The Korean Presbyterian Church of Ventura County is a faded, slightly scruffy old mansion at the corner of 6th and F streets near downtown Oxnard.
Inside, the building seems to list like a ship taking on water. Floors tilt abruptly. Bare bulbs swing from aging fixtures. And narrow corridors lead to hidden alcoves.
But every Sunday the 100-year-old house jolts to life.
Young people huddle in back rooms chatting while children scream and play outside. Women busy themselves in the kitchen shredding cabbage and boiling rice. In all the bustle, Korean and English blend seamlessly.
For this county's small Korean community, the church is more than a place to worship; it's a second home, an outpost of culture, tradition and stability in an often alien land. Inside, young people bow to their elders, Korean is spoken, gossip is exchanged and couples meet and get married.
"The church is very important here, a lot of people feel isolated from the mainstream because of cultural barriers," said June Lee, 29, who has attended the church for more than 20 years. "We want our daughter to know who she is and to speak her language. We want her to understand her grandmother and grandfather."
John Myoung, 16, moved to Oxnard four years ago from Bellflower, which has a much larger Korean population. His family immediately sought out a Korean church.
"At first I kind of felt left out," he said. "I am slowly getting to know other ethnic groups, but I feel more comfortable in a Korean church."
Immigrants Quick to Establish Churches
Wherever Korean immigrants have gone, churches have followed.
There are 3,000 Korean churches nationwide, with about 40% of them in Southern California, experts say. They range from storefront parishes to mega-churches--one in Torrance has 5,000 members. Los Angeles has about 800 Korean churches while Ventura County, with just 3,300 Koreans scattered from Oxnard to Thousand Oaks, has 12.
"Churches have been at the center of [immigrant] Korean society since Day 1," said UCLA professor Timothy Lee, an expert on Korean Christianity. "Wherever there are 50 Koreans you will likely find a church."
The Rev. Samuel Kim oversees Oxnard's Korean Presbyterian Church, which was founded in 1978 and is one of the oldest in Ventura County.
Every Sunday, he stands surrounded by bouquets of red flowers, preaching to a congregation that includes everyone from elderly women in traditional gowns to young men in shaggy hair and sharp suits.
