Rev. Yohan Go
About
Rev. Dr. Yohan Go, PhD, born in Korea, was raised in a Christian family. As the child of a pastor, Christian faith and the church has always been an integral part of his life. Just like most believers, he also had a time of spiritual wandering and struggle through which he has realized that God had never ceased to love him even during the time of his doubts and anger toward God. With God’s grace, Rev. Go continued his spiritual journey. He earned the Bachelor of Theology (B. Th.) and Master of Theology (Th. M.) degree in Methodist Theological University, Seoul, Korea. He moved to the United States in 2008 and continued his theological study. He received the Master of Divinity (M. Div.) degree from Candler School of Theology, Emory University. In 2022 he completed the Ph. D. program in homiletics at Boston University School of Theology. In 2007, Rev. Go married Juhee Lee, who serves as Pastor of Haven United Methodist Church in East Providence, RI. Rev. Go and Pastor Lee love walking, hiking, and traveling. While Rev. Go likes to go hiking on mountains, he is also eager to learn new things like fishing. Rev. Go is excited about his ministry at Asbury UMC which began in 2019 and expects to continue to learn from the faithful people of God at Asbury and grow together during this spiritual journey.
Our History
The Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church was organized March 25, 1930, by the Rev. Francis H. Spear, its first pastor. It began with 34 members, and its first meeting was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Morrill. At this meeting, it was decided that the Charter Membership List would remain open until the cornerstone of the church was laid. The church continued to meet at various members' homes as often as possible.
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In the fall of 1930, Rev. Spear heard of the disbanding of the Asbury Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church in Providence. He explored the possibility of relocating this church to a site on the Gaspee Plateau, where land was being allocated to denominations looking to locate in the area. The Providence church would accomplish this by appropriating funds for a house of worship, which would then take the name of Asbury.
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The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church was held on June 25, 1932. The first shovel of dirt was thrown by Rev. Spear in the presence of the church members. The laying of the cornerstone occurred on September 11, 1932. The honor of laying this stone was conferred on the Rev. John W. Hamilton of Washington D.C., a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The construction of the building began shortly after.
The first service held at the new Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church was on Sunday, February 5, 1933, in the Social Hall. All services were held on that lower floor until the completion of the sanctuary. The first communion Service was held two weeks later on February 19, 1933. Church membership at this time had risen to 138; church school membership was 103.
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It took 9 years to raise enough money to finish construction of the sanctuary. The dedication service took place on May 26, 1940. All who took part in the ceremony felt a real glow of pride and sense of achievement.
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In 1943, the Sunday School rooms were finished by the Asbury Men's Club. Then, in 1947, the Asbury Church Building was finally complete. At this time, the Rev. Francis Spear Memorial Room was finished. A service of dedication was held on December 21, 1947.
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Asbury celebrated its 20th anniversary on March 25, 1950. This was a proud occasion for the church community; church membership stood at 331. In 1976, the church's organ was installed.