2000s - I Never Thought I'd Be a Pastor by Kevin Kusunoki

“I was very average. I told my Mom, you just gotta expect this is what I am. I’m a B student,” quips Kevin Kusunoki ’08. In high school, Kevin was a social butterfly and a good kid who was heavily involved with after-school activities. He was part of HKIS’s High School Christian Club FISH (Fellowship Is Shared Here), which still exists today, though the meeting space, Kevin was happy to hear, is no longer the cramped “closet”, as they affectionately (we hope) called it.

These days, Kevin exceeds expectations in his career, playing down his semi-rock star status as the Pastor of Young Adult Ministry at Island Evangelical Community Church (known to parishioners as Island ECC), one of the largest English-speaking churches in Hong Kong. He leads a ministry called Shift, specifically for this demographic, and his powerful, thought-provoking sermons hit home for these 20- and 30-somethings living and working in Hong Kong.

His vision is to help people in this major stage of transition in their life. “Young adults are at a stage where we have to make decisions like where to work, what job to take, what person to date – and these have far-reaching effects. [I’m] trying to help people not only make good decisions, but utilize this stage of life to really be mobilized for the Gospel.”

Kevin also sees that certain cultures in Hong Kong need to shift – work-life balance and mental health are aspects of Hong Kong life and culture that he says are not healthy even from a secular point of view. “And how much can the Gospel speak into those cultures? I think a lot. So that’s my hope.”

When reflecting on what former classmates would make of his career path, he pauses. “I think my alumni friends are kind of shocked. It’s not common to have an alum from HKIS go into ministry,” Kusunoki says. When asked about the school’s mission statement around being “grounded in the Christian faith and respectful of the spiritual lives of all”, Kevin looks back on his journey through Middle and High School. “I think there was enough space for someone like me who was interested in spiritual life to flourish in it. It wasn’t pushed, so I don’t think my friends would say we went to a Christian school. They would say we went to HKIS, an international school.”

This powerful and compelling statement about the school’s Christian identity is drawn from its mission statement and rooted in the school’s founding history. Prospective parents and teachers often cite the school’s Christian ethos as a reason for selecting the school. But, is HKIS a Christian school? Does this manifest in the daily lives of HKIS students?

These were questions raised and discussed at the inaugural GIFTS conference on November 20, organized by Jason Weber ‘97, the school’s religious education coordinator. GIFTS represents the topics discussed at the conference: Grounding, Identity, Fellowship, Theology, and Spirituality. HKIS is “Grounded in the Christian faith,” but is that the same as being a “Christian school”? What are the nuances around this? What does it mean to be grounded in something? Is faith built through relationships or through curriculum? Should we celebrate Halloween? What is meditation and is this a Christian practice? How do we operate in a pluralistic society?