Our Story
God's Calling
Pastor Hank Kim first received God’s calling to serve the homeless, ex-convicts, and people struggling with drug and alcohol abuse when he visited a family of an inmate in 1996. There, he witnessed an African American infant, about the age of his own daughter at the time, crying and screaming in a dirty diaper that hadn’t been changed for hours, if not days.
Questions like ‘why anyone should suffer from poverty?’ or ‘who should and will take care of troubled children and families?’ continued to arise one after another. After struggling to find the answer to these questions, he finally accepted that it was God who was calling him to serve those to whom the society has turned its back. Not knowing where and how to start the journey ahead, Pastor Hank began by volunteering at different ministries such as the Salvation Army and local churches in Paterson, one of the poorest communities in New Jersey.
From a local park to a dedicated campus
Hana Mission was established few months later at Lou Costello Memorial Park where Pastor Hank preached the Gospel and fellowshipped with the local homeless. From a street ministry at a local park, Hana Mission evolved into a mobile soup kitchen ministry in an old school bus before finally transforming into a full-time ministry at the current Marshall street campus serving the community of Paterson at various levels. Yet, Hana Mission continues to grow in the size and the depth of its ministry everyday.
Looking Ahead
The master plan is to create a campus with a school where the youngsters strive for academic excellency rooted in Christian values, and a half-way house preparing formerly struggling individuals for a great comeback geared with strong faith in God.
With the strong faith that all things are possible in God and your unceasing support, Hana Mission will continue to serve Paterson to turn the community in distress into one family, shining the light of Jesus Christ together.