wfn.org | Asian Lutherans Gather to Build Skills and Strengthen Ministries

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 2, 1999

ASIAN LUTHERANS GATHER TO BUILD SKILLS AND STRENGTHEN MINISTRIES
99-172-LW**

     MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- "What this faded world needs is truth, which
is anchored in eternity," said the Rev. Tak Ho Lam, president of the
Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong and vice president of the
Lutheran Church in Hong Kong. "Churches have proclaimed this message for
thousands of years; it is not new.  The message of our song should be
consistent. However, to catch up with the movement of our time in this
information era, the melody and wording of the song need to be new."
     Lam's keynote address, on the theme "New  Century, New Song," was
directed to the Sixth General Assembly of the Association of Asians and
Pacific Islanders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The assembly met here June 18-20 at Augsburg College, one of 28 colleges
and universities of the ELCA.
     About 100 participants from 21 U.S. cities spoke, in addition to
English, 22 languages or dialects from eastern, southeast and southern
Asia.
     "People don't need more information or institutions to tell them
what is right," Lam said.  "They are broken already.  What they need is
to find leaders who can help them form vision and give them direction.
They need trustworthy persons with proven character, so they can trust
and seek counsel with them.  We need to build a  community where it is
safe for people to create visions."
     Lam encouraged the assembly to learn from failures and to build up
ministries upon integrity and "agape" love, as well as to understand the
dynamics of personal and shared vision.
     In a resolution, the assembly asked the secretary of the
association and Asian congregations in the ELCA to "write letters to the
Indian and Indonesian embassies in Washington, D.C., to express ...
concern over the violence toward Christians."  The assembly expressed
concern for churches in India and Indonesia that have been "damaged by
rioting and by the political situation."
     In other business, three new members were elected to four-year
terms on the association's executive committee.  The Rev. Peter Y. Wang,
Truth Lutheran Church, Naperville, Ill., was elected vice president.
Winnie Chan, San Francisco Chinese Lutheran Church, presently in
Minneapolis, was elected treasurer.  Vivian Janthapaiboonkajon, Thai
Community Church of Chicago, was elected member-at-large.  They join
those already on the committee:   the Rev. David Chen, Taiwanese
Lutheran Church of San Diego, president; the Rev. Andrew Yee, Christ the
Servant in Bellingham, Wash., secretary; and the Rev. Cherian
Puthiyottil, Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, member-at-large.
     "Instead of being just from this little Chinese church in
California, I feel encouraged at this event," said Chan.  "I have hopes
that, through local chapters and multi-congregational activities, we can
do social ministry programs that we couldn't otherwise do."
     Janthapaiboonkajon agreed that teamwork could significantly boost
ministry.  "Sometimes social ministry seems impossible for a small
congregation," she said.  "We wonder too how we can develop
second-generation leaders.  But I am so encouraged to be here.  I
remember an assembly eight years ago when we had perhaps 25 people.  I
can see growth even at this event."
     For two days prior to the assembly, participants focused their
attention on social ministries in Asian congregations in a consultation
sponsored by the social ministry for congregations program of the ELCA
Division for Congregational Ministries, the Asian ministries program of
the ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries and the ELCA
Association of Asians and Pacific Islanders.
     Loretta Horton, ELCA director for social ministry for
congregations, Chicago, led sessions on helpful resources and
information and the Social Ministry Partners program.  "We may feel that
problems are so big and we're so small," Horton said, "but you have to
dream."
     Gaylord M. Thomas, director for community development services,
ELCA Division for Church in Society, helped the group identify social
ministry issues and pilot projects for Asian congregations and led
training in grant-writing skills.
     Recognition of 14 ELCA missionaries who had served in Asia was a
highlight of the association's June 18 dinner hosted by Central Lutheran
Church.  "You spent your life for our people and brought the gospel to
our country.  May God continue to bless you and guide your life in
retirement," said Chen, president of the association, who conceived the
idea of inviting Minneapolis area missionaries to the dinner.  The
honorees had served in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea,
Madagascar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the South Pacific and Taiwan.
     Speakers that evening also included Lee Pao Xiong, director of
government and community relations at Concordia University, St. Paul,
Minn., and State Representative Satveer Chaudhary, Fridley, Minn.
     Bible study was led by the Rev. Margrethe S.C.Kleiber, ELCA
Division for Global Mission program director for South Asia, and Stacy
Kitahata, dean of the community at Lutheran School of Theology at
Chicago.  The focus was on "singing the Lord's song in a foreign land."
Participants discussed the stories of a 13-year-old Jewish boy exiled
from Jerusalem to Babylon and, years later, his 21-year-old
granddaughter needing to decide about leaving Babylon to journey to
Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.
     Many assembly participants expressed excitement at being able to
gather at the event.  "It is such a joy to come to the assembly," said
Minh Hanh Nguyen, pastoral candidate, Orange, Calif.  "Asian Lutherans
are so scattered around the country, and this is our chance to see and
encourage each other."
     "We have more than 14 new Asian ministries in the last two years
and added about 20 new Asian leaders to our community," said the Rev.
Pongsak Limthongviratn, director for Asian ministries, ELCA Commission
for Multicultural Ministries.
     "We now have a total of 70 Asian ministries in the ELCA, 110 Asian
rostered clergy, 15 persons preparing for ministry and 16 serving as
board or commission steering committee members.  The number of executive
staff at the ELCA churchwide offices in Chicago has also increased,"
said Limthongviratn.
     Asian communities now represent 3.8 percent of the U.S.
population, he reported, and are expected to double in size in two or
three decades.  "My vision is to see many new ministry starts,"
Limthongviratn said.  "For Asian ministry to grow, effective leadership
is important as well as creative models and patterns of ministry."
     "Forming local chapters, helping Asian churches to work together
as a team and encouraging more pastors and grass roots leaders to come
to the Association of Asian and Pacific Islanders biennial assemblies
are all part of my vision," said Chen.  "I would like to see more Asian
congregations and leaders to be involved with the association and
multicultural ministries of the ELCA."
     "Singspiration" and a celebration of gifts were also a part of the
assembly.   During a  "get-acquainted time," participants applauded to
discover that the assembled group included speakers of Cantonese, Chao
Zhou, Hakka, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Kanada, Khmer, Korean, Lao,
Malayalam, Mandarin, Singala, Tagalog,  Taiwanese, Tamil, Thai, Telegu,
Toisan, Tulu and Vietnamese.
     The Rev. Thuong Ngoc Le, ELCA pastor and mission developer at
Vietnamese Lutheran Church in Westminister, Calif., also speaks
Norwegian from having lived in Norway before coming to the United
States.
     "We each have separate identities, but God's people are all
children of one family," said Puthiyottil, coordinator of the 12-member
local planning committee for the gathering.  "We're meant to take care
of each other and work together to bring God's kingdom to earth.  Our
common language is Jesus."
     The group included Lin Qiu, a devotional leader at the event who
came to the United States from Beijing 10 years ago.  Qiu is now an ELCA
mission developer in St. Paul.  "My dream is of a huge choir, with
people of all voices and languages singing for God," he said.  "I have
images of Tiannamen Square in my mind.  But after I became a Christian,
my sad song was gone."
 
**Lily R. Wu is manager for promotion and editorial services for
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, New York, and a member of the
ELCA Church Council.

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