Korean Holy Light Baptist Church

The Korean Holy Light Church was established in January 1999 by three families. The church initially met in the home of one of its founding families until December 2000. At that time, a member of Bon Air Baptist Church, who was serving in the International and Multi-Housing Ministry, aided the group in moving its services to Bon Air Baptist Church. The congregation has met in the church since that time. Both the Korean Holy Light Baptist Church and Bon Air Baptist Church are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Services are held on Sunday mornings and are conducted in Korean and English, with the pastor translating for the congregation. The service typically consists of hymns, prayer, offering, scripture readings, and a sermon from the pastor. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is observed once a month on the first Sunday. Following the Sunday service, the congregation shares a meal together that is cooked by members of the church. There also are a worship service on Wednesday evenings, a morning prayer service early on weekday mornings, and Bible study on Thursday mornings at the pastor’s home. The congregants of the Korean Holy Light Baptist Church celebrate the traditional holidays of Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Membership in the Korean Holy Light Church consists of about a dozen families. The average attendance for the Sunday worship service is around two dozen, with the congregation being approximately half Korean and half American.

In addition to celebrating the traditional Christian holidays, the congregation at Korean Holy Light Baptist Church celebrates the Korean holidays of both the Solar and Lunar New Year by observing the day before and after the first new moon as holidays. Based on the Lunar Calendar, the full moon festival is also celebrated each year. Celebrants go outside in the evening and view the full moon, which is a Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving. The congregation also celebrates the Korean Independence Day on August 15th, marking the official surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945, which ended their 35-year colonization of Korea. August 15, 1948 also marks the establishment of the Republic of Korea. This day is celebrated on the nearest Sunday to the holiday, with a time of recognition during the regular church service. Mother’s and Father’s day are combined in Korea, forming Parent’s Day, which is celebrated on May 8. Korea also honors children on Children’s Day, which is celebrated on May 5, and teachers on Teacher’s Day, which is celebrated on May 15.

Due to its small membership size and its close relationship with Bon Air Baptist Church, the Korean Holy Light congregation does not offer any organized outreaches, but instead shares resources with Bon Air Baptist Church. These resources include the youth group, Sunday school, daycare, and mission trips. The church gives Bibles and other reading materials to every new attendee and also financially supports the International Mission Board and the Richmond Baptist Association. A weekly Korean Student Fellowship is held on the VCU Campus and is led by members of Korean Holy Light Baptist Church. Each meeting consists of a time of worship, prayer, and Bible study, with the focus of the group being to help Korean college students find their purpose in life.

 

Korean Holy Light Baptist Church
[ Bon Air Baptist Church]
2531 Buford Road
Richmond , VA 23235
(804) 706-1811
www.rhlbc.org


Profile prepared by Rachel Everley
July, 2005