Dr. Kim Si Young, the former president of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) of Seventh-day Adventists who is now a professor in the Applied Theology Department of the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS), has launched a bread-distribution outreach ministry from the AIIAS campus.

Bethlehem Bakery is a community service project by the AIIAS Applied Theology Department. It opened on August 21, 2023, during the commencement of Mission Emphasis Week, an annual week-long, spiritually enriching event at AIIAS that focuses on people dedicating their hearts to active participation in hands-on missions. “Through this service, we let people know Jesus, the Bread of Life, born in Bethlehem,” Dr. Young said.

AIIAS allocated a gymnasium room that then turned into a mini-bakery for bread production. Bethlehem Bakery has received significant financial support to purchase the needed equipment, thanks to several generous church members in South Korea. AIIAS faculty and students joined in bread preparation with the ultimate goal of lending a helping hand. The bread is baked once a week and then distributed to communities living in the local areas.

Dr. Young was driven to help families in need residing around the AIIAS campus. “We thought it would be good to make a bridge between AIIAS and the surrounding community, so it would be nice to become AIIAS with local residents. It is a little part of community service,” he says.

Ricardo Gonzalez, AIIAS Seminary dean, shares, “On behalf of the AIIAS Seminary, I thank Dr. Kim Si Young and his team for leading this initiative that connects our institution with the surrounding community. ‘Bethlehem Bakery Ministry’ is a dream made real through the collaboration of AIIAS faculty and students. Through it, our community of students, faculty, and members of the AIIAS church will have the opportunity to work together to serve some of the most disadvantaged and concretely demonstrate Jesus as the true Bread of Life.”

“The Bethlehem Bakery is a unique and impactful ministry that provides free bread to those in need,” said Pastor Prakash Jacob, a PhD in Religion student and chaplain of AIIAS. “By serving the community in and around AIIAS, it serves as a tangible representation of Jesus’ compassion for the hungry.”

“We trust that this will be a blessing to our community. I can testify that the bread tastes very good!” exclaims Ginger Ketting-Weller, AIIAS president and one of the first individuals who tasted the baked goods. “Many thanks to our brothers and sisters in South Korea for supporting this ministry from afar. What generous hearts!”

“This ministry has the potential to forge crucial community connections, a tangible manifestation of Christ’s method for reaching people, as articulated in The Ministry of Healing,” says Pastor Wilbert Lamanilao, an MA in Church Ministry student who helps prepare and distribute the bread. “The Bethlehem Bakery ministry exemplifies our power to make a difference, and I continue to support it passionately. Join me in this transformative journey; together, we can profoundly impact our community.”

“Ellen G White wrote, ‘through His people today God desires to bring blessings to the world’ [Testimony Treasures, vol. 2, p. 484],” says Dr. Young as he invites anyone willing to participate in the project. “Come, and let’s work together. How good would it be to become a channel that shares the blessings of heaven?”

The invitation is open to anyone willing to give a hand and participate in community service. If you are moved to support and get involved in this ministry, please contact Dr. Kim Si Young at [email protected] or Pastor Wilbert Lamanilao at [email protected].

The original version of this story was published on the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) website.