Our Team

Rev. Dr. Hyuk Seonwoo, a United Methodist Elder, joined St. James United Methodist Church in July 2025. Before being appointed to St. James, Pastor Hyuk served at Zion Korean-Intercultural UMC in Rhode Island for 18 years, at the United Methodist Church of Martha's Vineyard for 4 years, and at Swift Memorial UMC on the Upper Cape for two years. During his time in Rhode Island, he had the privilege of serving as vice president and board member of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, joining hands across denominations, cultures, and traditions - especially in prayer and action - to pursue a shared vision of hope and healing aligned with God's call for love and justice.

Pastor Hyuk is also one of the program leaders at Rolling Ridge Retreat & Conference Center in North Andover, Massachusetts. He serves as a certified spiritual director and leads the Tai Chi Day Apart retreat during the Lenten season. As a longtime practitioner of Yang-style Tai Chi, Pastor Hyuk is currently a teacher-in-training at the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center, founded by Peter Wayne, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Pastor Hyuk has published multiple Tai Chi-related articles and has contributed to discussions on embodied spirituality and worship.

Born in Seooul, South Korea, he graduated from the Methodist Theological Seminary, a school founded by Henry G. Appenzeller, the pioneering Methodist missionary. He also earned degrees from Boston University School of Theology (M.Div), Harvard Divinity School (Th.M), and the Graduate Division of Religion at Drew University (Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies).

Pastor Hyuk and his wife, Younglang, have two sons. The whole family is beginning to explore New Hampshire. In his first letter to the St. James congregation, Pastor Hyuk shared, "At St. James, I believe we will continue to hear God's voice gently reaching out with a tender whisper: "Shall we dance?" I invite each of us to respond with open hearts and joyful spirits to this sacred dance. So shall we dance in the boundless love and grace of God?"

All are warmly invited to join in!