Alaska

Pastor Joonho and his wife Heea Chang have been serving at Kake Memorial Presbyterian Church on the remote island of Kake, Alaska since 2011. They have two daughters, named Maria and Lydia.

For the first 7 years, Joey worked full time as a maintenance mechanic at the local school while simultaneously serving as a pastor. However, in 2019, God called him to be a full-time missionary through The Antioch Partners. Kake is a unique place with a majority of the population being Native Americans who have lived there for hundreds of years.

This community of 550 people faces many challenges, including high-cost living, isolation, depression, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Joey and Heea are especially burdened by the passing of people who died without having salvation in Jesus.

Joey started a soup kitchen called “Peace of Kake”, which serves lunch to the entire community every Friday, providing not only a delicious meal but also devotions and fellowship.

They are currently building a community food pantry to help address the soaring food costs for already challenged residents. The food pantry will also house Kake Community Cafe, which will serve as a gathering place for fellowship.