This former theoretical physicist, recently installed as missionary-at-large for the South Wisconsin District of the LCMS, was drawn to God by the wonder of the universe and the love of Jesus shared by his friends and colleagues.
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Acts 16:9-10
People are called into ministry in many different ways. Some know even as a child that God wants them to preach the Gospel. Others may feel God tugging at their heart in high school or college. Many enroll in seminary only after practicing their vocation “in the world” for many years.
But how many theoretical physicists are called to preach God’s Word in Wisconsin after growing up in China as an atheist then turning to God when their academic work produced more questions about the universe than answers?
At least one.
Rev. Dr. Samuel Lee is on his way to becoming a fixture on the CUW campus. You can often find him in the Concordia International Center (CIC), usually on Mondays and Wednesdays. Or more likely out and about on campus, meeting with international students and helping them navigate the unfamiliar American culture. And drawing them to God by sharing the love of Jesus.
After all, that’s how he himself found Jesus in the Physics department at the University of Minnesota.
Coming to America
After growing up as part of a “persecuted class” in communist China, Lee first came to the United States in 1987 to pursue his PhD in theoretical physics. It was there, for the first time ever, he encountered the love of Jesus. In China, Christianity was officially not allowed.
“China was going through the cultural revolution,” Lee explains, “and the people were having a very intense relationship with each other. They were reporting each other to authorities in order to gain some favor for themselves.
“The official education would tell you that there’s no God, and no devil,” he adds. “But in reality, there’s God, there’s a devil—because I lived it, in such a country! But I did not know God. So I was kind of a ‘non’ or an atheist.”
In Minnesota, he encountered a very different environment—one completely foreign to him, in every possible way.
“Once I went there I felt so welcome, and I felt so much kindness, and people were so gracious, so kind, and so merciful,” Lee recalls. “They invited me to their homes for Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s … so I had great friends there. And I went to their Bible studies. And I met so many people there, and I asked them, ‘Why did you love me so much?’ ‘It’s because Jesus loved me first.’
“They said check out John 3:16. So I checked out John 3:16 and I wanted that love, because I never experienced that love in China, and I wanted to give that love to people.”
God is in the particles
In the lab, his observations about the universe helped seal the deal.
“One day I was doing theoretical research, and I solved a problem, a seven-year-old problem, then found ten more questions raised up,” he says. “I was looking at the particles; particles are made of those six quarks. I was thinking about them, staring at them … you would think it’s easy, like a Lego game, you would think it easy to build a house or something with six pieces. Yet the universe is so complicated, so complex yet still beautiful, such a harmonious system.
“Once that dawned on me, I became humbled. And I said, ‘God, you must be the Creator, there must be a Creator behind this, You are incomprehensible.’”
The realization humbled him, he says. And a few months later, at a retreat, he gave his life to the Lord.
After earning his PhD in physics, Lee worked for 26 years as a software engineer in Michigan, Colorado, Ohio, and Wisconsin. (The end of the cold war significantly lessened the demand for theoretical physicists, he explains.) While attending a large church in Ohio, he says God clarified his role as a servant.
“Ever since then, anywhere I go, I don’t act as a guest, waiting to be served; I act as a host, always serving.”
Accepting the call
He came to Wisconsin in 2005, and found his way to Elm Grove Lutheran Church, where he started serving a Chinese fellowship community there in 2009. In 2018, retired Rev. Larry Myers at EGLC gave him the spark and encouraged him to enroll at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was ordained just this last May 19, on Pentecost Sunday, and installed as assistant pastor at EGLC.
He also expresses gratitude to the seminary and the South Wisconsin District’s Mission Executive, Rev. Dr. Nathan Meador, for their encouragement and support, and to President Eric Skovgaard for his mentorship and persistence.
“What a beautiful arrangement, huh? That was so meaningful, that the start of the Church would be the start of my official ordained mission work.”
More recently, on November 17, he was installed in his current calling as missionary-at-large. He plans to spend roughly two days a week on the CUW campus, while also spending time at other Wisconsin universities, including UW-Milwaukee and UW-Madison. As Christ (and others) first loved him, Lee will minister to international students by showing them the love of Jesus.
He has also been actively involved in bereavement support in the wake of the tragic death of an international student over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
“We are excited to be working together with Rev. Dr. Lee as we bring the Gospel to our international students,” says Rev. Dr. Aaron Moldenhauer, Vice President for Mission and Church Relations at CUW. “We thank the Lord for Dr. Lee and the many gifts he has given to him, including his kindness, compassion, and ability to connect with international students. CUW is also appreciative of the partnership with the South Wisconsin District that is bringing Dr. Lee to our campus to join in this work.”
“I look forward to the way the Lord will use him on our campus to reach out to our international students,” adds Rev. Jonathon Bakker, CUW Campus Pastor. “He’s already connected with Campus Ministry leaders and is making good connections in several areas on campus, such as the Academic Resource Center and various professors.”
God’s path, not his
Lee feels that God has been preparing him his whole life for what he’s doing now. For one thing, “God created me to love to talk,” he says with a laugh. But he sees God’s hand in his journey in many other ways.
“God led me from China to the U.S., from an atheist to a Christian,” he says. “And has prepared me and equipped me, from a lay person to a pastor. He has changed my attitude, transformed my temperament, transformed my approach. And he led me to a Chinese community to serve at EGLC, that’s very important.
“What a wonderful God at work!” he says with a big smile. “God has been preparing me, leading me, through my seminary studies, through COVID19, and through my ordination and my calling, he doesn’t need to write the details. I just go wherever the Macedonia guy calls me!”
International impact
At CUW, we’ve been celebrating the record-high international enrollment numbers and economic impact in Wisconsin! The annual IIE Open Doors report was released recently showing Concordia’s standing. Here are a few of the highlights …
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