Great Light Mission Disciplemaking Community
Joseph and Hannah Baek are spearheading the Great Light Mission
Disciplemaking Community (DMC)
Can you tell me about your first encounter with the Navigators?
Joseph
In 1985, while working at Hanjin Shipyard in Korea, a colleague invited me to attend the Korea Navigators Discipleship Conference at a prayer mountain near Busan. The conference was held during the Harvest Moon Festival holiday (known as Chuseok in Korea), which drew a crowd of about 500 young people.
What struck me the most was the excitement of the group of young people. They had chosen to give up their holiday to be at the conference, which made me wonder, "Why?" I thought that there must be something special about the Navigators that attracted them, since it was not common for people to attend any conference during a major holiday season.
The conference was different from the usual Christian conferences as it had sessions for Quiet Time and Scripture Memory etc.
After the conference, in 1985, I decided to attend the Busan Navigators Bible Study to learn more about the Bible and its teachings. During one of the sessions, where we went through the Studies in Christian Living Book 1, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.
Hannah
When I was working as a nurse in the Middle East, I met the Navigators at a Bible Study meeting led by a nurse who was a Navigator. I was an atheist at that time, but as I continued attending the Bible Study Fellowship, my interest in the Word grew. Eventually, in 1981, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Through prayer and studying the Word, my life was slowly transformed. Even after returning to Busan, Korea, I continued to join the Bible Study Fellowship regularly.
How has the Navigators made a difference in your life?
Joseph
My lifestyle was completely changed through the 3-year Apartment Training with my Team leader and brothers.
For example, we would gather early in the morning for our Quiet Time with God, where we would share what God has spoken to us individually. I also learned what it means to be a servant of God by serving others around the house in various ways, including cooking and housekeeping. We also made it a habit to evangelise to others whenever and wherever an opportunity arose.
Thanks to John Byun’s (former Busan Navigators Director) Message, Lee Soon Jin’s (a former missionary and Busan Navigators Director) challenge and support as well as several years of disciplemaking training, my life purpose and vision underwent a significant transformation. I made a commitment to live for Jesus and fulfil His Great Commission.
Hannah
After accepting Christ through a Navigator-led Bible Study, my mindset shifted from negative to positive. My values became more centred around God. Prior to this, my focus was on being served by others, but through the Navigators’ discipleship training, I learned how to serve others. My life became more dynamic and vibrant through the vision of man-to-man and multiplication.
What brought you to work and live in Singapore?
Joseph:
After praying for 5 years to become a cross-cultural missionary, God opened the door for me to work as a Ship Repair Manager at Singapore’s Sembawang Shipyard in 1993.
The Busan Navigator Leadership sent me to Singapore to learn the local culture and language, and Wong Kim Tok, former National Director of The Navigators Singapore, graciously welcomed my family into the Singapore Navigators family.
After working at Sembawang Shipyard for 3 years, I started my own business (GLM Marine) in 1997 with the intention of becoming a Tentmaker (combining mission and business) in a Southeast Asian country. Although I was not able to fully realise this plan, we continued to live as Tentmakers by God’s grace and blessings, with the help and love of the former National Director of the Singapore Navigators, Thomas Chua.
What is your community ministry about?
Our ministry focuses on holistic or whole-life discipleship.
It is not just about conducting Bible Studies or teaching the Word of God, but it is also a personal, man-to-man, and family-to-family ministry, where we help each other in areas such as marriage, work, parenting, finances, and character development. We are bonded not by knowledge, but by serving each other with love through life’s challenges.
Currently, we are helping two couples work through their marriage relational problems by being an example of love and patience, and through the power of prayer. By God’s grace, their relationships have improved.
We are also guiding one of our disciples to start a new business — a Korean Red Ginseng Business. This involves connecting him with suppliers, buyers and financing support, as well as coaching him on how to start and operate a company.
Our ministry is also a work and business ministry where we journey alongside others in their careers, businesses, relationship networking etc.
Bible Study cum Birthday Party with my Great Light Mission team at home
Can you tell me about some personal stories or experiences from your disciplemaking community that have had an impact on individuals?
In 2019, while staying at my condominium, I shared the gospel with Allen, a Singapore PR who was the Condominium Facility Manager. Initially, he expressed that he was not yet ready to accept Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.
However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he told me that he had accepted Christ while undergoing quarantine at one of the hotels in Singapore. I met up with him to encourage him, and together we embarked on a Bible Study journey using the Studies for Christian Living series. Even after he returned to his home country, I continued to support and help him via SMS.
Three years ago, I handed over my 20-year-old business to one of my disciples. I coached him on how to run the company for God's glory, how to conduct business with faith, and how to influence others for Christ by sharing the gospel with people we encounter in the workplace.
What is your mission or vision for the Great Light Mission Disciplemaking Community?
Our Team Promise is “Rise up and Shine His Glory! (Isaiah 60:1)”
We thank God for His love and grace for us to be a part of The Navigators Singapore family for the past 30 years.
Indeed, we need to rise and shine His glory by sharing the gospel through our daily lives — by living among the lost at our workplaces and in our community.
We can be the salt and light of the world for Christ by living a righteous life and running our business in a manner that reflects our faith — striving for excellence, demonstrating responsibility, honesty and humility in all aspects of our operations.
Work is holy. Work is ministry.
Lunar New Year Conference at Palm Resort
About Joseph and Hannah
Joseph and Hannah are the leaders of the Great Light Mission Disciplemaking Community. They tied the knot in Busan, Korea in 1987. They are proud parents of two wonderful adult daughters who live and work in Singapore.
In 1993, Joseph secured a job as a Repair Manager at Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore and relocated his family there. He subsequently established his own ship repair and equipment supply company, GLM Marine and Offshore Pte Ltd, in 1997, which they continue to operate to this day.