Alumnus Priest Chris Moore (M.Div., ’18) has been spending time in South Korea since he graduated from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, continuing to carry the zeal for evangelism that brought him to SVOTS.
Fr. Chris, Matushka Jen, and their two young sons, Andrew and Gideon, are in the process of finalizing approvals and plans with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) and the Korean Orthodox Church to move to Ulsan, South Korea.
“We will begin with a two-year term in South Korea, and our hope is to serve many terms and live in the country for many years, as the Lord wills,” said Fr. Chris, who is originally from Indianapolis, IN.
He traveled to Korea in September and October in preparation for that ministry. Among other places, he visited St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Seoul, getting acquainted there with serving in the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea. At the cathedral, Fr. Chris began to learn and use some of the litanies and exclamations in the Korean language.
“Many faithful people work at the cathedral throughout the week: translators, administrative assistants, an iconographer, groundskeepers, clergy, etc., and it was really wonderful to get to know this group and to learn from them. I also had the opportunity to have some good conversation with Metropolitan Ambrosios [of Korea] and Fr. Antonios [Lim] about serving in the Metropolis and ministry in our anticipated city of Ulsan.”
Fr. Chris also visited Ulsan on his most recent trip, where he anticipates serving at St. Dionysios Orthodox parish, which lost their priest, Fr. Paul Kwon, to cancer last year and has been without a full-time priest since.
“Many Koreans and Korean families are part of the parish, along with a sizable expat community of Greeks, Russians, Ukrainians, Romanians, and Copts. It was clear in my short time at the parish that there is a need for a full-time clergy presence there among Koreans, expats, and seekers. We want to be ready and available for those who are members of the church, while also being attentive to how Christ is calling both us as missionaries and the parish itself to be his light, his witnesses, and his servants in the city and its surrounding region.”
Fr. Chris and Matushka Jen have been involved in mission work since before they came to SVOTS. In 2011, they applied to be full-time missionaries with OCMC and moved to Mongolia in October, 2014. Fr. Chris then enrolled at SVOTS in 2015 and moved back to the States to further his preparation to serve as a missionary.
Fr. Chris said his family has been thankful for God’s continued blessings as they transition to ministry abroad after Seminary.
“We value everyone’s regular prayers for our preparation, transition, and efforts, as we've seen even in this past month how God is faithful and truly works through the prayers of his people.”
