Yang Joo-sam arrived in San Francisco in 1906, during a time when the city was struggling with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. He was on his way to the East Coast for further studies, with the intention of dedicating himself to serving his country and its people. However, his deep love for his homeland and his Christian faith compelled him to address the immediate needs of the Korean community through relief and education.
Believing this was a divine calling, he decided to settle in San Francisco. Through his efforts, the first official Korean Methodist Church was established, which not only served the Korean community but also instilled a spirit of patriotism and dedication to the independence of Korea. He published ‘Daedo,’ the first monthly magazine in Korean, which provided evangelism, education, and news about Korea and the world, and he initiated night schools for further education.
After serving in the church for about three years, he entered Vanderbilt University, where he majored in literature and theology, graduating from Yale University in 1912.
In 1915, he returned to Korea and got married that same year. He established churches in Siberia and Manchuria, serving as the pastor of those congregations. In 1922, he returned to the United States to study at Columbia University, where he wrote extensively on topics such as ‘Introduction to Christianity’ and made significant contributions to the founding of the Korean Methodist Church. He also played a major role in Christian publishing as the secretary of the Korean Christian Association and held important educational positions at universities and seminaries.
After Korea’s liberation, he became the president of the Korean Red Cross. However, in 1950, during the Korean War, he was abducted by North Korean communist forces, and there has been no news of him since.
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