Virginia Tech Tragedy Touches CRC Congregation

April 24, 2007--Last week’s tragic shooting at Virginia Tech University that prematurely ended 33 lives also had an impact on a nearby Korean Christian Reformed church and campus ministry.

Several members of All Nations Fellowship church, which receives grant funding from Christian Reformed Home Missions, had personal connections to the victims.

“One of our members lost a professor, another lost a roommate, and yet another lost a best friend,” says Rev. Chan Jeong, pastor to the congregation and leader of a Korean-American campus ministry at Virginia Tech. “We are all so sad about this tragedy.”

The church, located less than a mile from campus, is a small but growing congregation of mostly Korean-American members. Several professors from the university also attend Sunday worship services at the church.

As a campus minister, Jeong regularly meets with some of the 600 Korean students at Virginia Tech. “I visit campus almost every day,” he remarks. “We do counselling, prayer, and Bible studies with Korean and other Asian students.”

Sadly, one of those Korean students Jeong’s ministry couldn’t reach was Cho Seung-Hui, the South Korean-born student responsible for the shocking crime. “I regret that I wasn’t able to reach out to this man,” says Jeong. “I know that I could have helped him by introducing him to Jesus.”

Jeong adds that Seung-Hui had been approached by other campus ministers at Virginia Tech, but none of them had gotten through to the troubled young man.

Jeong says that the cultural and language gap for Korean-Americans, which Seung-Hui might have struggled with, can be a tough hurdle to overcome. “There are a lot of financial hardships, too,” explains Jeong. “It can be very difficult for these kids.”

Throughout the week following the killings, All Nations Fellowship joined other Blacksburg churches in mourning and praying. Jeong led morning and afternoon prayer sessions on campus each day, and also attended a funeral service for a slain Indonesian student. On Sunday, April 22, Jeong and his congregation participated in a multi-faith prayer service held at a local Korean Baptist church.

“We’re praying a lot right now,” he says. We’re praying for the families, for our own church members, and for the entire community here. It brings everyone together during a sad time.”

--Christian Reformed Home Missions

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