Joseph B. Hopper was born on May 17, 1921 in Kwangju, Korea. He was raised by his missionary parents in Korea. He entered Davidson College in North Carolina in 1938, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1942; he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In the Fall of 1939, he was received under care as a candidate for ministry of the Concord Presbytery of the Southern Presbyterian Church.
Joe matriculated to Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA where he earned his Bachelors of Divinity in 1945. He would later earn his ThM at Union (1950) and a Doctor of Divinity from Davidson College (1965).
On July 19, 1945, Joe married Dorothy “Dot” Longenecker, whom he met at Collegiate Home in Montreat, NC. He was ordained by the Montgomery Presbytery of the PCUS on August 12 of that same year. After a brief pastorate (1945–1947) in at Blackwater and Piedmont Presbyterian Churches in Callaway, Virginia, Joe and Dot served as Presbyterian missionaries under the Board of World Missions, Presbyterian Church in the U.S., in South Korea for 38 years before retiring to Montreat, NC in 1986. Joe died on April 27, 1992.
You can read Joe’s memoir about his life at ulsterworldly.com/hoppers/joe-b/mission-to-korea/.
Joe B. Hopper describes a Christmas celebration for Korean orphans thrown by missionaries Read More
My dad and his siblings discuss their upbringing in Korea, boarding school, furlough, and college life as MKs. Read More
Letter from Billy Graham on the occasion of the death of Joe B. Hopper Read More
Eulogy for Joseph Barron Hopper by his brother-in-law Dr. G. Thomson Brown. Read More
Why Joe B. Hopper, born in 1921, didn't serve in World War II. Read More
The story of Dorothy Longenecker's employment at Blackstone Presbyterian Church and how she came to be married there. Read More
The Barrons of Rock Hill circa 1935. Read More
A song for Dot Hopper upon on retirement from 38 years on the mission field. Read More
Brief overview of my grandfather and great-grandfather's studies at Union Presbyterian Seminary Read More
The time Billy Graham's wife put her husband in the dog house. Read More
Joe B. Hopper's baptism homily for the baptism of his grandson in 1986. Read More
The story of a missionary family traveling around the world in 1935. Read More
My grandfather's tale of his teenage years in Pyongyang. Read More
A talk my Joe gave about God-fearing women on the Korean mission field. Read More
A talk my grandfather gave about God-fearing women on the Korean mission field. Read More
My grandfather (Joe B. Hopper)'s reflection on his ancestors and t. Read More
My grandfather's brief history of his father-in-law's family, the Longeneckers of Pennsylvania. Read More
My grandfather's story of his great uncle, the Kentucky evangelist Joe Hopper. Read More
My grandfather (Joe B. Hopper) left this record of his aunts and uncles on the Hopper side. Read More
A book (almost) returned 50 years later. Read More
B.B. Warfield: "It is worth while to be a Shorter Catechism boy. They grow to be men. And better than that, they are exceedingly apt to grow to be men of God." Read More
A young Korean man writes a plea for entry into Bible College in his own blood. Read More
Archive of writings of two Presbyterian missionaries to Korea. Read More
Memoir of the early life of Joseph Hopper (1982-1971), Southern Presbyterian missionary to Korea. Read More
American missionaries recount their joy-filled service to Korean lepers. Read More
How clever (or foolish) deacons made church bells from a bomb. Read More
Brief biography of the first 2/3 years of Dot Hopper's life. Read More
My grandfather describes worship service in post-Korean war mission churches in rural South Korea. Read More
Commentary and notes on the Book of Isaiah. Read More
This is a talk Joe gave at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, N.C. which had supported them for many years. He summarizes the life of Joe and Dot in rural evangelist missionary work for their first 25 years in South Korea. Read More
This research paper analyzes the family structure and social organization on Korean village life in the mid-twentieth century. In particular, it examines "village family ties and their effect on church growth." Read More
Several outlines or manuscripts from sermons preached by Joe. Read More
Joe Hopper's memoir (published in 1999) recounting his thirty-eight years as a missionary to South Korea. Read More
Letters to friends, churches, and supporters regarding Joe and Dot's work in Korea from 1948 to 1986. Read More
Several outlines or manuscripts from a folder entitled "Missionary Talks". Read More
Brief biographies of eight reformers: Peter Waldo, John Wyclif, John Huss, Savonarola, Erasmus, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and Ignatius Loyola. Read More
A sermon on the judgment of Solomon in 1 Kings 3:16-28. Read More
Sermon manuscripts organized by book of the bible. Read More
A lengthy treatise on the parables written early in Joe's ministry. Part 1 provides an introductory study of the parables: "The Parables as a Literary Medium", "The Purpose of the Parables", "The Distribution of the Parables", "The Classification of the Parables", and "The Interpretation of the Parables". Part 2 contains expositions of ten of Jesus' parables. Read More
Joe's 1951 Th.M. thesis from Union Theological Seminary. In this study, Joe examines the Holy Spirit in conjunction with five New Testament doctrines: Inspiration, Incarnation, Regeneration, Sanctification, and Ecclesiology. Read More
Gift of the Holy Spirit was especially for the carrying out of the Great Comission. A trust and responsibility to declare the terms of salvation. Open eyes and burning heart needed to carry out comission. Read More
An article on the second coming of Christ published in The Presbyterian Journal. Read More
Several outlines or manuscripts from a folder entitled "Missionary Talks". Read More
A tobacco-chewing, southern Presbyterian pastor solves a crime. Read More