Meet Eric Hong (Elder Candidate)
Up Close and Personal | Elder Candidate: Eric Hong
Born – March 8, 1979
Family - Married to wife, Jihye, on June 22, 2007. Our children are: Eu-Jin (2008), June (2012), Luke (2014), and Samuel (2015).
Education: BA in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington.
Employment: I worked for Boeing in Everett for 15 years and have worked for Blue Origin, in Kent, since 2019.
Testimony and Church Life: I was born and raised in a religious family. I was taught about God, but I never experienced a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as my Savior until I met Tom Lathrop at Christ’s Church. I came to believe how Jesus died for my sins in my place on the cross and rose again to give me a new life with Him. I was baptized in 2000. Since then, I have served in the Korean Ministry as Tom’s interpreter and led Life Groups. Jihye and I have served/are serving in Life Groups and in some other capacities at Christ’s Church. Our children are exposed to the story and power of the Gospel from the Children’s Ministry, the Student Ministry, and AWANA.
Interests: I enjoy time with my kids; watching and playing sports such as soccer, basketball, swimming, Jokgu; playing card/board games; watching movies; and playing with anything remote-controlled. I also enjoy learning about photography and apologetics. Jihye and I love nature, especially around water, enjoying the view and the breeze with bubble teas in our hands.
Ministry Passions: Family-raising, disciple-making, and heart-to-heart moments with children, seniors, the ill, and immigrants. I believe that it has a lot to do with the fact that I am a Korean immigrant and have dealt with epilepsy since I was a boy.
Pet Peeve: People with an entitlement mindset.
Some Favorites:
Book(s): Facedown by Matt Redman, and Hydraulic Control Systems by Merritt (yes…)
Sports Team(s): I follow players such as Steph Curry, Messi, Son Heung Min, etc.
Food(s): Jihye’s curry, sashimi, and bubble tea
Northwest Get-away: Any sandy and relatively secluded beaches
Local Restaurant: Koharu and H-Mart Food Court like Man Ri Hyang
Music: In Christ Alone, I AM, The Lord is my Shepherd, and some classics
Movie(s): Nothing particular
From the Elders:
We are excited to introduce Eric Hong as a new candidate to join our elder team. Eric and his wife (Jihye) and kids (Eu-Jin, June, Luke, Samuel) have been part of our church family since 2000 and officially partnered with us as members in May 2004.
Eric has a great love for the Lord, His church, the gospel and God’s Word. He has also demonstrated a great heart in shepherding God’s people through his long-term service with the Korean ministry, leading his Life Group and being a Life Group coach (oversees several group leaders).
Eric currently works as a Senior Avionics Engineer at Blue Origin. Jihye is a stay-at-home mother and has served alongside Eric in the Korean and Life Group ministries. We are blessed to have Eric’s parents, Sung W. and Kyung Hye (Kay) Hong, serving in our church family since 2000 as well.
Here is our elder onboarding process:
Presentation: On Sunday, July 11, Eric will be presented to Christ’s Church for examination. The church family is given two weeks to ask questions and communicate any just cause (biblical, ethical, moral) that could reveal why Eric would not be qualified to serve as an elder. If anyone has a disqualifying allegation, they must first present this to the prospective elder (in keeping with Matthew 18:15) and then submit their concern in written form (with signature) to Christ’s Church (ATTN: Chairman of the Elders) in order to be properly addressed.
“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. Matthew 18:15Confirmation: Sunday, July 25, will be the day of affirmation and confirmation for Eric if no outstanding disqualifiers have been submitted and substantiated.
Ordination: Sunday, August 15, is designated as a special time to officially recognize, commission, and ordain Eric as an elder of Christ’s Church, during both morning services.