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St Timothy Presbyterian Church
Vibrant church in Etobicoke, Toronto with roots in the Korean immigrant community.
Praise Team
The praise team is made up of the various talented musicians in the St.Tim’s community. The team leads the St. Tim’s congregation in praise every Sunday during worship.
Members
Jonathan Cho - Praise Team Leader, Vocalist, Guitarist
I started serving in praise ministry when I started coming to the church in grade 8. I started by playing piano on the Hi-C team and then learned how to play bass shortly after. After graduating from the Hi-C team, I joined the ESM team as the bassist and then learned how to play guitar when I was asked to lead in my early 20’s alongside Josh. It’s been over 22 years and I still feel blessed to be able to lead our congregation in praise today!
It was a great way for me to continue practicing music, once I had stopped training classically. Through praise, I also learned how to read music differently, got to explore more creative playing, and develop skills on learning how to play/sing with other members as part of a unified team. I also got to explore and learn how to play new instruments like bass, guitar, and some drums. Most of all, it was the most intimate way for me to connect with God. It allowed my to give praise and prayer in the form I was most comfortable with. I knew that others might feel the same way and to be able to help others discover and engage in connecting with God through praise was a blessing and calling. So, rather than me choosing to serve, God called me to serve. Luckily it’s serving in a way that I truly enjoy and love.
Being a member on the praise team gives me the chance to do something that I love to do but with a higher purpose. I love playing music and I love the praise music genre. To be able to play an instrument and sing, alongside a team, and produce music which can help others give praise to God, is one of my favourite things about being part of the team. Being on the team also gave me the opportunity to develop deep relationships with other members and has given me the chance to play on other teams, for other special events and at different places. Being able to give, lead, and share in praise with our St. Tim’s community is a blessing and certainly one of my favourite parts of any worship we give to God.
Josh Kim - Praise Team Leader, Vocalist, Guitarist
Hard to say when I actually joined the praise team - as long as I can remember I've always served in worship in some shape or form. Even in elementary when Ji-sook would invite kids up to sing I would always be one of the first to volunteer. That passion quickly transitioned to Hi-C where I was a worship leader from grade 9 and then naturally started to lead worship for the ESM congregation once I went to university and have been doing it ever since. I guess that's....30+ years now?
Music has always been a big part of my life, of course, thanks to the influence of my parents. They would tell me I had a natural talent and I always interpreted that as a gift from God. Music is an outlet for my deepest inner thoughts & feelings and has always felt like the most natural way for me to express my love for God. I was, and still am, convinced that God has gifted me with my talents so I can serve and hopefully bring people closer to God through the gift of music.
In full transparency, it hasn't always been easy being a praise leader. There have been moments where it's been challenging to find the motivation to continue on but it's always the people in our church community that keep me inspired. Hearing about how sometimes the simplest of songs or the plainest of melodies have allowed individuals to prepare their hearts for the sermon is what keeps me motivated and also where I find the most gratification from serving on the praise team.
Stephanie Cho - Bassist
I believe I officially joined the ESM praise team in 2010. I chose and continue to choose to serve on the praise team because I always loved to worship through music. I grew up with music and always found peace, joy, love, and comfort through it. I wanted to be a part of a team who felt the same way that I do, so that we can share our love of worship through music with the rest of our community
My favourite part of being on the praise team is the team itself! Some of us have been playing and listening to music together for years (like A LOT of years...), and the growth that has flourished from each of us as individuals, as well as a team is unbelievable. The commitment, talent, and teachings from our leaders Josh K & Jonathan C really bring a consistent balance and motivation to our group. Most importantly, they are always there to remind us that our team’s goal is not to be flawless, but it is truly to pour our hearts out through music and lead our congregation in praise as we worship God.
Jonathan Rho
I joined the praise team when Jonathan Chung was graduating out of Hi-C and passed the torch down to me!
It's a little embarrassing to say but I joined the praise team so I can have a
group to fit in and comfortably stay in. Although, it wasn't until a couple
weeks afterwards I began to recognize praise as a way not only for me to
belong, but the whole community together as one.
group to fit in and comfortably stay in. Although, it wasn't until a couple
weeks afterwards I began to recognize praise as a way not only for me to
belong, but the whole community together as one.
My favourite part of being a part of the praise team is that I got to play the piano! It was also nice to be fulfilling such an important role next to all the other talented people next to me at that time.
Psalms of Devotion
Lately, to help our congregation to praise from home, our praise team leaders Josh Kim and Jonathan Cho have been reflecting on the scripture passage sending out weekly reflections and playlists in a series called Psalms of Devotion. To see this series click on the button below!
