Meet Our Staff

Pastor Hyunwoong Hwang is born and raised in South Korea. He became a devout Christian during middle school when, as his father struggled with terminal liver diseases, he was met with the warmth and compassion of my church family. He was moved by the emotional and even financial support of his church family. Realizing just how powerful God’s grace was through his church family, he began to believe in Jesus as savior.

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He received his bachelor's in Mathematics and upon graduation, he served in the mandatory military for two years. During this time, he had the opportunity to help the military chaplain as an assistant. He found joy in witnessing how God’s words comforted soldiers and how the church’s ministries supported them.

 

After discerning his calling into ordained ministry, he attended Methodist Theological Seminary in Korea and received the Master of Divinity there. Soon after, he began studying at Boston University’s School of Theology to train in a more diverse setting. There, he received his second Master's degree in Christian Ethics. Upon graduating from BU in 2017, he was appointed to Community UMC in Brighton, Massachusetts. For three years, he experienced God’s life-giving grace and created sustainable and fun ministries.

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As he begins his new journey in Phillips, he believes in God’s plan with Phillips UMC. God will bless this journey with love, peace, and justice as we walk a spiritual journey together.