The vision of the Chinese Heritage Church Collaborative (CHCC) is “to encourage one another and learn together for the vision of seeing healthy Chinese heritage churches throughout the Chinese diaspora.”
The vision of the Korean American Leadership Initiative (KALI) is to “cultivate servant-leaders from the Korean-American community who actively engage with and serve the Presbyterian Church in America.”
Despite operating under two distinct imperatives, the SOLA Network’s Asian American Leadership Conference (AALC) served as a two-day intersection where both visions overlapped and it was exciting to see God bring the two groups together in the same space.
Helicon Kuan (CHCC and English Pastor for the Chinese for Christ Church in San Jose) and Daniel Jung (KALI and Associate Pastor for the Home of Christ Church in Cupertino) present reflections on their experiences at AALC, specifically the two luncheons hosted by their respective groups on the second day of the conference. The purpose of writing this joint summary is to bring attention to how the Lord is moving among both groups and how crucial relationships are to fruitful and sustainable ministry in the future.
Helicon Kuan – Chinese Heritage Church Collaborative
In this season of my life and ministry, conferences are no longer as appealing. The thought of traveling far from my expecting wife and toddler-aged son, and being away from my bustling Chinese heritage ministry, to listen to speakers for hours is just not as appealing.
Perhaps it’s the worldly part of me—I simply don’t feel like I gain as much from my time at these conferences—and maybe it’s my own selfish expectations and mindset. Maybe it’s because I feel a bit lost and overwhelmed by the unceasing sense that I do not belong because my context in ministry, the Chinese Heritage Church, is often overlooked. Attending previous Asian American leaders’ gatherings, I have always felt a sense that though there are people from Chinese church backgrounds present, we are often quiet or unwilling to speak. This may be more cultural and inherent in our own values and ways, but I am sure other less-represented Asian brothers and sisters feel the same.
Yet after last year’s blessed time of connection and fellowship at the Chinese Heritage Church Collective (CHCC) gathering, I was excited for this year’s Asian American Leadership Conference (AALC). Our time at the CHCC conference was not as much about gaining information or getting maximum value. But to me, it was about walking into a room full of others that have known and understood our shared experience: good, bad, and ugly. In that sense, CHCC was a blessing and so refreshing as I made new friends and caught up with old friends who are persevering in His Kingdom work.
This year’s AALC felt more like CHCC, but different in a good way. To come alongside other Asian Americans Christians, specifically ministry leaders, is to enter another liminal space of shared experience here in the US that is hard to come by anywhere else. AALC not only nailed this on the head, but has brought all of us together in a shared place to explore the future. The theme was “Writing the Next Chapter” and I felt that the different sessions, panels, and workshops were all thoughtfully planned to encourage us in our Asian American ministry contexts for the future.
Specifically, I will be sharing about my time during the CHCC lunch. It was nice to hear some of the CHCC council members share about how a similar desire for the Chinese Heritage church led to the formation of the CHCC and to the use of the word “heritage.” It was also nice to see new faces that were inquisitive about the CHCC community, having been through times when there was no such gathering. The time was not adequate to do much, but it was nice to have a few prompts that allowed us to listen and share with one another our own stories of being encouraged and supported into ministry, and identifying the next generation of ministry partners and workers. Seeing friends that I met in the previous year’s CHCC event, it was nice to have the opportunity to simply sit and share space together. Sometimes even just being in the same room is invigorating for the soul which makes that time even more worthwhile.
In closing, what made AALC encouraging was not just that we were able to explore the future for the Asian American church, but it was also the people and the relationships that were further strengthened during our time together. I confess I missed a main session or two to catch-up with friends that I had not been able to see, or to answer pressing questions regarding our respective ministries. To me, that was what ultimately made AALC worthwhile, which was the shared sense of convictions and a sense of belonging with much optimism towards the future. I returned home with fresh wind in my sails for another year of His kingdom work grateful for AALC 2024.
