On a Sunday morning in the Reno Korean Presbyterian Church, a sign written in Korean and English welcomes visitors. Inside the building, some people are speaking Korean, others are speaking English.
Overcoming Language Barriers
Taken as a whole, only two percent of Asians are Christian. Yet, by most estimates, nearly a third of people in South Korea identify with Christianity. In Reno, the faith is manifested through prayer, vibrant services and outreach.
At the Reno Korean Presbyterian Church, they work hard to promote worship and reach the next generation across communities.
They offer headphones and simultaneous translation so that worshipers who don't speak Korean can understand the services. In addition, there are two kinds of services: one is for Korean speakers, the other one is for English speakers.
The service for English speakers is usually filled with the younger generation, such as Korean kids who were born in the United States. The service for Korean speakers is filled with older generations. While the service for Korean speakers is conducted in a normal church style, the other one is held as a round table discussion. The atmosphere of these two services are completely different.
The Korean Presbyterian Church located in Sparks, NV, has a preschool for children. Teaching American-born Korean children a love for South Korea is one of their purposes. Kids from three to six years old take part. This preschool system also helps their parents concentrate on the church services.
The preschool provides 30 minute snack time. Photos taken by Yuka Kondo
Korean Worshippers
Ajun Jung, 15 (left) and Hadam Jung, 12 (right)
They came to the United States about two years ago because their parents thought the education system in America is better than in Korea. Ajun and Hadam can now speak English like Americans.
Q: When did you come to the U.S.?
Ajun: I came here about two years ago
Hadam: I am a sibling (of) Ajun, so same time with her.
Q: Before coming to the U.S., were you a Christian and did you go to a church every Sunday? How did you know about this church?
Ajun: Yes, I went. My parents looked (the church) up on Google.
Q: What are the differences between a Korean church in Korea and in the U.S.?
Ajun: I went to a big church when I was in Korea, but here it is kind of small, so it's good for family groups.
Hadam: I feel like it is almost the same with a Korean church in Korea except languages.
Iris Kim, 19, a pre-business student at the University of Nevada, Reno is an American-born Korean, raised in Sacramento, California. "I found a home like from community, I found friends here."
"They are actually similar," she said, when asked about differences between a church in Korea and U.S.. "I feel like in Korea, there are really big churches, there (are) mega-churches because there (are) not many foreigners. And it is (a) little bit different that they are more community based. Here it is more outreached, so we do have a lot of Americans coming," Kim said.
Park moved to the U.S. in 2006 to enroll at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she later graduated as a linguistic major. She is currently studying social work as a graduate student.
Although her family's religion was Buddhism, she joined the Reno Presbyterian Church in 2009 after her friends introduced her to it. "Because my friend was here [at the church], I feel like it is friendly and home," she said.
Kwak Hyun-Young is the mother of Ajun and Hadam. Although she was planning to go back to Korea after her husband completed an associate degree, she decided to stay here because of her children's education. Photo provided by Yuka Kondo
Talking with people in the church and feeling a sense of community leads her to go to the church, besides religious reasons. Hyun-Young started to go to the Reno Presbyterian Church about two years ago after hearing about it from her sister's family.
Hyun-Young said the relationship between people in this church is deeper than in churches in Korea.
"For instance, if something happens, everybody knows and cares because the size and community itself is smaller compared to the church in Korea. It is good when I am having a hard time because I could easily get help, but sometimes it is hard because people can easily get jealous and get too personal," Hyun-Young said.
Finding out About the Church Through Friends
Meeting people and talking with them is one of Seongyun Cho's purposes to go to the church. He has been going to the Reno Presbyterian Church for about two years, after also learning about it through friends.
"Normally, the church in Korea only has Koreans, but (the) Korean church in Reno has Americans and American-Koreans," Cho said. "Their native language is English and for that reason, the church provides different services with two languages. There are also two pastors, one for the Korean service and one for EM (English Ministry)."
"Pros are people are very friendly and always willing to help," he said. "Throughout two years coming to this church, I got a lot of help and information from other Koreans. Also, children here are very adorable. Cons are the service is little bit long, but it is okay."
"One of the reason I can think of is, the missionaries were very active in Korea," Cho said of why his native country has more Christians than neighbors in Asia. "There were lots of missionaries (in) the early 20th century and there were specific events converting Koreans to Christianity. Also, South Korea was one of the Asian countries hugely affected by America. That could be another reason," he said.
After finishing the service, a lunch with Korean food is served. The lunch is usually cooked by Korean women. However, most adults, men included, take turns washing dishes.
In the above video, the church celebrates Sungtaek Oh who will graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno in this May. Oh (in the center of video) helped the church a lot and dreams of being a pastor in the future. Video taken by Yuka Kondo.
Even though the Reno Korean Presbyterian Church seems to be quite different compared to a typical Korean Church in Korea, it has become a comfortable zone for many. It has also provided various services which immigrant communities need. The increased presence of temporary visitors and immigrants also helps existing Korean American church members feel closer to their homeland.
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