wfn.org | Asian-American Disciples celebrate growth, hear challenge

["Wilma Shuffitt"<wshuffit@oc.disciples.org>]

Date: August 3, 1998
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Clifford L. Willis
Email: CWillis@oc.disciples.org
on the Web: http://www.disciples.org

98b-47

by W. Evan Golder
Editor, United Church News

	OAKLAND, Calif. (DNS) -- Four hundred percent in only six and 
one-half years. That's how much American Asian churches have grown in 
the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

	This statistic was one of many contained in the annual report of the 
Rev. Geunhee Yu, executive pastor of North American Asian Pacific 
ministries, during NAPAD's tenth biennial convocation, July 30-Aug. 
1, at Mills College here. More than 125 people from 15 different 
states attended the convocation.

	Currently  North American Pacific/Asian Disciples number 43 
congregations as well as five missions and three new church starts. 
Yu added that in the past 18 months alone, seven American Asian 
ministers were ordained and eight pastors from other communions 
became Disciples. However, Yu reminded the attendees, a large 
percentage of the 9 million American Asians in North America are not 
Christians. "I can tell you that the great era of Asian and Pacific 
Islanders is at hand in the North American continent," he said. "Are 
you ready for this era?"

	Yu challenged each NAPAD church to branch out to one new church in 
the next two years, to send their young leaders for seminary 
education, to work for a language-specific program in at least one 
Disciples seminary, and to tithe as a church to Basic Mission 
Finance. "Many of you started your new churches from the benefits of 
BMF," he said. "Now it is time for you to give back.  Regardless of 
your church's financial situation, your giving through BMF is part of 
our ministry."
 
	The convocation featured worship, workshops and a banquet at 
Oakland's First Korean Christian Church, the host congregation. 
Keynote speaker, the Rev. Wallace Ryan Kuriowa, executive director of 
the Office for Church in Society of the United Church of Christ, 
urged delegates to "speak truth to power."

	Basing his speech on the convocation theme, "For Such a Time as 
This," Ryan Kuriowa said, "God has placed us here in this time, for 
such a time as this. We need to work for fairer, more just 
immigration laws. We need to work against hate crimes perpetrated 
against people of color.  And we need to create a more hospitable 
presence for other Asians and Pacific Islanders as they come to a 
strange and new land."

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add 1-1-1/NAPAD
Disciples News Service 
98b-47

	The opening worship session featured a procession of banners and 
symbols by delegates wearing traditional attire from nine lands: 
China, Hawaii, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and 
Vietnam. The evening's offering of $530 was shared between the David 
Kagiwada Scholarship Fund and the newly established Soongook Choi 
Scholarship Fund. Both funds benefit students studying for the 
ministry.

	During the business session, delegates voted to invite the 
Disciples' other two racial-ethnic caucuses, the National Hispanic 
and Bilingual Fellowship and the National Convocation to share a 
three-way convocation with NAPAD in the year 2002.  Delegates also 
heard a Young NAPAD report which urged broader participation from 
young people in convocation planning and the possibility of joint 
youth/adult workshops in the future.

	The following officers were elected to two-year terms:  Moderator 
Jeri Sias, Columbus, Ohio; vice moderator, the Rev. Namsoo Woo, 
Oakland, Calif.; recording secretary, Timothy S. Lee, Torrance, 
Calif.; treasurer, Pauline Choi, Fullerton, Calif.; executive council 
members at-large, the Rev. Nobuyoshi L. Kaneko (ex officio), Tujunga, 
Calif.; Haejin Chung (Young NAPAD), Downey, Calif.; Grace Kim, Los 
Angeles;  Pat Payuyo, Los Angeles; Xiaoling Zhu, Alliance, Ohio; and 
the Rev. Geunhee Yu (ex officio), Indianapolis. 

	NAPAD's next biennial convocation will be held from July 27-29, 
2000, in Indianapolis, with Bethel Christian Church as the host 
congregation.

	-- end --

Disciples News Service releases 
are available at http://www.disciples.org/dns/index.htm