The Council of Korean Churches in Orange County (CKCOC) awarded $31,000 in scholarship to build future leaders.
Korean churches of Orange County gave scholarships and began a leadership network with Assemblywoman Young Kim to build up the leaders of the next generation.
The Council of Korean Churches in Orange County (CKCOC) gave scholarships to 31 high school students and 31 college students at an awards ceremony on October 3 at Grace Ministries International. Each student received $500 each, amounting to a total of $31,000 given to all of the 62 recipients. Kim was also present at the awards ceremony, and all recipients were given a “Next Generation’s Leaders” award.
The CKCOC didn’t stop at simply giving scholarships to the students, however, and also launched a leadership network with Young Kim. Students who received scholarships this year will become the first class to be a part of the network, and those who receive these scholarships in the future will be qualified to be members of this network as well. Members will be able to receive leadership training and mentoring from Kim.
“This scholarship not only carries the monetary value, but also the prayers of all of the pastors who are gathered here and their churches,” said Kim. “I hope you are encouraged by their love, and that you will continue to grow to become much needed leaders of our society.”
“We can’t stop at just giving students a one-time scholarship, but invest in them to help them grow into true leaders in the long run,” said Reverend Ki-Dong Kim, the president of the CKCOC. “We believe the experience of uniting with other peers through this network and receiving training from a Korean American politician will significantly help in developing their leadership skills.”
This year's scholarship recipients also received a "Next Generation's Leaders Award" from Assemblywoman Young Kim (right).
Churches, church associations, businesses, non-profit organizations, and individuals in the Orange County region readily contributed to the scholarship fund for these students. Nachimban Church gave $6,500, Grace Ministries International and Sa-Rang Community Church gave $5,000 each, and Choong Man Church and Calvary New Life Church gave $1,500 each. OC1 Church, Vision Community Church, Irvine United Mission Evangelical Church, Southern California Full Gospel Church, Joy People Church, Disciples Church, United Breakthrough Ministries, Ends of the Earth Church, Immanuel Fellowship Church, Logos Church, Orange County Older Pastors Association, and Orange County Elders Council, gave $500 each. PNS Korean Directory of Orange County gave $1,500, Gateway Academy gave $1,250, and Orange County Korean-U.S. Citizens League gave $250. Several elders and members of the board of the CKCOC contributed to the fund as well.
The Next Generation Leadership Scholarship is a ministry that was launched together by the CKCOC and the Council of Korean Churches in Southern California (CKCSC) in 2013. At the time, the two Councils fundraised for and awarded the scholarships together. However, in 2014, the two Councils held the award ceremony together but fundraised separately, awarding the scholarships to students in their region according to the separate amounts that they fundraised. This year, only the CKCOC hosted the scholarship.
