5.9 C
Niagara Falls
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
New minister joins St. Davids-Queenston United Church

Steve Hardaker
Special to Niagara Now/The Lake Report

After a nearly two-and-a-half-year search, the congregation of St. Davids-Queenston United Church welcomed their new minister, Rev. YongSeok Baek, on Sunday.

Born and raised in South Korea, Baek was ordained in the Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea in 2011.

He moved to Canada in 2014 for his master of theological studies at St. Andrew’s College in Saskatoon and later joined the United Church of Canada.

After four years as minister at Wilkie and Cut Knife United Church in remote northwest Saskatchewan, he was appointed to St. Davids-Queenston United Church this past April 2021. Thus began an over 3,500-kilometre road trip to come to Ontario.

Baek, his wife Yugene Oh and their two children, Soul and Dana, arrived in Niagara-on-the-Lake in mid-August and settled in the Glendale area. He officially became the minister on Sept. 1.

His predecessor, Rev. Paul James, retired and moved to Penticton, B.C., in 2019, after 22 years at St. Davids-Queenston.

The congregation has resumed in-person services with capacity limits and is live streaming services on YouTube.

Steve Hardaker has lived in Glendale for 11 years and is active in many community organizations.

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