New York City Asian American ENGAGE Speaker Series Launches January 8, 2007
Posted by peterong in Asian American, Asian American Laity Ministry, Asian American Ministries, Asian American Youth, ENGAGE.1 comment so far
Pastoral and Laity Ministries and Chinese Christian Herald Crusades Herald Youth Center are proud to present a Speakers Series called ENGAGE ((English-speaking Asian American Group Exchange): This Asian American Ministry Speaker Series will launch it first season in Spring 2007. This monthly series hopes to build, equip, assist and rebuild lay leaders who serve Asian American churches. The first series will focus on Asian American Youth Ministry and the implications for leadership and developing discipleship. We hope that you join us as we fellowship and hear from some of ministry practitioners.
We will have presenter Brian Hall, Area Director of Asian Younglife.
Incarnational Ministry for Asian Youth
Brian is the founder and area director of Asian Young Life in northern New Jersey, a Christian organization committed to making a difference in the lives of Asian American teenagers, especially the unchurched (see http://asian.younglife.org). He is also a high school social studies teacher at the Academies @ Englewood in Englewood, NJ, where he teaches World Studies, Sociology, and Chinese and advises the school’s Ultimate Frisbee Club and the East Asian Club/LiNK. Brian holds a Ph.D. degree in sociology from Rutgers University, where for his dissertation he studied the growth of Christianity among Chinese American college students. During the 2002-03 school year he was a Fulbright Junior Scholar in Taiwan, where he studied Chinese language at National Taiwan University in Taipei. He has written several published articles, including a chapter in the book Asian AmericanYouth Ministry, published by the L2 Foundation. In his spare time, Brian enjoys mountain biking and watching the TV show 24.
Date: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 7 p.m.
Where: Chinese Christian Herald Crusades (CCHC) Flushing Herald Center, 39-07 Prince St., Unit 4J, Flushing, NY 11354.
There are municipal parking lots available and street parking. It is easily accessible by the 7 train to Main Street and car. If there are any questions please feel free to call Peter Ong at 917-359-2021 or Ellen Hwang at 212-334-2033 x1603. All participants will receive a free copy of L2 Foundation’s Asian American Youth Ministry, edited by DJ Chuang. For each Speaking Series, dinner will be provided.
Please email peter@palmny.org to confirm your attendance and participation.
destinations (recovered) the activity of flashing back September 5, 2006
Posted by peterong in Asian American Ministries, Rants, Reflections.1 comment so far
This labor day weekend at ECBC was one filled with such a mosaic of emotions (delight, challenge, stirring, and joy). As I arrived at Camp Mariah, I was eager to reconnect with this community that has fueled so much of my passion and love for people. As the conference began and as each hour passed-the faces of the familiar (those teens whom i served are now adults and worshipping besides me) and the brothers and sisters who are now married and sharing in our journey of the reliving our altar moments, I am stunned by the latent crying out for God’s glory… this community has always seemed to seek me out and despite that I have temporarily paused from being there with them while in in the process of developing and providing for this ministry-it has invigorated me to rediscover a vocabulary of “Here I am” on this endeavor of serving and capturing the work of redemption of our community.
The highlight of this weekend for me are the people…the saints and sinners who comprise the fellowship of fellow servants and pilgrims such as Paul Tokunaga (huh-WHAT?!) who challenged us to say “I am NOT fine” and whose words and life continues to pour out as a spiritual father to many, to David Park (a spiritual soul mate), who continues to be a source of such brillance and depth and incredible dashes of killer humour, DJ Chuang an amazing church connoisseur who is a virtual (now physical) mentor (who amazingly can mute me in the real and virtual world…”it was a glitch”….), Anna Lee (who used to send me support while she was a college student) now in the cusp of establishing herself as an emerging voice of ministry, Lisa Yu (who pioneered and inspired so many to follow her faithful and courageous calling to ministry), Greg Jao (whose work in the trenches of the Chinese American church is riddled with such love, exhortation and yearning for this bride that continues to haunt me me), Ashley (who reminded me that my absence in New York City is felt strongly and that somehow it has raised up many to take up the challenges of reaching a community for Christ), Ho-Tay who inspired me with his joyful and redemptive path towards his devotion to God, Glennis (who continues to gently call us towards obedience), Wendy Chiou whose devotion and service to the youth at her Chinese church inspires me and brought tears to my eyes as I saw her dance up and down to “Did you Feel the Mountains Tremble), to Angela, who for so many years I have seen her grow and stay on this path towards God (but still chases me around the conference with a certain exuberance which brings a level of holy horror during my time there), and lastly for my wife, whose support during this time is beyond anything I ever expected, but God is so gracious through her tender yet complete love, with each grasp of my hand, she reminded me that God is here, He became flesh and He is among us…and as I looked over the people of God this weekend…everything became so real to me…it became a remnant for me…to recall for me of the work that has been done and for the work He is doing and for the work that is coming…converging on this wonderful and undeniable hope…
a hope that comes from the landscape of dried bones…
my heart yearns…for flesh and blood…
“the word became flesh”
for more pics go here…
Asian American Emergent Skypecast August 28, 2006
Posted by peterong in Asian American Church, Asian American Ministries, Events, Personal Ministry Thoughts.1 comment so far
Thanks to DJ Chuang for hosting the Second Asian American Emergent Skypecast and we had some thoughtful discussions on how the emergent church movement can be thought of towards an Asian American church. We had the following participants who ventured onto skype to meet over the internet… We had including Emergent Asia’s Sivin Kit, as well as Ben Pun, David Park, Peter Ong, Tim Liu, and my buddy Theo Wong. You can listen in to part 1 and part 2 online.
