In forming its partnership with Ulsan, South Korea, Alabama’s Madison Baptist Association (MBA) has gained interdenominational as well as international partners.
John Long, MBA director of missions, said the association has undertaken the project of starting a Southern Baptist church in Ulsan. Although the city is home to 31 churches, there is no Southern Baptist church there.
So MBA developed a partnership agreement with three Korean Presbyterian churches in order to facilitate the establishment of the Ulsan International Ministry Center, which will house an international church with English as the primary language and classrooms for classes in English as a foreign language and English as a second language (ESL).
Located in downtown Ulsan, Long said the center will occupy three floors of a 14-story building, which were donated by a Korean Presbyterian layman.
It will hold eight classrooms as well as two three-bedroom apartments that will house teachers and missionaries from the United States.
“I would like to see the English institute be recognized for teaching and education, so we’ll have the opportunity to share the gospel on an ongoing basis,” Long said.
He added that the International Mission Board (IMB) currently has missionaries in Ulsan whose focus is working among the fishermen and employees of the Hyundai Corporation.
But their focus is on starting church homes in the area, whereas MBA wanted to provide a building designated as a church. So although their focuses are not the same, Long said IMB is “very much in prayer for us and in support of us.”
Long said the idea of a partnership between Ulsan, South Korea, and MBA began when he asked the association’s staff, “If you could do one thing before your ministry ends, what would it be?”
Don Lee, the association’s special language minister director at the time, answered that question by saying he would like to end his ministry where it started — Ulsan, South Korea. Lee was first called to the ministry while he was working as a high school principal in Ulsan.
“Korea is my homeland, and we want to do something for the Lord in Korea before I pass on into the next world,” Lee said.
Lee, who has worked with the Korean population of MBA for 15 years, and his wife, Kim, have bought a house in Ulsan and will live there for the partnership’s duration in order to direct the work of the center.
The association has strong ties to the Korean community since the nearby Redstone Arsenal provides training for soldiers from South Korea’s military. First Baptist Church, Madison, is host to a Korean mission and First Korean Baptist Church, Huntsville — of which Lee is pastor — grew out of a mission at First Baptist Church, Huntsville.
So in October 2002 at its annual meeting, the association signed a 10-year partnership with Ulsan, a city that is home to 1.2 million people.
Lee said the idea of an educational center came about because “the Korean people would like to learn English. Because of globalization, you need English to communicate with the world.”
Long said the association plans to develop medical missions trips to the area as well as sports clinics and other trips. “This (partnership) gives an opportunity for hands-on missions involvement to the people of Madison Association,” he said.
Another long-range hope is that one day North Korea will be open to groups who want to enter the country from Ulsan in order to do missions, which is one reason the partnership is a 10-year one, Long said.
Part of assuring that the center lasts is the establishment of an international nonprofit corporation by MBA. Called Ulsan International Ministries, Inc., Long said forming the corporation was necessary in order to conduct business for the center.
“We’re going slow to establish the [center], but that’s so it will be here after that,” Long said.
Lee echoed this hope. “Hopefully something can develop out of this not only for Korea, but also for Madison Association so that it will grow and reach the world.”
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