The European Baptist Federation (EBF) has a new team member – Tim SolWoong Kim from Norway. Tim works for the EBF since November as a Communications Specialist.
Tim, your name does not sound Norwegian. What is your background?
Hi, I am Tim and I am currently living in Oslo, Norway – it has been about two and a half years, but I was born and raised in South Korea.
Tell us about your Christian journey so far.
I was born in a Christian family and went to Christian schools – from primary school to university. So throughout my life, my faith has grown little by little. Then I joined a mission organisation called Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in 2006 and I’ve learned more about who our God is. I’ve been working as a staff member of YWAM for about 10 years and I had the privilege to see the world and experience God’s faithfulness and his everlasting love. God always took me to the best place regardless of my own plan.
Knowing that I am beloved son of God is a great blessing. I am thankful for his work in my life and can’t stop asking for more!
You are a communications student in Oslo, work part time for the Baptist Youth of Norway and since the beginning of November you are also working for the EBF. How do you manage to combine these three jobs?
I am studying for a Masters degree in Global Journalism at the moment and as mentioned I am working for Baptist Youth of Norway and for EBF now. It can be a lot of work but they are all interconnected. My work with Baptist Youth of Norway has had two approaches - public relation such as making promos and social media; and journalism such as storytelling and capturing stories both from abroad and Norway.
So I’ve produced a documentary film on our mission works in Congo, stories of multicultural Christian youth in Norway, short stories on Karen refugees both in Myanmar and Thailand, and I am currently working on a documentary film on the situation in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka after the Easter incident.
Altogether, it has been a learning and practicing process - which brought benefits to both to my studies and to my work. I believe it is going to be a similar experience with EBF.
Furthermore, I think I prefer to have several things on my desk, than just one thing. It is about time management, knowing the priority, getting things done and co-creating with God.
There are many more communication tools available today than there were twenty years ago. Is it important for the churches to use all the contemporary communication tools? And do the churches need a good communication strategy or is it enough just to be a good church?
As human beings, we cannot ‘not’ communicate. With the widespread use of technology, we can connect and share easily today. I think those tools are great gifts for the church. Proverbs 31:8a says “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” As Christians, I believe that we have a responsibility for the world we live in. We need to know what is going around the world, stand together with those who are suffering, and stand in the gap to intercede for the world. And communication has a crucial role in this.
Another point that I want to make is that social media is a great platform which we can reach out to. Nearly 2 billion people are active monthly on YouTube and 2.4 billion people are active monthly on Facebook. As churches and Christians, we should engage and think about how we can be influenced to bring biblical values.
What do you hope to contribute to the work of the EBF and its member bodies?
EBF is an organization that consists of a widespread audience - culturally and geographically. I think it is important for members to know who we are and what we are doing. So that we can stand together, learn from each other and pray in unity. Communication is about connect and share. I hope my work can help EBF to connect to each other and make us grow together.
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