And, Tim had these great thoughts as a closing remark:
In my experience, AsAm churches tend to be even more conservative in terms of practice than American churches. They tend to be slower to adapt to changes and are rarely forerunners in ministry innovation. Many people (such as Dan Kimball) see the emerging church as a response to the contemporary worship movement. But in my (Chinese) church, we are barely contemporary. We still have those who feel that drums are of the devil. So I think the Asian churches maybe just need more time to catch up. Also, I wonder if anyone else notices the overlaps between the postmodern culture and the Eastern/Asian worldview? For example, preaching in narrative and in non-linear flow of thought is normal for Asians. When I preach to the 1st genearation adults in my church, they love to hear stories and narrative. Its already part of how they communicate. Another example is the emphasis on community and relationships in the Emerging church. Its already is a central part of asian culture. So in a lot of ways, I could see the AsAm church very welcoming to some aspects of the emerging church if it is presented in the right way.
Overall, it was great to hear these men share their thoughts about the horizon of Asian American ministry, particularly for me, I wanted to see how the campus could be a grounds for cultivating some new thoughts on Asian American ministry. Part of my heart was to see how this is played out in the real scenarios of the Asian American church. It got my juices churning while thinking of these things and this building of community around dialogue commands my passions. You must join us for the third Asian American Emergent Skypecast.
Visitations August 23, 2006
Posted by peterong in Asian American, Asian American Campus, Asian American Church, Asian American Laity Ministry, Asian American Ministries, Asian American Youth, Personal Ministry Thoughts, Uncategorized.add a comment
“It is not won by promotion, but by many prayers and tears. It is attained by confession of sin, and much heart searching and humbling before God; by self-surrender, a courageous sacrifice of every idol, a bold uncomplaining embrace of the cross, and by an eternal, unfaltering looking unto Jesus crucified. It is not gained to us as loss for Christ. This is a great price, but it must be paid by the leader who would not be merely a nominal but a real spiritual leader whose power is recognized and felt in heaven, on earth and in hell. ” -a quote about the road to spiritual authority and leadership by Samuel Brengle, Salvation Army.
Dear Friends and Family,
I can’t believe that the summer is almost over! Jamie and I are back in Syracuse prepared for a new season of our marriage this fall. It is good to be back on the blog world and I hope to capture what has happened in the past 10 days. I had the opportunity to go to a special wedding in Massachusetts on the eve of our first year wedding anniversary. Then headed to Rhode Island where we met with my parents for some time of leisure and good food. Then we headed to the city for several meetings with friends, ministry partners and potential funders for the Asian American Laity Project. Then we had a special gathering of friends for my birthday and then sharing at Chinese Conservative Baptist Church.
It was my first extended trip in New York City for a time and it was a time of a re-emergence of my heart towards ministry. I met with the President of Grace Christian Fellowship at Cornell (where I will serve as volunteer staff this year!) and we talked about our common vision for the campus. I was able to conduct a special training for the Herald Gospel Camp counselors on how to minister to campers. I met up with immigrant youth whom I served and now are halfway through graduating college and making decisions for their futures. It amazes me to know that 7 years ago when I met them, they were barely speaking English and knew little about Christ and now they are preparing to engineers, math teachers, and now serving the church as bible study leaders…Praise God.
As I wrapped up my time there, I felt a deep love and heaviness for the city and an eagerness to return to serving this place, this distant home of mine. But thanks to words from friends (special thanks to Jenny and Caroline) for your encouragement in this time of waiting. In some ways, it has been a time of sabbatical for me and it has deepened my faith and my passions. I am yearning for a sense of something familiar here in Syracuse…
Jamie and are looking for a new church and had a great time visiting Eastern Hills Bible Church and we are looking to visit International Assembly and the Korean Church of Syracuse. Our ideal match would be a place for us to learn and to serve together, especially in areas of community and international students. We had a wonderful dinner with a family serving through Young Life in Syracuse and it was a great exchange of vision and common leaders whom we admire. Please pray for Jamie and I during this important time for us to worship and build community. We are thankful for our time at Syracuse Alliance Church for the past year and continue with the relationships that God has begun.
