Meet Scholarship Recipient: On You Song

The Multiracial Student Scholarship Fund is one of the strategies employed by the CRCNA Race Relations team to develop multiracial leadership. Recipients of the scholarship attend one of the higher learning institutions affiliated with the denomination—Calvin University, Dordt University, The King’s University, Redeemer University, Kuyper College, Trinity Christian College, and Calvin Theological Seminary. They have also expressed a strong desire to train for and to engage in the ministry of racial reconciliation in church and/or in community.

Through bountiful gifts given last year, the Office of Race Relations was able to award scholarships to six students for the 2022-23 school year. It’s our privilege to introduce you to On You Song, one of the six recipients. Read her biography below and some of her thoughts on the importance of All Nations Heritage Sunday.

My name is On You Song and I am from South Korea. I am a student at Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS), studying Education, Youth and Family in the Certificate Program. It has been a great experience learning and studying at CTS and God has been so graceful and loving so far in my life. I got married in June 2019, to Hoon Jae Lee who is a former CTS student. We have one daughter who is now 2 months old.

My call is to be a good listener to my neighbors, especially the minorities. I have a passion for the next generations, educating them and growing with them in their faith journey. Specifically, I would like to be more engaged in family ministries and counseling. I hope this program would guide me through the diversity and multi-generational view to encourage my church and future ministry.

I am greatly honored to talk about the goal of the All Nations Heritage Sunday which falls on October 1, 2023 this year. Through this special Sunday, the CRCNA Race Relations team raises money for their scholarship fund that is dedicated to bring more diversity into the future leadership of the CRC denomination.

The keyword I would use to encourage the churches to participate is ‘opportunity’. I personally think that opportunity comes along with the word ‘Equality’. They should be used together. We know that the United States is a multicultural country with various ethnic people all over the states. However, there are some places where people who are not white have no opportunities or chances to participate or belong. Churches are no exceptions.

The CRC denomination should also be welcoming to the multi-ethnic leaders and applicants. The Kingdom of God is open for every person and it is beyond race, language, and culture. There are many people who call themselves minorities, but in the Kingdom of God, there are no minorities. With appropriate faith, confessions and passion for God, all nations should be welcomed in the field of God’s ministry. We need the posture to learn from each other and let each other know that God does not use one race to fulfill His glory. Of course we should be open-minded for discussions about the challenges that we might face, however, we know that God has given us the strength to reconcile and work through by the power of the Spirit. All nations should glorify God, and the CRC churches should be the “Opportunity” for them.

If you feel led to support this valuable scholarship fund and students like On You, please give online at this link. Your gift today will bless future students as they train for and prepare to engage in the ministry of racial reconciliation in church and in society.

For those who wish to be considered for a scholarship from the Office of Race Relations, information and an application are found at this link.