Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim, the lead pastor of Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto, has been detained by the North Korean government, and he has not been in contact with family or friends since January 31.
Prayer meetings for Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim, who is currently detained in North Korea, have been continuously being held throughout different regions in the U.S., including most recently in Los Angeles. The April 12 prayer meeting was organized by Korea Campus Crusade (KCCC)’s alumni association and took place at the KCCC headquarters near downtown Los Angeles.
Lim, who was confirmed to have been detained in early March, had gone into North Korea through Najin, a town that Lim had visited regularly, on January 30, but was soon taken to Pyongyang by a government official. Since being taken to Pyongyang on January 31, Lim had not been heard from.
Pastor Hun Young Jo, a long time friend of Lim and the lead pastor of Light Presbyterian Church in Southern California, spoke at the prayer meeting on the passage Acts 12:1-17, a passage in which James is executed by King Herod, and Peter is also arrested and held in prison—but is freed from prison by an angel of the Lord.
“I believe our God who broke Peter's chains and rescued him from prison is the same living God today,” said Jo, who knew Lim for 46 years.
Jo also described Lim’s passion for the North Korean people.
“Lim is someone who truly understood and gave himself for the pain of the North Korean people, who he believed were his brothers, his flesh and blood,” Jo said. “He even was planning on retiring from his position as the lead pastor of Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto, the largest Korean church in the area, to commit fully to ministering to people in North Korea.”
He further described Lim as “someone called by God,” and someone who is “pure, content with what he has, and always holds on to the Word.”
“Since his days as a student, he loved Jesus so deeply, and loved the church deeply,” Jo said. "I believe Pastor Lim has perfect peace and confidence in God right now, just as Peter was able to sleep in prison in this passage."
Jo requested the church to continuously pray for Lim, as the church had earnestly prayed to God on behalf of Peter in Acts 12:5.
This particular prayer meeting was attended by some 30 people. Jong Sul Park, a KCCC staff who led the prayer meeting, said that he hopes “this prayer meeting would not be used for political purposes,” and added that “we have gathered with a pure heart to simply intercede on behalf of Lim.”
Those who gathered prayed that Lim would be released as soon as possible, and that his faith would be unwavering during his time in detainment. They also prayed for Lim’s family and church, and that authorities would fear the Lord and that decisions will be made according to His will.
Most of those who gathered to pray for Lim, who is a KCCC alumnus himself, at this meeting were KCCC alumni, including Young Lee, the director of LA KCCC, and Ezra Kang, the president of Jesus Awakening Movement of America (JAMA).
