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Home > Praise and Thanks Volume II |
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The 10th “Praise and Thanks Night”(1)
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Chapter 6 – The 10th “Praise and Thanks Night”(1)
On the March 21st of 1993 there was a celebration of the 50th year marriage anniversary of elder KilSang Kwon in Los Angele’s United Methodist Church in Wilshire. The event was called “KilSang Kwon Hymn Night”. It was a great event. There was the Southern California Korean Christian Choir, and many soloists who sang the songs he had composed his entire life. It was an event made by his students or underclassman to congratulate their wedding.
Elder Kwon requested that I attend this event because about 9 of my poems that I wrote would be played as well. Since it was a night time event I first had to finish San Jose Open Door Church’s Sunday worship service, then barely made it to the event place. I was blessed the singers all sang with their heart. Since I couldn’t stay in Los Angeles overnight, after the event was over and having fellowshipped, I headed back up north to San Jose with my wife. Since I left around 10PM I expected to arrive around 4 in the morning so I drove my way north.
I had never studied poetry. But every time I wrote a poem and was happy, my wife would say “You wrote these because you like them, but think about elder Kwon who has to compose with a lacking writing.” She would say something like that quite frequently. She wasn’t wrong about that either, but I was a bit disappointed. I wished she would encourage me about my writings…
After about an hour or two of driving in the dark and deserted highway, my wife held my hand that I was driving. Since we were married from an arrangement, my wife and I rarely held hands, neither did she give me a massage on the shoulder on a long drive. She would be shy and try to pull away if I held her hand during a hike as a joke, so I was surprised and looked at my wife. Her expression changed and she said in her truest tone, “I was blessed with your poems that turned into hymns during the 50th wedding anniversary of Elder Kwon. I’m sorry that I had said things you don’t like during those times.” All those feelings of disappointment I had over the years melted way like the snow in warm spring sunlight.
With the 50th wedding anniversary event, next year October 7th of 2000, we had our first opening of “Composer Elder Kwon and Writer Paul Lee’s 1st Praise Night” where I planted my first church in the Silicon Valley, The Open Door Church. That night Elder Kwon and his wife and his daughter who is a conservatory professor, along with soloists’ soprano GuiIm Lee, HyunJu Kwak, Tenor HongSup Park, and Baritone MyungRyong Choi all came in a plane to sing the hymn then went back to Los Angeles to serve their churches. It was such a graceful night. Starting like this, the “Praise Night” had occurred the 10th time in 2012 in Los Angeles.
While I was the superintendent of Korean District of C&MA, my office and residence was in Fullerton, Orange County, California. I had lived in about 40 minute distances from Elder Kwon who lived in Los Angeles. After a discussion with Elder Kwon, it was decided the 2nd “Praise Night” would be held in Los Angeles area. In order to find an area to have our “Praise Night”, finding a soloist and a choir, small and large, the cost of having this event is not an easy thing. Elder Kwon had prayed a lot during his compositions, and concerning that those valuable songs would waste if the 2nd performance did not happen, and because he was inspired greatly by God. From San Jose to New Jersey, thanks to all those passionate soloists and choir members, Elder Kwon helped to find all soloists and choir. It was a difficult process but every time it was thankful and graceful every time.
November of 2000, the 2nd “Praise and Thanks Night” was held in PyungAhn Holiness Church. After San Jose, I was always excited to have a performance in a large metropolitan like Los Angeles. During this time Soprano was Mrs. ChangKyung Choi. She had sung the most amount of praise songs on all the “Praise Nights”. The 10th “Praise and Thanks Night” was held in the oldest Korean church in Los Angeles, Na-Sung Korean Unified Presbyterian Church in April 21st of 2012. This was fruited through the devoted help of Mrs. ChangKyung Choi.
Mrs. Choi is such a valuable person because she had passionately helped during “Praise and Thanks Night” (about 6 times more after the 2nd time). After she was married she wanted to continue her pursuit of music career, but because of circumstances of marriage and etc. She was sad that she could not sing. She helped the Sunday worship service with piano and taught a small Sunday Bible School, then return to play piano after sermons. She helped in the kitchen to prepare lunch; she lived in a busy life. She wanted to praise the Lord with her voice, but there were no one to play the piano for her. She had raised 2 children and helped her husband’s ministry. She had a job also so she had to run around a lot.
Even if she lived in a busy life, after her marriage, her stopping music made her in a day of regrets and despair at times. But during this time she met Elder Kwon and met me, while I wrote praise songs. After that, she was able to sing as she wanted to God. Her prayers were answered to her faith in the Lord, and were able to sing hymns and praise songs.
She always sang those praise songs from memory.
Singing new songs for the first time from memory is not easy…
Also being that she is being truthful and with passion, whenever I see her singing, I close my eyes and with a prayerful feeling. I give thanks to God that I met so many valuable people.
(February 17, 2013)
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Why didn’t you come? (1) 
The 10th “Praise and Thanks Night”(1)