean Pastor Lee Myeon-joo, serving as the president of the PKUM. In addition, Pastor Nam Gyu Park is called to serve as the head of the PKUM’s education and mission department, Pastor Ji SungBae is the dean of Sahmyook University, and Pastor Nam KyungWon is the director of the 1000 Missionary Training Center. They are deeply connected to the Korean church.
At the Year-end meeting, the agenda centered on the development of Pakistan and ways to support missions since its inclusion into the NSD territory. Pakistan is a poor country with a financial independence rate of less than 18%. It relies on foreign aid for 82% of its funding. The entire annual budget of the PKUM is 300 million won, and the average budget for each department is less than 10 million won. Salaries for pastors, teachers, and other staff are also severely underfunded.
“Pakistan is a challenging mission field that is not financially independent at all,” said President Lee, “so it is highly dependent on the outside world. We have to provide a lot of grants every year. In the medium and long term, we need special measures and strategies to become financially independent. The challenges are great, but we have to face this reality,” he said, emphasizing the urgent and practical need for sufficient finances.
The Executive board members said, “We are deeply grateful that, in recent years, local communities and organizations such as unions and schools have dispatched volunteer teams to extend a hand of salvation and sharing. Above all, we are grateful for helping to establish a nursing school in Pakistan through the ’10/40 Window Mission Project.’ May God’s blessings be upon the Korean church and its members,” he applauded.
Pakistan is geographically located in a very important place for Islamic missions. “Pakistan is like the ‘gateway to the east’ to Muslim countries,” Lee said, “and it is an outpost for missionary work in these countries. If Pakistan is evangelized, the message of the three angels will flow like a tide into the Muslim countries.”
In a subsequent administrative meeting, the PKUM appointed Elder Nam Gyu Park, director of education and missions, as pastor. Park, who was sent to Pakistan in 2021, has been conducting various missionary activities that combine education and relief, such as sponsoring the construction of local churches, remodeling Samyuk School, and supporting victims of floods.