A Professor (Dr. Gary Parrett) and an alumnus (Pastor Kyu Bum “Kenny” Ye ’01 MDIV) were involved in a bus accident in South Korea last week.

The BBC Korea Bureau reported that a bus had fallen from a bridge near the main international airport serving the South Korean capital Seoul, killing 12 passengers. Another 12 passengers were injured when the bus fell about 10m (30ft) from the bridge onto a construction site below.

The bus had just left Songdo district in Incheon City for Incheon international airport, some 20km away. Some reports said the bus was trying to avoid a parked car when it struck a guard rail and fell. The bridge links Incheon with the airport, which is 70km west of Seoul, on Yeongjong island.

It is with great sadness that the GCTS Alumni office reports that Pastor Ye, one of the originally reported injured passengers, passed away as a result of the accident, and Dr. Parrett sustained multiple injuries. A recent Facebook post via Alyssa, his daughter] reports that Dr. Parrett has been transferred safely to his new hospital in Seoul. He has been evaluated by doctors there and his prognosis is better than previously thought. Although he is still unconscious, his vital signs are currently stable and the bleeding in his brain seems to have stopped.

Pastor Ye recently became an assistant pastor at Highrock Church in Arlington, MA.
Highrock is a young (est. 1999) seeker-friendly, multi-ethnic church that joined the Evangelical Covenant denomination in 2003. David Swain, an Anglo is lead pastor, but is supported on with ethic staff of Hispanic, Korean, and Chinese backgrounds. Pastor Ye had been thrilled to be called to join this staff.

A memorial service for Pastor Ye was held on July 10th at Bethel Church in Ellicott City, MD. A Boston-area memorial service will be held on July 17th at the Korean Church of Boston in Brookline, MA.

Dr. Parrett is Professor of Educational Ministries and Worship, having served at GCTS since 1998. He holds B.A. (Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary), M.Div. (Regent College) Ed.D. (Columbia University) degrees. Prior to coming to Gordon-Conwell, he taught in the areas of Youth Ministries and Biblical Studies at nearby Gordon College for two years.

In addition to his work as a professor, Gary has some twenty years of experience in pastoral ministry, having served churches in Boston, New York City, New Jersey, Seattle and Seoul, Korea. Gary and his wife, Holly, live in Wenham, MA. Their daughter, Alisa, is currently a university student. The Parrett’s have worshiped and served at Highrock Covenant Church in Arlington, MA since 2003.

The family of Dr. Parrett has set up a website to provide more information about his condition and progress.[Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]

Also, in light of the significant expenses that will be incurred over the upcoming months, the seminary has set up a special fund for the Parrett family. Contact [email protected] for details.