The Rev. Eric Park, the senior pastor of First United Methodist Church, 215 N. McKean St., stands with some young members of a traditional Filipino dance troupe during his recent trip to the Philippines. He was there for the summer meeting of the General Board of Discipleship.

The Rev. Eric Park attended a conference this summer searching for a clearer picture of his church's vision and future.

What he found instead was a different view of faith itself.

Park, the senior pastor of First United Methodist Church, 215 N. McKean St., is a member of the General Board of Discipleship, a 23-person panel that decides on the curriculum and vision of the United Methodist Church worldwide.

The panel, comprised of pastors from Africa, Germany, the Philippines and the United States, had its summer meeting in the Philippines.

In his church office, where Star Wars and other superhero memorabilia is crowded among the popular fiction and more religious titles on the bookshelves, Park recalled his experience in the country, which he termed “meaningful.”

“It made me see church being church in a way that is different from the American way of being church,” said Park, who has been a pastor for 25 years.

In the face of what the minister called “unimaginable poverty,” all he saw was pure happiness.

“They come to worship with a joy that's not anything I've imagined,” he said of the Filipino people.

Park said in the United States we often are bounded by time constraints, even during worship. But in the Asian country the emphasis is on gratitude, family and community, with the church spearheading food distribution, as well as medical care and education.

“We can be a much stronger church together than apart,” said Park.

That sense of community and family extended to the members of the board during their time in the Philippines.

Park said he was pleasantly overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Filipino people and the “joy and eagerness” in which they offered to help.

“They made us their primary responsibility while we were there,” he said, mentioning many church members would inconvenience themselves to drive the visiting pastors to meetings and local points of interest.Park and the other members of the board also were able to get a sense of the culture and history of the country with local entertainment provided by church choirs and children's dance troupes.While the General Board of Discipleship usually meets in the United States, it moved the summer meeting to the Philippines for two reasons, Park said.Two of the members of the board are Filipino, and the Global Young People's Convocation, which the board supports and underwrites, was in Manila during the same time. The convocation brings together young adults from around the world for worship, spiritual formation and friendship-building, Park said.The board has four objectives at the quarterly meetings, according to Park.“Where are we meeting the needs of people best; where are we missing the mark; what might God be calling us to do; and how might God be calling us to expand our ministry,” he said.Park has been at the Butler church for nearly a year and said it has been a wonderful year of settling in and getting to know the congregation.“I feel really blessed,” he said. “The congregation is by far the most mission-minded and mission-hearted.”Lisa Gill, who oversees the mission team at the church, said she feels the pastor's trip is a good example for the members of the congregation.“Personally, I think it's amazing that our pastor took time to do that because he cares about the advancement of the church (around the world),” she said.Christine O'Brien, executive director of the church, said the congregation fully supports Park's work with the General Board of Discipleship.O'Brien said it is a “huge honor” for the pastor.

Rev. Eric Park