Task Force on Race & Justice

This task force—affectionately nicknamed “the Micah 6:8 Crew”—was created by the Governing Board with a simple charge, namely, to consider what steps we should be taking, as a church, to become a more inclusive community and to address racial injustice. Our first step, then, has been to meet with a wide range of Wellspringers in order to get a clearer sense of our people’s experiences here; these meetings will inform our second step, which is to recommend to the GB some concrete steps that we can take in order to live out our values of community, diversity, and mission.

We asked the members of this task force to introduce themselves and share what they would like to see happen through this task force.

Mitch KimSenior Pastor

My name is Mitch Kim, and I want our church to be a church where we can bring all of ourselves to church. My prayer is that all of us might reflect all of Christ in all of the world.

Felicia Bullockaka Storm

I am Felicia Bullock. I serve on this task force because I want to spur the church (ours and the church universal) to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed” Proverbs 31:8.

John Jacksonaka The Mandalorian

I am an old, white, male who has been on a journey of understanding race and justice. As an Elder at Wellspring I want our values of Community and Diversity for all members.

Joy Lee-Ryanaka Groot

I’m Joy Lee-Ryan. I believe caring for those marginalized and addressing racial injustice are part of how we are called to join in God’s work of restoration. I am serving on the race and justice task force to help catalyze our community in becoming more inclusive and mobilize for anti-racism work.

Kevin Hectoraka Ant-Man

I’m Kevin Hector. I want to serve on this task force for two reasons: on the one hand, because I care about justice (and believe that God does, too), and on the other, because I want to see more and more of God’s glory as it shines through my brothers and sisters. I hope, then, that we can become a church that more fully embodies God’s coming Kingdom, and that this task force can contribute something to the achievement of that hope.

Linda Ouryaka Yoda

I’m Linda Oury. I’m serving on this task force as a board member and because I want us to learn to truly live out our core values of Diversity and Community; they say “We love and honor one another in our differences” and “We can be real and belong together in Christ”. I will listen well and learn from other members of this task force and the congregants they represent so that 5 years into the merge we can all better live out these values to which we believe God has called us.

Stephen HongPastor of College & Young Adults

My name is Stephen (pronounced Stefen), and I have been married to my wife Micah (pronounced Mika) for 7 years. I grew up in South Korea, and my family immigrated to the States in my adolescence. Since then, it’s been a journey to embrace my ethnic identity as a Korean and American. As a 1.5 generation Korean American, I have a strong sense of seeing reconciliation and building bridges between cultures. I pray that I can relate and represent many of our Asian American brothers and sisters in our congregation.

Tim McClure

My name is Tim McClure. I am husband to Jennifer, father of 3 children and a retail executive, originally from St. Louis (go Cardinals!!). I’ve lived in Wheaton for 6 1/2 years and have been a member of Wellspring since June of 2017.
Why I joined the task force: I imagine a Wellspring community that is diverse in more than just numbers. I envision a Wellspring that promotes, elevates and celebrates the cultural and racial differences that are beautiful in God’s eyes. I wanted to be a part of the team leading our church family to this realization.