Meet Pastor Steve
After serving in big churches for many years, Pastor Stephen was getting disinterested in big churches even though God was working in and through them. Pastor Stephen wanted to create a small, community church environment. He prayed, fasted, and thought about where to go – to an established ministry, plant an English Ministry (EM) back in Ohio, or plant an EM here in NJ.
Then in the Fall of 2009, Pastor Stephen met up with Reverend Jae Jun Kim of Peace Korean Reformed Church to ask for discernment. Through his prayers, Reverend Kim was asking for a pastor to help with the youth and to start an EM ministry in his church. God’s sovereignty placed these two men together to serve His Kingdom. So in February of 2010, Journey Home at Peace (JHP) had its first worship service on Super Bowl Sunday. This was done so that no one would ever forget this monumental event each year.
Pastor Stephen Kim was born in Inchon, South Korea on April 24, 1969. He and his parents moved to Ohio, yes, Ohio not Iowa or Idaho in 1972. He grew up in a small suburban town, and it was tough growing as the only Korean or minority in the county. This is why his Korean is bad, so don’t make fun of it please.
He went to college at the University of Akron and strayed away from God tremendously. His life was filled with a lot of addictions, hopelessness, and confusion. Things looked bleak, but Jesus came to lead him home to God. After getting saved after his sophomore year in the summer, he transferred to a closer school. He did this to get away from tempting influences and to grow in his faith.
God called Pastor Stephen after a week of being saved, and it took a year and a half to think, pray, and determine to see if this was a true calling or just an emotional phase. He then went to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. While he was attending seminary, he met his future wife (Jenn) at the church that he was serving. Pastor Stephen and Jenn have been married for 15 years and have two sons – Lucas (12) & Nathan (9). And no, they did not name them after the television show One Tree Hill.
