Started in April 2005, Sydney Harvest Church now serves about 100 people in the local community. Founder, John Yunsuk Lee, shared at the recent Asia Conference, where he was ordained as a pastor, about how he was inspired to start a church in Sydney.
Lee lived in Melbourne since young and was actively involved in missions as a youth. On a particular mission trip to the Philippines in 1996, he heard about City Harvest Bible Training Center in Singapore and decided to enroll in its School of Theology (SOT) the following year. “I fell in love with the way City Harvest did church,” said Lee as he recounted about his days in SOT.
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| PHOTOS: Sydney Harvest Church |
Lee recalled being most impacted by a youth conference in 1997 led by CHC’s founder, Kong Hee. Although Lee was only serving as a helper to move chairs at that time, he was deeply touched when he witnessed 300 young people coming to Christ through that one conference. After residing in Singapore for a few years, Lee felt a calling to move to Sydney to start a church.
Sydney Harvest Church was started in April 2005 with seven members. Lee focused on reaching the younger generation by holding prayer meetings at the various university campuses in Sydney. Within three months, revival broke out and the church grew from seven to 96.
Lee, himself an Australian of Korean descent, now pastors a multi-cultural church with 9 different nationalities represented. His congregation comprises mainly of Singaporeans and Koreans. Being a professionally trained dentist, Lee also practices dentistry full-time.
Not deterred by small beginnings, Lee is aiming for a record attendance of 200. The motto for his church in 2009 is: To Breakthrough.
