Feast for Refugees
Families visit booths set up outside Chicago First Korean United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Ill., during the church’s Sept. 13 “Great Feast for Refugees and Neighbors.” The event marked the congregation’s 102nd anniversary and its commitment to supporting vulnerable members of the community. Families from refugee centers across Chicago participated in a day filled with worship, music, food, fellowship and practical support. (Photo courtesy of Chicago First Korean United Methodist Church)
Sept. 26, 2025 | WHEELING, Ill. (UM News)
Key points:
- Congregation welcomed about 120 refugees for a day of worship, fellowship and practical support as a way to mark Chicago First Korean’s anniversary this year.
- The congregation’s roots are intertwined with Korea’s struggle for independence.
- The church has worked with refugees for years, but this event was on a larger scale, with more than 170 volunteers and support from community organizations.
Chicago First Korean United Methodist Church marked its 102nd anniversary by opening its doors wide to welcome some of the city’s newest and most vulnerable neighbors: refugees.
The Sept. 13 event, titled “First Love for God, Best Love for Neighbors: Great Feast for Refugees and Neighbors,” gathered about 120 refugees and more than 170 volunteers for a day of worship, music, food, fellowship and practical support.
For the congregation — long a spiritual home and cultural anchor for Korean immigrants — the anniversary was less about looking back and more about living into its calling for the next 100 years.
Chicago First Korean United Methodist Church was founded in Wheeling in 1923, decades before a sizable Korean community had taken root in the city. Its beginnings are inseparable from Korea’s struggle for independence.
Watch video from celebration
Learn more about Chicago First Korean United Methodist’s history and its anniversary celebration welcoming vulnerable Wheeling, Ill., community members for fellowship and worship. The video is in Korean. To view English subtitles, click the Subtitles/CC icon, then click the Settings icon at the bottom of the screen, select Subtitles/CC, choose Auto-translate, then select English.
The founding pastor, the Rev. Chang Jun Kim, was one of the 33 national representatives who signed the Korean Declaration of Independence during the March 1 Movement of 1919. Beyond political advocacy, he shepherded the fledgling diaspora in the greater Chicago area through prayer, preaching and pastoral care.
For its first 41 years, the church was the only Korean congregation in the Midwest. It became a sanctuary for independence activists, immigrant students and workers, earning the title “Mother Church” — a place where faith and national identity converged for a scattered people.
“From its earliest days, this church has carried both the gospel of Jesus Christ and the heartbeat of a people yearning for freedom,” said the Rev. Sunh Hyung Jo, who has served as senior pastor since 2023. “That dual identity — faithful discipleship and service to community — remains in our DNA.”
In a pastoral column ahead of the anniversary, Jo recalled recent commemorations. For the 100th anniversary in 2023, the congregation held a traditional thanksgiving service. At the 101st, the members emptied the sanctuary by dispersing to worship with neighboring congregations, symbolizing a commitment to be a church for others, not only themselves.
Jo said the Spirit led the church in a different direction this year.
“Last year we emptied ourselves,” he wrote. “This year, I felt God’s Spirit leading us to fill the church again — not for our own celebration, but to welcome those whom Jesus would most want to invite.”
Volunteers gather for a photo and orientation before Chicago First Korean United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Ill., celebrates its 102nd anniversary on Sept. 13 with a special event for refugees and neighbors. The event had more than 170 volunteers and support from community organizations. Photo courtesy of Chicago First Korean United Methodist Church.
The church resolved to host refugees, guided by Luke 14:23 (“Go out into the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full”) and Matthew 25:40 (“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”).
“The feast was never about showing our strength,” Jo explained in an interview. “It was about humbly becoming a platform for the wider community — churches, agencies, neighbors — to come together and embrace those who have endured great hardship.”
On the morning of Sept. 13, three yellow school buses rolled into the church parking lot, carrying families from refugee centers across Chicago. Many had fled violence or persecution and were now navigating life in an unfamiliar city with limited resources.
