Our History

EM HISTORY-- KPCNJ - "Korean Presbyterian Church of New Jersey" (now, PCNJ) was founded on August 13, 1972, in Palisades Park, NJ, by Reverend Samuel Chang-kil Kim. With a congregation comprised primarily of Korean immigrants, PCNJ established roots in the spiritual and community fabric of Palisades Park, Bergen County, and New Jersey. Eventually, PCNJ's youth and young adult membership flourished, resulting in a greater need for and the establishment of a ministry contextualized for our second-generation Korean-Americans. The formation of a Sunday School program and Junior and Senior High Youth Groups helped meet this need through age-appropriate worship services, Bible studies, retreats, local and overseas outreaches, and weekly fellowship activities.

A steadily and rapidly increasing number of second-generation Korean Americans and their peers prompted PCNJ to establish an adult English Ministry. On September 1, 1994, Rev. Danny Han was called to serve as PCNJ's English Ministry and Youth Pastor. Rev. Han envisioned and established JOY Christian Fellowship as PCNJ's new English Ministry. Five years later, on October 31, 1999, with the full blessing and support of Rev. Kim, JOY was established as an independent, second-generation Korean-American / Asian-American church. On August 5, 2001, Rev. Stephen Kim was called as the new EM Pastor. Rev. Stephen Kim served the EM for 9 years until January 2010. In April 2010, Rev. Paul Jang was called as EM Pastor after serving in the Youth Group for 6 years and in Christian Education for 2 years. A year later, in June 2011, with the opening of PCNJ's newly constructed Oakland campus facilities, PCNJ EM (English Ministry) left its historical home at the Palisades Park campus and joined and supported the larger PCNJ congregation at the Oakland site. Beginning in January 2013, Rev. Jang and members of PCNJ EM began meeting weekly to envision, plan, and pray through the launch of a new second worship service at its former Palisades Park campus. Rev. Jang felt strongly that God was calling the EM into a new season of spiritual rejuvenation, desire, and deepening. This time of self-reflection and prayer resulted in the commissioning of a new name for the EM: Restore Fellowship. Restore Fellowship started a second worship service in June 2023 at the Palisades Park Campus.