Committed and Faithful
When appointed to serve in the Central Territory in fall 1988, Majors Paul and Anna Kim moved their family to Chicago. They were tasked with starting a new corps that focused on a Korean ministry. Committed to their assignment, they began a corps without a building or a congregation. They were the first Korean officers appointed to the Metropolitan Division (now North & Central Illinois Division).
For three weeks, the Majors Kim sang, prayed, and held full meetings, in full uniform with only their immediate family in the living room of their home. The next week they gained a new member, and the congregation grew exponentially from there.
Named the Chicago (Korean), IL Corps in 1988, the corps served Korean immigrants. Majors Kim, ever faithful to their ministry, produced radio ads on Korean radio stations to appeal to the Korean population of the Mayfair neighborhood. As a result, the corps grew to 300 members and became the largest Korean Corps in the United States.
The corps’s success and growth was partly due to the ministry’s broadcast on Korean radio. However, most imporantly, the communication and personal contact made within the Korean community made it more successful. For example, Majors Paul and Anna offered help with job placement and navigating school arrangements for the children.
In 2005, a new building was constructed to accommodate a growing and diverse population. The name change that followed, Mayfair Community Church (now Chicago (Mayfair Community Church), reflected new Spanish-speaking and English-speaking Bible studies to embrace the changing Mayfair community. The new chapel provided enough space for 750 people. Today, the corps is still known as the Chicago Korean Corps by locals, and is the only Korean corps in the Central Territory.
Leading the way in inclusive ministry, the Chicago (Mayfair) Corps now serves three distinct congregations: Korean, Spanish, and English speakers. Embracing their cultural differences and learning from each other, the Chicago (Mayfair) Corps is a congregation that would not have been possible without the guidance and direction of Colonels Paul and Anna Kim.
