Meet Board Member Bryan Choe!
Reverend Bryan Choe, who pastors Atlanta Promise Church, joined our board this year. Read our Q&A with him to learn more about him, his heart for the community and his family.
CFNEG: Why is being involved in the community important to you?
Bryan: God’s mandate for His people, Christians, is twofold: (1) Love God and (2) Love others. As a Christian I take God’s mandate seriously; and being involved in the community and giving back is an indispensable component of fulfilling the second half of the mandate, “love others”. The Community Foundation provides a practical and concrete portal through which to love my neighbors.
CFNEG: What do you want people to know about the Community Foundation?
Bryan: I am impressed by the breadth and width of Community Foundation’s knowledge and commitment to improve the lives of people in Northeast Georgia. The greatest asset of Community Foundation is its people, i.e. staff, volunteers, fundholders and its network of professional advisors. I really appreciate how Community Foundation’s approach is “relational” as opposed to “transactional”. It really does feel like a community, a family.
CFNEG: What do you hope to accomplish as a board member?
Bryan: First and foremost, I hope to learn as much as I can from the wealth of knowledge and expertise of the Community Foundation. I intend to make this learning process a very hands on, on-the-job experience by exploring and eventually getting plugged into an area of service where I can utilize my skills and passion. One specific thing I would like to accomplish as a board member is to introduce and promote the mission of the Community Foundation to the Korean-American community in the greater Atlanta area.
CFNEG: What other causes/organizations are you passionate about?
Bryan: I care deeply about Christian mission work around the globe. I organize and lead short-term mission trips to countries like Haiti and Myanmar.
CFNEG: What do you enjoy about your career?
Bryan: I enjoy studying and teaching the Bible, which I believe provides a roadmap for life. I love and appreciate the fact that, as a full-time pastor, I can spend hours at my desk reading, researching and writing. It’s like writing a college research paper every week but only on the topics I truly care about, and there’s no tuition!
CFNEG: Tell us about your family.
Bryan: I am married to my wife of 20 years, Miriam, whose “perfect imperfections” I love (a la John Legend). Together we have three children. Grace is in her second year at Augusta University. Isaac is a senior at Lambert High School on his way to the University of Richmond in the fall. Kristin, the joy of my life, is a sophomore at Lambert High School, who keeps insisting that she needs to go live in London. And the latest addition to our family is Emma, a two-year-old mini Goldendoodle. I am a happy dog owner, whose only regret is not becoming one sooner.
CFNEG: Any hobbies you enjoy?
Bryan: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports, NBC Sports Network… Need I say more?
CFNEG: One positive thing you’ve realized from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Bryan: The pandemic has reaffirmed the strength and beauty of the family/community. We are stronger and far more resilient when we are in a community.