▶ Renamed "Christian Journal" in 1981
▶ Despite the threat of theft at the newspaper office, publication has never been suspended
“50년 목회사역… 의료비 나눔 가장 큰 보람” CMM 기독의료상조회 대표 박도원 목사
‘CMM 기독의료상조회’ 대표 박도원 목사는 “앞으로 한인교계가 사랑과 나눔을 실천하기 위해 힘쓰길 바란다”고 밝히고 “높은 의료비용 때문에 경제적으로 힘들어하는 한인들이 기독의료상조회를 통해 많은 혜택을 보길 원한다”고 밝혔다. <박상혁 기자>
“As we have consistently carried out our ministry of sharing with one another and showing love throughout our lives, it seems that God has allowed us to experience such tremendous growth, just as the Scripture says, ‘Though your beginning was small, in the end you will become very great.’”
Park Do-won (76), who founded “CMM Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing Christian medical expenses, in 1996—starting with just 200 members and transforming it into a massive organization with 40,000 registered members across the United States within 23 years , president of the “CMM Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society,” is a pastor who founded Logos Mission in Chicago in 1976. He is also the publisher of a Christian newspaper that began as the “Logos Mission Monthly” in 1978, changed its name to the “Christian Journal” in 1981, and has been in publication for 40 years.
Pastor Park Do-won confessed that the reason he was able to handle three roles on his own—even though most people would struggle to hold down even one position—was because he “had engraved the verse ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ’ (Galatians 6:2) in his mind for his entire life and put it into practice in his daily life.”
■A Young Head of Household Who Worked His Way Through School, Who Eventually Became a Pastor
Pastor Park Do-won, who lost his father at the age of four, grew up as the head of his household due to his family’s difficult financial circumstances. From a young age, he worked as a newspaper delivery boy for over 10 years to cover his tuition and living expenses while working his way through school. In his second year of middle school, he went to a church on his own and accepted Jesus into his life.
Because he was so young and couldn’t eat regular meals while studying and delivering newspapers morning and evening, he developed gastric ptosis, a type of stomach disorder, which eventually worsened to the point where he was bleeding from his stomach; however, he healed from the illness through the “power of prayer.”
Afterward, Pastor Park enrolled at the Theological Seminary of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea. During his sophomore year, he founded “Gwangyeom Church”—a name signifying “light and salt”—near a shantytown on the hill behind Jeongneung. Pastor Park, who nearly fell to his death when the foundation gave way while he was laying bricks and raising the roof of the church he had founded, recalled, “The most heartbreaking moment was when I received a request to conduct a funeral for a family of eight who had died in their sleep from coal briquette fumes while living in a tent.”
Despite the hardships—such as the church tent being blown away by strong winds and the church disappearing when district office employees stormed in to tear down the unlicensed tent church—Pastor Park successfully established a church in a proper 24-pyeong building. It is said that he received his first salary in 1970 when he became an Army chaplain. He prayed fervently that he would be able to evangelize 1,000 people each year for three years—totaling 3,000—until his discharge, and he actually performed a miracle by distributing cards to 3,000 enlisted soldiers, all of whom resolved to believe in Jesus.
■From Pastor of the “Document Evangelism” Movement to Publisher of a Christian Newspaper
In 1973, Pastor Park and his wife—a nurse—began their journey to the United States when she secured a job at a nursing home in Woodstock, Illinois. They moved to Chicago in 1974, founded Logos Church in 1975, and established the Logos Mission Society in 1976, after which they completed registration with both the state and federal governments. At that time, there were about 50 Korean churches in Chicago, but since most of them held services in rented American church buildings, they were unable to hold gatherings such as Bible studies or Sunday school outside of Sunday worship services. Believing that written materials on the Word of God were essential so that congregants could study the Bible and share the Gospel in their homes, they began a publishing ministry.
Pastor Park, who launched the monthly magazine *Logos Mission* in 1978, changed its name to *Christian Journal* in 1981 and began publishing it weekly; in addition to articles for adults, he also translated and included Bible study materials for children.
However, the Christian Journal’s 40-year history was not all smooth sailing. “In the early 1980s, thieves broke into the newspaper office and took everything of value—including cameras and reporting equipment—but fortunately, they couldn’t take the typesetting machine. It was so heavy that it took four adults to lift it, so I think the thieves didn’t dare touch it,” said Pastor Park. “Still, since we had the typesetting machine, I believed it was ‘God’s will’ for us to continue publishing the newspaper, so we never stopped publishing, even under those difficult conditions,” he recalled. Pastor Park laughed heartily as he recalled that a local Korean-language newspaper had once reported that the *Christian Journal* was about to cease publication; later, the publisher of that paper—perhaps feeling remorseful—sent a donation. He expressed his solemn resolve: “I hope the *Christian Journal* will write its final article announcing the Second Coming of Jesus Christ on the last day on earth and thus fulfill its mission of publishing the Gospel.”
■A Ministry of Sharing Medical Expenses That Began by Chance
Around 1995, Pastor Park happened to come across an article about a “Christian medical cost-sharing ministry” run by an organization called Medi-Share and published it as the lead story on the front page of the Christian Journal; reportedly, the newspaper was flooded with inquiries from readers.
