The Kang Family
Sam Kang
Sam Kang IS THE HEAD PASTOR FOR Reconcile Church IN Duluth, Georgia. WE ARE HONORED TO PARTNER WITH HIM AND THE CHURCH COMMUNITY BEGINNING IN 2019.
How have you seen God working in your life?
As a 2nd generation Korean-American, I have wrestled with the trappings of " the American dream" my whole life. Because my parents sacrificed so much for their children, I felt like I owed it to them to pursue the right education, the right job, that gave the right money in order to build the right family, that I might be the right "me". I thought this was the way to be accepted and loved. For so long, it seemed right to pursue this "dream" with all my heart, but Jesus rescued me(He continues to do so). Jesus shows me that I am wholly accepted and loved and my performance cannot change that. He has showed me that the right education, the right job, the right money and the right family doesn't make me right with God. Only Jesus makes me right with God. He reminds me everyday that life lived following after Him is not "the American dream"; it's better than "the American dream". Giving my life away for the sake of others is better. Fighting for the marginalized is better. I am motivated to pursue these things because Jesus gave his life for the sake of others. He fought and advocated for the marginalized. I see Jesus continuing to work in my life to lay down one dream for a better one.
How have you seen God working in your family?
"My wife and kids are my primary calling, not Reconcile Church." For the past 3 years, the Holy Spirit reminds me of this every day and I'm glad for that. I need this reminder. My wife and kids are worth fighting for concerning my time, presence and investment. It wasn't always this way. There was a long season of life where they came second and ministry became first. It was the hardest season of our life together and unnecessarily so. I am so grateful that God does not leave me to myself! Over the past 3 years, we have experienced the fruit of repentance and the joy of prioritizing marriage and family life. It's been so transformative! As we are planting Reconcile, Kristen and I are motivated to continue fighting for our marriage and family relationships. We have seen the beauty of creating sacred space for each other and have enjoyed dating each other and the kids. It's also been a blast to invite our kids to planting Reconcile Church together. Sometimes, I think they are more committed to seeing it come together than we are! Hallelujah!
How have you seen God working in your church?
Through weakness. God chooses to work through our weakness. That is the greatest lesson that I'm learning right now, which is also the hardest lesson. Over and over again, I see God stripping away any veneer of strength to bring us to lean on Him for everything concerning Reconcile Church. When I say, "everything", I mean EVERYTHING. He's used sickness, loss of people, loss of time, fundraising, depression and the sort, to show how sufficient and powerful He is! It's through weakness that I've seen God heal, add leadership, redeem our time, provide funding, and overcome darkness! He has shown us that He's going to build Reconcile Church through the weakness of our people to show off His power and grace! My hope is that we will be a church that boasts in our weakness and leans into the power and grace of God!
Church Mission & Vision
Gwinnett County needs Reconcile Church. In the 5th most diverse county in the US, we believe that God has called a people for Himself from every nation, tribe, language, gender, generation and class to experience right relationship with Him, others and the world around us. Our church's vision is to see a reconciled people transformed by God for His world. This is our preferred destination and better reality.
Can you imagine what might happen if a diverse people in right relationship with God, others and the world are so transformed by Jesus, that they cannot help, but engage His world as powerful and compassionate ambassadors in every area of life? It would change everything. This is what we will strive towards at Reconcile Church. We believe that our communities will be forever changed by this reconciled people.
We believe that a reconciled people are transformed people. What might transformation look like in the coming years? A Korean man delighting and fighting for the teaching of an African-American woman. An Anglo family learning about Godly parenting from a Latino elder. A former white supremacist advocating for the lives of young black males at the police department. Meals eaten by a diverse people where stories are told, repentance is real, forgiveness is given and change is tangible.
If you would like to know more about Sam and Reconcile Church check out their website at www.reconcilechurchatl@gmail.com.