Despite rainy skies, volunteers lined the sidewalks to greet them with cheers and open arms. Inside, the sanctuary filled with music, testimonies and the mingling of languages.
The program featured:
- Music and testimony by the Moody Theological Seminary Choir, led by Yongmin Kim, who noted that many of the singers were immigrants themselves.
- A violin performance by In-Hong Cha of Wright State University, blending artistry with a personal testimony of faith.
- A gospel magic show by the Rev. Taek Hwan Lee of Christ United Methodist Church in Rockford, Illinois, delighting children and adults alike with messages of joy and hope.
- Performances by the church’s Hallelujah Choir, uniting voices across generations.
Practical support also was central. Community organizations — including the HANA Center, Immigrant Justice Church Network (Sanctuary Church) and KAN-WIN, a women’s advocacy and safety network — hosted booths offering information on legal rights, housing and social services. Free haircuts were provided, and children enjoyed interactive games with prize vouchers redeemable for household goods.
Every refugee guest received a $20 emergency gift card. In one of the day’s most poignant moments, the church’s scholarship committee, in partnership with the Immigrant Justice Church Network, awarded four refugee children $400 scholarships each.
“This scholarship is more than financial aid,” Jo said. “It is a sign that we see them, that we walk with them, and that we trust their future matters to God and to us.”
Although hosted at Chicago First Korean United Methodist Church, the feast quickly grew into a citywide collaboration. Other churches, nonprofits, businesses and individuals provided donations and volunteer hours.
Local Korean-language newspapers offered free publicity. Partner congregations helped identify refugee families most in need of the invitation.
“What moved me most was how people volunteered joyfully and spontaneously,” Jo said. “From seminary choirs to professors to business owners, everyone said, ‘We want to be part of this.’ That is how God’s kingdom grows — through shared vision and generous hearts.”
The celebration was not without challenges. Rumors of immigration raids and the presence of National Guard units in Chicago created fear among undocumented immigrants. Just a day before the feast, a fatal shooting occurred Sept. 12 in Franklin Park, a suburb northwest of Chicago, when an immigrant fled an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation.
Some refugee families hesitated to attend, concerned about exposure or risk.
“We adjusted our plans,” Jo said. “We reduced outdoor activities and emphasized safety, ensuring everything could take place indoors. Our goal was for our guests to feel protected and respected.”
Jo is clear that the feast was not a one-time event. For years, the church has hosted Christmas programs for refugees, assembling care packages valued at $40-$50 per family. Yet the scale and openness of the anniversary set a new precedent.
“Our youth are already saying, ‘Next year, let’s plan a vacation Bible school for refugee children,’” Jo said. “The vision is expanding. We can fill the parking lot with celebration. We can do more, because God is not finished with us.”
As Chicago First Korean steps into its second century, Jo hopes it will continue to embody its nickname as the Mother Church.
“To be a mother is to open your arms, to welcome, to nurture, and sometimes to sacrifice,” he said. “That is who we are called to be, not just for Korean immigrants but for all our neighbors.”
In the end, the 102nd anniversary was more than a milestone. It was a declaration of identity and intent. The church that once sheltered exiles and students in the 1920s now welcomed today’s refugees with the same spirit of faith and hospitality.
The memories that remain are not of decorations or speeches but of yellow buses in the parking lot, children laughing at magic tricks, volunteers cutting hair, scholarships offered with dignity and church members singing with new friends at their side.
“Jesus said that when we serve the least of these, we serve him,” Jo reflected. “On our anniversary, we wanted to give Jesus a gift that would make him smile. And I believe he did.
“To be a true church,” he added, “is to empty ourselves of pride and to become servants, as Christ was. Our freedom is not for our own privilege, but for love.”
The Rev. Dr. Thomas Kim is director of Korean and Asian news at United Methodist Communications.