Rev. Cheol Kwak Appointed Pastor

Rev. Cheol Kwak: Our New Pastor,

On May 10, 2020, the SPPRC of Wilmington First United Methodist Church received a letter from UMC West District Superintendent, Rev. Mark M. Nakagawa, which confirmed the appointment of The Reverend, Dr. Cheol Kwak as the new pastor of our church.

Rev. Dr. Cheol H. Kwak comes to us via Harris United Methodist Church in Honolulu, Hawaii where he has served as pastor since 2016. He was born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in a Methodist pastor’s home.  His education includes theological studies in both Korea and the United States at Methodist Seminary (Seoul), Biola University (BA), and Claremont School of Theology (M.Div. and D.Min.).  Since his ordination in 1986 in the California-Pacific Annual Conference, he has served both multicultural and multiracial congregations.

In addition to his stellar educational background, Cheol has an impressive resume with 33-plus years experience. He served the Santa Ana District of the California Annual Conference as a district superintendent for 7 years and as a dean of the cabinet in 2003.  He also served the Conference as a delegate for Jurisdictional Conferences (1992, 1996) and for the General Conference (2000).  He also served as a board member of the General Board of Global Ministries (2000-2003).

Welcome the Kwak Family

Reverend Cheol Kwak is married to Debbie and between them they have 6 grown children. Geneys (married to Curtis Landry), Grace, Sara (married to Paul Edwards), Jenny, Timothy, Danny, and a granddaughter (Cheyenne). The Kwak family may be coming to us via Hawaii, however they are not new to Southern California. Previous appointments have brought them to multiple area cities, including Los Angeles, Reseda, Lakewood, Sherman Oaks, Redondo Beach and San Bernardino.

Rev. Kwak begins his appointment at Wilmington First United Methodist Church on July 1, 2020. He replaces Rev. Nelson Castorillo who became the pastor of our church in June of 2016.