“Koreans facing financial hardship couldn’t even consider enrolling in health insurance and were struggling with high medical bills, so they showed great interest in the medical cost-sharing ministry,” said Pastor Park. “Koreans called the organization to inquire about enrollment, but when more than 80 percent were denied due to health and language issues, they reached out to the Christian Journal for help, and that’s how the medical cost-sharing ministry began,” he recalled.
With the intention of helping people who are not comfortable with English enroll in the program and navigate the medical expense assistance process, Pastor Park learned that there was an organization engaged in similar ministry work in Ohio, near Chicago, and visited them. At first, he requested that the organization establish a Korean department to assist Korean Americans with enrollment. However, as operating a department specifically for Koreans became difficult due to the similarity of Korean names and cultural differences, he negotiated with the organization’s director to resolve the language communication issues. Believing that a separate medical expense-sharing program for Korean Christians was necessary, he finally established the “CMM Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society” in 1996.
■The Early Days of the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society, Filled with Challenges
When the “CMM Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society”—a nonprofit organization dedicated to a Christian medical cost-sharing ministry, a concept that initially seemed unfamiliar to Koreans—was first established, many people from various quarters reportedly tried to dissuade the founders. In particular, Korean acquaintances who worked for insurance companies offered a pessimistic outlook, predicting that the organization would close its doors before long.
“We started with 200 members in response to requests from Korean Americans who were struggling to afford high health insurance premiums, and I thought it was a challenge bordering on a gamble,” said Pastor Park. “In 1997, Pastor Lee, who was conducting a pastoral visit in Missouri, collapsed due to heart disease. Since he was enrolled in this program, his expensive hospital bills—totaling approximately $70,000—were covered by the monthly membership fee of $100 (annual fee of $1,200). When this became known, it served as a catalyst for membership to surge to around 1,000,” he explained.
As a result of ongoing, active promotional efforts—primarily targeting churches and other organizations across the United States through the Christian Journal—membership grew to around 2,000 by the early 2000s.
■Obamacare as a Catalyst for Rapid Progress
Pastor Park stated, “The Christian Medical Mutual (CMM) experienced a period of rapid growth in 2014 when the Obamacare regulations took effect, requiring individuals to pay a penalty if they did not enroll in health insurance.” This was because the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognized the CMM’s medical cost-sharing ministry as an alternative to health insurance. As a result, there was an explosive increase in the number of Korean Americans enrolling in the CMM, which offered significantly lower membership fees compared to Obamacare. Thanks to the implementation of Obamacare, the number of Korean Americans enrolled in the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Association now totals as many as 40,000 nationwide.
Pastor Park said, “Since we raised the monthly dues in 2002, there has not been a single increase in dues to date,” adding, “Nevertheless, the Christian Medical Mutual Aid Association has grown to the point where the amount of medical assistance provided annually now reaches $10 million.” Pastor Park said, “Although the penalty for those without Obamacare coverage is scheduled to be abolished starting next year, the trend in new enrollments among Korean-American members in November and December remains largely unchanged.”
■I want to build a Korean-American community where generosity and love are passed on
“I find great fulfillment in the fact that healthy Christians who do not drink or smoke can join the CMM Christian Medical Mutual Aid Association program and pay monthly dues of $40 to $175 toward shared medical expenses, thereby reducing their worries about medical costs regardless of their immigration status,” said Pastor Park. “We will continue to improve our services, such as providing 100 times the monthly membership fee toward funeral expenses in the event of a member’s death and offering a certain amount of credit for referring new members,” he stated.
Pastor Park said, “I hope that the Korean Christian community in the U.S. will actively participate in ministries of sharing to put the love of Jesus into practice, and that when medical expenses are needed, they will not only receive help themselves but also take the lead in helping fellow believers.” He emphasized in particular, “I hope this company will become one that is nurtured by future generations of Korean Christians, and that through this, the Korean community will become one where people share love with one another and live healthy lives.”
■Management Philosophy and Vision
The vision of Pastor Park Do-won of CMM Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society is to take responsibility for the health of the Korean Christian community in the United States.
He stated, “Although our approximately 50 staff members across the United States generously cover members’ medical expenses without hesitation or stinginess at every worship service, they pray earnestly that the Lord will heal the parts of the body that cannot be cured by material means by ‘sending forth a healing ray’ (Malachi 4:2).”
Pastor Park also emphasized, “Just as British Puritans set an example of faith in the early days of immigration, Germans laid the foundation for education by establishing schools, Swedes contributed through medical ministry, and Dutch Americans upheld conservative theology under the banner of Reformed theology—all of which helped American society grow—Koreans, too, must contribute to mainstream American society.” expressed strong aspirations, stating, “Although the CMM Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society is still in its infancy, it will grow into a larger organization capable of covering all medical expenses for future Korean Christians.”
■Biography of Pastor Park Do-won
1967: Graduated from the General Assembly Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church of Korea
1969: Ordained as a pastor by the Gyeonggi Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Korea
September 1970: Commissioned as a chaplain in the Republic of Korea Army
July 1973: Emigrated to Chicago, Illinois, USA
1976: Founded Logos Mission
1978: Launched the monthly magazine *Logos Mission*
1981: Published *Christian Journal*
1996: Founded CMM Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society
As of 2018: President of Logos Mission, Representative of CMM Christian Medical Mutual Aid Society, and Publisher of *Christian Journal*
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