A newcomer to the religious scene in Holland, Pastor John Kim of Korea shares a common affinity with the city’s first pastor for daily prayer meetings.

Holland’s founder, the Rev. Albertus Van Raalte, observed how prayer meetings out of a Dutch reformed church started a nation-wide revival in the mid-1850s — and thanks to Kim, the idea is taking hold in Holland more than and a half later.

Beginning on January 1, Kim has held a 6 a.m. service each morning at Bethany Christian Reformed Church. It’s a practice that’s not unheard of in America, but is something that’s common among Christians in Korea.

Except that the Korean Chirstians meet even earlier — at 5 a.m., Kim said.
Attendee Marla Lindsay, who attends Bethany Church, said she thought Kim was kidding when he invited her to an early meeting. But she’s made it to almost every one of the meetings.

Six a.m. meetings are a tough sell, but Kim’s basic idea of daily prayer meetings has since taken root with a group of area pastors from various churches in the Holland area who are meeting together every day at noon during the 40-day season of Lent.

Following the Korean model, attendees sing hymns, read scripture, take turns praying for various matters of concern, and recite the Lord’s Prayer.