Daniel Jung – Korean American Leadership Initiative
Pastors Gene Joo (Exilic Church) and James Han (Redeemer Presbyterian) shared their experiences as KALI Ambassadors during the sponsored lunch on the second day of AALC. Roughly seventy attendees listened to both presenters as they shared about the unique camaraderie that exists within the members of KALI.
Gene Joo expressed gratitude for the KALI leadership who, during the pandemic, hosted monthly Zoom meetings that covered topics our seminaries may have overlooked. But instead of serving as mere downloads of information, Gene was especially grateful for Pastor Owen Lee’s honest confessions about his own pandemic-related ministry difficulties. He also reflected on the confidence he received from hearing Dr. Alex Jun embrace his Korean Americanness, believing it to be a strength for ministry. This gave Gene an outlet to be open and honest about his own struggles, and at the same time, to be confident in his God-given identity as an Asian American – realizing the paradox that confidence and vulnerability are hand-in-hand prerequisites for gospel-centered ministry.
James Han shared an endearing story about his children being stranded in New York City after missing their flight back to California and how Aaron Chung (Exilic Church) housed and fed his kids for three days while they searched for a suitable connecting flight. He was indebted to Aaron and this story is one of many among the experiences shared within the KALI network.
Gene and James’ testimonies reminded me of my own indebtedness to KALI.
As a pastor who had served in the English Ministry of a Korean immigrant church in Hawaii, I can attest to the lengths KALI members will go to for one another. In July 2021, I suffered a heart attack while preparing to preach at our Korean Ministry’s Wednesday night service. Upon spending a night in the hospital after a successful stent procedure, I laid terrified in my hospital bed on Thursday afternoon. Instead of recovering, I was worried about our Sunday morning service. Who will lead and preach? Do I have an “emergency sermon” ready to go?
Not an hour later I received a phone call from an unfamiliar LA-area code and on the other end of the line was Pastor James Han.
“Bro. I heard you had a heart attack. Are you ok? Do you need someone to preach for you? I am here in Hawaii, vacationing with my family. I can preach for you, but I brought nothing but t-shirts and flip-flops. Is that ok?” Pastor James’ overwhelming concern was only surpassed by his enthusiasm. He spoke without pausing, using neither commas nor periods, expelling only short breaths between multiple exclamation marks. His eager joy calmed my nervous anxieties.
The following Sunday, I streamed our church’s service from my hospital bed while Pastor James preached God’s Word to my congregation in REEFs and board shorts. At that time, I was only loosely affiliated with KALI, sporadically attending their aforementioned Zoom gatherings. Yet I was struck by how easily James reached out to me. There was no inner circle. There was no initiation process by which I had to qualify. The KALI staff said that’s simply what James does. That’s what KALI does. I was indebted to James from that moment on, just as he was indebted to Aaron Chung, and just as Gene was indebted to Owen Lee and Alex Jun.
After the luncheon, while driving back to Northern California with our church’s staff, we reflected on what ministry will look like at Home of Christ in Cupertino. I am certain that whatever God has planned for us, we will pursue it while knowing that our teamwork is strengthened by our vulnerability as imperfect vessels and at the same time, confidence in our identities as Asian American leaders.
Helicon and I (Daniel) attended AALC as members of staff in our respective Silicon Valley ministries. Our two churches are less than five miles apart. The irony is that he lives closer to my church in Cupertino and I live closer to his church in San Jose, and yet, despite our immense proximity, we rarely have time to meet. It took a conference almost four hundred miles away for us to spend meaningful time with one another. We believe we are not alone in this shared sense of spatial irony.
This is a lasting lesson that AALC will teach us.
On behalf of my friend and partner in ministry, Helicon Kuan, we are grateful for the SOLA Network, whose vision is “to influence the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” We recognize that the SOLA Network not only serves as the ideal intersection between our two organizations during this current season, it continues to foster relationships among church leaders that will be vital as we determine the next chapter for the Asian American ministries we proudly and unapologetically lead.