Funding for Asian American Laity Project
The Asian American Laity Project needs an additional $11,000 to raise for the project. I had some productive meetings with some supporters and potential partners for this ministry. Pray that God’s provision would be given to this special project that I have a passion to serve those who faithfully serve in the Asian American churches. I am developing a stronger peace about this and I know that God will provide in his timing.
Special Lunch with Paul Tokunaga and Leadership Roundtable
PaLM and Intervarsity is hosting a special lunch with Paul Tokunaga at the Chinese Evangel Missions Church in Queens. I am looking forward to attending this and to hear the engagement with Mr. Tokunaga and the respective pastors of the Asian American church. I will facilitate a special Leadership Roundtable at Eastern Chinese Bible Conference with Paul Tokunaga and several leaders from Intervarsity, Campus Crusades for Christ, and Chinese Christian Herald Crusades during the labor day weekend and I will also presenting a special workshop on evangelizing to young adults and postmoderns.
Volunteer staff for Intervarsity Grace Christian Fellowship at Cornell
I have offered to serve with Intervarsity this year with Grace Christian Fellowship at Cornell. I am excited to serve the college students at Cornell and to connect with what God is doing there. Pray for my involvement to equip the leadership there and to serve the fellowship in a way that will bring the campus to a deeper knowledge of Christ.
Serving with Chinese Christian Herald Crusades
During my time in New York, I was blessed by spending some time with current staff at CCHC and learning about the new and exciting things that God is doing there. I spoke to the Director and we are arranging for me to somehow be involved with supporting their new direction and vision for preaching the gospel to Chinese community. I am not sure if this will be suitable but want to be open…Pray for wisdom and for a balance of ministries that I am involved in.
Mid-Hudson Chinese Christian Church
I am tentatively working with the leadership at the Mid-Hudson Chinese Christian Church to develop their youth and young adult ministries. I will be preaching there once a month for their special concurrent services there. I really love the ministry of this church as they are striving to serve the second generation Chinese church. Many of the youth who go there are from Hofstra New York Summer Conference where I spoke this summer. I will be speaking at the end of September and spending time with leadership and develop a strategy for growth. Pray for the my time there and for mutual sharing and blessing as we seek to serve the church together.
OneHouse NYC
I had a chance to meet up with the organizers of the One House event. We had a Thursday prayer meeting and there were poignant moments of discovery for us regarding where we stood on these issues and also for each other. There were tears and many earnest pleas for God’s provision in this matter. The event will be in NYC on October 21st, it is a unity concert focusing on social justice. I am excited to announce that Neah Lee will be performing and sharing that night. I am preparing my talk and excited to delving into the writings of Cornel West, Ron Sider and Martin Luther King. Pray for my talk to be filled with an overarching theme of God’s mercy and his desire for Justice….
MISC
Please pray for a youth pastor how has been diagnosed with Lymphoma and that it seems treatable but continue to lift him and his family up as they go through this difficult time.
Special praise to God for Kara, Esther for lunch (sushi!!), Jinny and Koo (rain down on them in Washington!), EUG-ene for catching up and learning about fatherhood, John for meeting with me and sharing some thoughts on the Asian American church, thanks for all the youth who came out to hang out and have some herb-orade, for all the people who came out to my birthday party, for the OneHouse folks for a meaningful time of fellowship and prayer, Simeon for sharing your vision for campus, and a special thanks to all of you who sent me words of encouragement and whose support means so much to me…God sees and will provide.
Asian Ministries Retreat and Convention Support Asian Church Leadership August 8, 2006
Posted by peterong in Asian American Ministries, Christian News.add a comment
VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 8/8/06)-Asian American Baptist church leaders anticipate they will gain renewed vision for their ministries during events in Seattle, Wash., August 17 to 19. A retreat for pastors, seminarians and young adults will be held first, leading into the First Asian American Baptist Convention, which begins August 18.
“We want to help Asian churches build strategies to reach their missional goals within varied contexts,” says Rev. Florence Li, National Ministries’ Asian churches strategist and National Coordinator for Intercultural Ministries. “The backdrop is transitions among American Baptist churches, as traditional approaches to church mission face contemporary issues.” (more…)
Asian, Pacific Island Catholics in U.S. gather for first Convocation July 26, 2006
Posted by peterong in Asian American Ministries, Christ and Culture, Christian News.1 comment so far
By Alfonso Aguilar and Julie Asher
Hundreds of Catholics of Asian and Pacific Island heritage from all over the country gathered in Arlington June 30-July 3 for the first National Asian and Pacific Catholic Convocation.
“We are witnesses of a historic moment,” said Paulist Father Ricky Manalo from San Francisco, who was master of ceremonies for the event, which drew religious and lay leaders, diocesan ministry directors, social workers, theologians, educators and youths.
“We gather together to give thanks for the many gifts of the Asian and Pacific cultures and traditions,” added Father Manalo, also a published liturgical composer. “This weekend we gather to praise God most of all, and the power of the Holy Spirit.” (more…)
Peter Ong\'s Interesting Website 