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Friend of WPUMC
This month we officially welcome Rev. Jeeyoung Kim as our new associate pastor at WPUMC! This is our first cross-cultural/cross-racial appointment at Wash Park, and the SPRC and I want us to welcome her well. Rev. Jeeyoung is from Korea (although she’s lived in the US for many years), and English is not her first language. Instead of that being a barrier for our relationship building, we hope that we can look at this appointment as an opportunity for learning for all of us!
So here are a few tips for us as we engage in a new relationships and learning together:
*Listen Deeply – With anyone that might have a different dialect or accent than you have, you might not always catch every word said. Rather than letting that distract you, listen for overall understanding and context.
*Take the Opportunity to Connect – If there is something you don’t understand, just ask! Slowing down your speech will also help Jeeyoung understand you. Take the opportunity to have a conversation and find mutual connection and deeper understanding together.
*Become Curious—When interacting with differing cultures, there can be values and behaviors that you might not understand. Replace knee-jerk reactions with curiosity. Why might someone think or act differently than you? This is good practice in ANY kind of difference that we find in our society and world.
*Pray! As we grow together in community, we all could use prayer for grace, openness, and deep love.
Thank you for the gift of who you are in our community and for welcoming not only Rev. Jeeyoung, but any that might come seeking connection and beloved community.
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