This site is a tribute to Myung Jae Lee. He is much loved and will always be remembered.
To honor and leave a lasting legacy of our beloved minister and father, we have created the Rev. Myung Jae Lee Preaching Mission Fund at the Yebon Korean Christian Reformed Church, which he started more than 50 years ago. The Church has agreed to invest this fund and to use a portion each year to support the annual preaching mission. If you are interested in contributing to this lasting cause, please send your donation to --
Yebon Korean Christian Reformed Church
c/o Mr. Brian Seo
850 Jenkins Ct.
Wheeling, IL 60092
(please indicate that the donation is for the Rev. Myung Jae Lee Preaching Mission Fund)
Rev. Myung Jae Lee (10/8/1921 - 3/12/2020) was a man of faith and he was welcomed to heaven by Jesus, his wife, two daughters, two sons-in-law, and many other saints. He is survived by five children, nineteen grandchildren, and twenty-six great grandchildren.
He was a lifelong learner and a servant of Jesus Christ. After graduating from business school in Japan in 1942, he began veterinary school in Tokyo but had to return to Korea in 1944 due to WWII. He graduated from the Koryu Seminary in 1951, from the Busan Calvin College in 1957, and from the Kookhak University in 1958. He left Seoul in 1962 and came to America to study, eventually bringing his wife and seven children to America as well. He graduated from the Faith Seminary graduate school in 1965, and attended the Concordia Seminary and the Northern Baptist Seminary about two years each. He received his PhD degree in Christian Ministry from the Faith Seminary in 1982, and in Christian Education in 1984.
He served many churches from 1951 to 1992, including the Yebon Christian Reformed Church he started in Chicago in 1967. He worked the night shift at a factory because the church could not afford the pay to him then. He dedicated the rest of his daytime hours to tirelessly advocating for new immigrants and helping them find jobs and apartments, get a driver license, and apply for a green card. After retirement, he served as an interim pastor in Greensboro, NC, and in Arizona. He published many books of his sermons.
When his wife's health declined and she had to be admitted to a nursing home in 2008, he was in good health and still driving his car, but he voluntarily decided to accompany her. He said that since she took care of his children without him for seven years while he was in America studying, it was his turn to take care of her at least for seven years. He tenderly cared for her for the six years she lived in the nursing home. He preached up to three times a week at the nursing home for twelve years, up until two weeks prior to his passing.
His favorite Scripture verse he lived by every day was from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
Help grow Myung Jae's Tribute by adding messages or memories you'd like to share.