In Los Angeles, there is no shortage of Korean pastors, many of whom are actively involved in volunteer work. But even among this altruistic crowd, the Rev. Joe Hyun-Seung Yang is a little unusual in his calling to community service. For 45 years, the Rev. Joe Hyun-Seung Yang has worked as a Red Cross volunteer, most recently lending his expertise to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Yang first became involved with the Red Cross in GKwangju, Korea, when, in the 10th grade, his school asked him to participate in a volunteer activity of his choice. His first preference was the Boy Scouts, but his family couldn’t afford to pay for the uniform and various dues, so he joined the Korean Junior Red Cross instead. He recalls spending summers helping farmers in rural villages outside of GKwangju. , and liLittle did he know that this would lead to a lifetime of volunteer service. 

Yang immigrated to California in 1974, and finally settled in Los Angeles, enrolling in a master’s program at the Claremont School of Theology. He received his master’s degree in 1984, and was subsequently ordained as a pastor in the United Methodist Church.

Reverend Yang, flanked by two local residents of Orange, Texas, stands amidst Hurricane Katrina’s wreckage.

Unlike most ministers, Yang does not lead a congregation or church of his own. Instead, he has focused his career solely on community service. Currently, Yang works at the Shalom Community Center in Pomona, Calif., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting peace in multiethnic communities. In addition to his job with Shalom, Yang holds a variety of volunteer-leadership positions in with the American Red Cross. He is a board member and the vice-chairperson of the Los Angeles chapter, as well as an elected member of the National Diversity Council. Throughout his time with the Red Cross, he has also served as a caseworker, trainer, volunteer recruiter, youth mentor, public speaker and family counselor. “In the pulpit, every Sunday, (pastors) are preaching, ‘You be a light on the community!’” he said. “But we need [action] in the community. We know that sometimes that is difficult. But we must jump in.”

Last August, when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, the American Red Cross was overwhelmed with one of the most devastating natural disasters in history. Shelters were filled to capacity, with an estimated 76,000 refugees packed into facilities throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arkansas, according to the Washington Post. Refugees found themselves stranded with ever diminishing supplies of food, water and other essentials. In the meantime, Red Cross volunteers scrambled to provide aid, but, according to Jill Valenti, chairman of the board of directors for the American Red Cross, “People were very desperate. We just didn’t have enough trained members to take care of it all.” 

During this time, many hurricane refugees were transported to major cities outside of the Gulf Coast. The Red Cross estimates that more than 5,000 evacuees were sent to Los Angeles., and Yang worked with this population, helping evacuees to secure aid and find temporary housing within the city. In September, however, he received a surprising phone call. According to Valenti, a group of Korean refugees in Baton Rouge, La., called the Los Angeles chapter, and asked specifically for Yang to serve as a translator for the non-English speaking Korean population. The Red Cross National Headquarters complied, and dispatched Yang as a community and client advocate, whose role was to find better ways to serve the culturally diverse population.