Asian Lutherans Gather to Build Skills and Strengthen Ministries

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 Be