Now that I have officialy left UBF ministry, I aim to continue dialogues about many things, with those in UBF and those who have left, and with those who never heard of UBF.
Although I will do my best not to endlessly criticize UBF, I will not be silent. Over the past 6 months I have had numerous opportunities to negotiate a “cease-fire” or pact of silence. I could have an “agree to disagree” attitude, but I have refused. Today I share an example of someone who did sign a pact of silence with UBF.
Sometime before 1989, James Kim began speaking up about reform needs of UBF. In 2011, I see most of the same reform still needs to happen. Here is how his wife, Rebecca B. Kim, described his pact of silence. I have paraphrased some of this to remove the harsh words used (their full letters are preserved verbatim below).
The only [weapon] of M. James K. was the letter. He made many copies and mailed them out. He also gave it to Toledo shepherds. Once we were cut off, it was not easy to see them. But no one would be able to stop M. James K.
Through a mediator, M. Samuel Lee and M. James K. agreed to have a cease-fire. Before he went to Chicago UBF center to make a contract, he said to me, “…I will have the contract in writing signed by witnesses before God.” M. Samuel Lee’s request was for M. James K. to leave Toledo immediately and not to circulate the letter anymore. M. James K.’s request was to be sent to Houston as a director of Houston UBF, to have five American shepherds sent to Houston as pioneer coworkers, to receive financial support of $1,000 a month for two years.
The contract was typed on letter-sized paper, starting with words of praising God, signed by UBF board members before God as witnesses. He came home with the contract letter.
I was one of the American shepherds James Kim asked to go with him to Houston. Although I knew in my heart James Kim had been betrayed and was trustworthy, I refused because I was dealing with my father’s death at the time.
Here are the original open letters James and Rebecca Kim wrote later, around 2001. They are a total of 48 pages and filled with much passion. Yet they are also filled with many facts and brutal honesty before God. I preserve the letters here so that the voice of the late James Kim may continue to speak.