A Tribute to Samuel Kim
Entered Life
January 3, 1941
Entered Eternal Life
November 8, 2012
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| Dr. Samuel Kim Christ Follower, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Leader, Visionary, Pastor, Professor, Evangelist |
One day in the early part of the 1990’s I was at my church
office when a distinguished Korean gentleman came to my office. He
introduced himself as Dr. Samuel Kim President of California State Christian
University. He was bringing a group of leaders to California from around the
world for a symposium and wanted to know if our church would host the event for
the 4 days and a graduation service for some of these leaders on the Sunday
following the week.
After some further discussion we had not only agreed to host
the event but I had been recruited to teach 2 full days on Church Growth and
Missiology. That week gave me an introduction to a man who was to become one of
my closest friends over the past 20 plus years.
I got to know a man who had a deep passion for our Lord and
a deep love to see lost people found. To his last days of this earth I never saw
that love or passion wane.
During that first week I saw a man who had a global impact.
I met senators from Africa, a Mayor from India, United Nation ambassadors and
pastors from numerous countries. All were there because in some way this humble
man from Korea had touched their lives.
Our paths continued to intersect over the years most notably
in the early years by my continuing to teach at this annual and sometimes
bi-annual symposium.
I moved to Arizona for a time to pastor there and for a
2-year period we did not have any contact other than an occasional phone call.
While in Arizona I was called to serve on a committee to
look at the future of Theological Education within our church body.
The genesis of that meeting has led to an amazing last few
years. We were able in the meeting to articulate what really needed to happen
to make Theological Education effective in the 21st Century. The
only problem was we did not have the authority or ability to change the
existing seminaries that were training our pastors; and neither did we have the financial
resources to start our own seminary. We were at a stuck point until I had another
meeting with my friend Dr. Kim. I shared with him the minutes of these meetings. He found himself in agreement with the findings and the need to explore new ideas in Theological Education.
He offered to allow us to use without cost the charter of
his University to start a new Seminary that would address the traditional and
contemporary issues in education and to train leaders who really could and
would change their worlds for Christ.
Alongside Dr. Kim and myself came such Christian leaders and
statesmen such as Dr. Larry Richards, Dr. Dale Salico, Dr. John Nix McReynolds,
Dr. Kirk Mackie, Pastor Tom Mercer and others who helped to launch a new kind of
Seminary.
All of us are extremely grateful for this wonderful man who
in granting this privilege to us has in reality put in motion a legacy that
will touch people and impact our world for generations to come.
Dr. Kim went home to be with the Lord on November 8th, 2012
and his final word before slipping into God’s presence was “Jesus” To the end
his love for and passion for his Lord was on his lips and in his heart
I will in this post/article try and give you an insight into
the man I knew and loved.
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| A Letter From Dr. Yonggi Cho sent on the passing of his friend Dr. Samuel Kim |
On my blog www.drboborr.blogspot.com
I wrote an article about Dr. Kim’s father arguably the most influential
Christian Leader of the last century. He dramatically changed the spiritual direction of his country, Korea. His legacy was passed on through 3
primary Christian Leaders Dr. Cho from Yiodo Full Gospel Church the largest
local church in Christendom, Dr. Billy Kim whose ministry still touches
millions of people each year and his son Samuel Kim the only one of the 3 to
make their home in the United States.
In setting up his base of ministry in the United States his
reach and influence continued to grow. He saw the need to reach and equip the
vast number of Koreans immigrating to the United States and planted Soul
Christian Assembly Church that is still ministering in Northridge and founded
California State Christian University, which today has classes in Korean, Spanish,
and English. These two seminal ministries have impacted hundreds and most
probably thousands of persons.
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| Dr. Kim and some Korean Students at the CSCU display at the Transformation Ministries conference |
His reputation as an anointed speaker, evangelist and
teacher had him travelling the world taking the message of the Savior he loved
to as many places as he could. Seeing need he started and orphanage in India
and set up Korean Gospel Mission to support it. Looking to the future he
secured a Broadcast license because he believed at some point God would open up
the door to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
He was one of a very few people in history ever to have the
opportunity to preach to more than one million people at one time and I can
personally testify that he was a powerful preacher and God used him mightily to
see souls saved, believers strengthened, people healed and delivered from the
forces of evil.
One of the most remarkable things to me is that he never saw
himself as retiring. In his 69th year of life he planted a new
church, World Harvest Church, and made this church the first Korean Church to
join Transformation Ministries a group of Christians he came to
love and loved working with.
Unknown to most even during his long fight with cancer he continued to preach and teach at the church and in the seminary until less than 10 days before his home going. Four days before his home going, too weak to go to the church he put on his suit and had church in his apartment for his family where he dedicated his grandson to the Lord.
Unknown to most even during his long fight with cancer he continued to preach and teach at the church and in the seminary until less than 10 days before his home going. Four days before his home going, too weak to go to the church he put on his suit and had church in his apartment for his family where he dedicated his grandson to the Lord.
I had become over the years not simply someone who taught
with him but a partner with whom I worked day in and day out. He was always a
man who was pro-vision that is, if it would further the cause of Christ he was
for it.
His influence was not only spiritual but also apostolic in
nature. Pastors, Churches and Denominations looked to him for clarity about the
direction they should take and found his solid advise over the long term tended
to be the best for the cause of Christ. Such Apostolic leaders have the unique ability to understand the current milieu and to have their spirits attuned to His
Spirit as they apply God’s will in a very unique way to the most difficult of
circumstances.
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| With Dr. Kim and having Lunch at one of his favorite restaurants |
I have become over these years a close friend of Dr. Kim’s
family particularly his wife Janey and sons Paul and James. I have met but cannot claim to know them well his three daughters. While at the hospital during his last days I saw first hand the closeness they had as a family and the deep love and respect they had for their father.
It has been a joy to me to see the love they have for him and the clear intent they have to do whatever it takes so that the legacy of his life will outlive us all.
It has been a joy to me to see the love they have for him and the clear intent they have to do whatever it takes so that the legacy of his life will outlive us all.
I could recount to you the multiple doctorates and awards he
has received, the world leaders he has met but the world is full of people who
have education and position without making a difference. Dr. Kim’s life is the
story of a man who loved his Lord loved his family, loved, the lost, loved God’s
people, and did whatever he could to make a difference.
I am one man who is grateful that God brought into my life a
man who has touched me, changed me and given me a vision which is my mantra to
“keep on, keeping on!”
In honor of Dr. Kim California State Christian University
will continue to share his passion with future generations of students as much
of his teaching has been preserved on DVD’s
Keep on, keeping on!
Dr. Bob Orr
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