The PACE International Fellowship (PIF) became an important opportunity to build relationships with international students who came to Korea from many different countries. It was started by Dr. Kaping and me.
I was invited to teach Melvin Steinbron’s PACE Seminar for one month at a small mission church in downtown Seoul. Today, that church is actively involved in missionary work among international students who come to Korea to study at universities.
It was there that I was introduced to Dr. Kaping from Nagaland, India. Kaping had received his degree from Pune University in India and had studied in several countries. When I taught the twelve PACE modules at the church, he became deeply interested in the ministry. Later, I joined a gathering of many Nagaland international students in Ansan with him.
As I continued meeting international students in Korea, I realized that this ministry needed a more systematic approach. I therefore developed what I called PIF—PACE International Fellowship. We did not need an office or a formal facility. Instead, we met regularly each week, often around the church where Dr. Kaping was involved. I also prepared weekly papers and materials to give some structure and continuity to our meetings.
Through these gatherings, I met many students from different Asian countries. In particular, I encountered many students from Myanmar. This eventually led me to travel to Myanmar to conduct church seminars and seminary lectures.
One of the great achievements of this period was the development of English-language materials. Since I was working with international students from many countries, I realized that the more English resources I developed, the more widely the ministry could be used. Even many years later, some of the materials developed during that period are still being used in English-speaking contexts, especially at the seminary in Nagaland and at Melvin University in Kenya.
Meeting Pastor Aloto
While continuing to serve through PACE International Fellowship, I met Pastor Aloto, who had come to Korea from Nagaland.
At that time, I was meeting many Nagaland students in the Ansan area. One day, Dr. Kaping told me about a new international student from Nagaland and asked me to go and meet him. I went to his home and met Aloto, his wife, and his daughter.
That meeting became an important turning point.
Aloto joined our ministry and began working with us. He had received a scholarship to study in Korea, but he still needed to support himself while living there. Eventually, he became the pastor of an English worship service at a church in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul.
After the English worship service, we would continue studying the English PACE Training Moduleswith several other people. Through those meetings, Aloto became increasingly familiar with PACE ministry and its vision.
Two years later, after completing his degree, Aloto returned to Nagaland.
Before he left, he asked an important question:
“What should I do when I return to my home country?”
That question eventually led to the establishment of the PACE Seminary in Nagaland.
I naturally suggested that he consider establishing a school in Nagaland. I discussed the idea with Dr. Kaping for several weeks. Eventually, the three of us agreed that PACE ministry was greatly needed in Nagaland and that establishing a seminary could become an important way to equip pastors and Christian leaders.
Starting with Nothing
There was one major problem: Aloto did not have land on which to build a school.
So we decided to rent a building instead.
We found an empty two-story building that could be rented for about $350 a month. From Korea, we committed to supporting the rent for the first year.
The seminary began with almost nothing.
The first class had only three students—two women and one man.
After the opening ceremony in July 2015, I went to Nagaland and taught those three students for three months. I stayed there from approximately July through October 2015.
Looking back, it was a very small beginning. There was no large campus, no large student body, and no significant financial resources. But we believed that something important had begun.
A year later, we purchased the land for approximately $60,000. At the time, it seemed like a considerable amount of money, but we concluded that continually paying rent would eventually cost more than investing in the land. So we decided to purchase it.
Today, the school has a permanent place and continues to develop without the burden of renting the original building.
From a Fellowship to a Seminary
When I look back, I am amazed at how one relationship led to another.
I met Dr. Kaping while teaching PACE to a small group in Seoul. Through Kaping, I began meeting international students from Nagaland. Through those students, I met Aloto. Through Aloto, the vision for a seminary in Nagaland developed.
What began as a small weekly fellowship for international students in Korea eventually became connected to a permanent seminary in Nagaland.
The journey reminds me that ministry often begins with something very small: one meeting, one relationship, one student, or one simple act of obedience.
We did not know where PACE International Fellowship would lead when we started it. We simply wanted to serve the international students whom God had brought to Korea.
But God had a larger plan.
The fellowship became a bridge between Korea and Nagaland. The materials developed in Korea became resources for students and pastors in other countries. And a small meeting among international students eventually contributed to the establishment of a seminary.
For this, I am deeply grateful to God.
I am especially thankful that God allowed me to meet Dr. Kaping and Pastor Aloto at the right time. Through those relationships, the PACE vision moved beyond Korea and became established in Nagaland.
A small fellowship bec
ame a ministry.
A ministry became a school.
And a few students became the beginning of something much larger than we could have imagined.