새생명교회 창립자이자 2009년 6월 28일에 은퇴하신 박원근 목사님은 고려대학교를 졸업하고, 교사로 봉직하였습니다. 이후 1968년 미국에 정착하여 시카고중앙교회 장로로 섬기다가 목회자 소명을 받아 Moody Bible Institute에서 신학을 공부한 후 Free Methodist Church에서 목사안수를 받았습니다. 시카고 부활자유감리교회에서 동역목회를 하였고, 1988년 새생명교회를 개척하여 2009년까지 시무하셨습니다.

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Pastor Wonkeun Park, the founding pastor of New Life Korean Church, retired from pastoral ministry on June 28, 2009. After graduating from Korea University, he worked as a teacher before moving to the United States in 1968. He served as an elder at Chicago Central Church until he received God’s call to pastoral ministry. He then studied theology at Moody Bible Institute and was ordained as a pastor in the Free Methodist Church. Pastor Park later served in pastoral ministry at Chicago Resurrection Free Methodist Church. In 1988, he planted New Life Korean Church and faithfully served as its pastor until his retirement in 2009.