INHERITANCE Media, a non-profit ministry that focuses on connecting Asian American Christians together as a community, is hosting INFUSE Conference on Saturday, September 13, to create a space in which Asian American Christians can interact with one another about the struggles and issues of the Asian American church.
"INFUSE Conference is first and foremost about bringing people together, sharing a common identity, and seeing how we can learn from one another," said Daniel Chou, the editor-in-chief of INHERITANCE Magazine, a publication under INHERITANCE media.
"Culture is very important to ministry," he added. "I think as Christians we have this tendency to dismiss our culture and emphasize only our identity in Christ. But Asian American churches have a complex situation that needs better understanding to deal with."
INFUSE hopes to penetrate exactly that - the complex issues that Asian American Christians specifically deal with. Specifically naming the struggles that Asian Americans go through in church and other contexts as Christians is a step forward in being able to actually address and tackle those struggles, Chou said.
"We want to bring suggestions, offer hope, and show that there may be better ways of doing church and being more faithful witnesses in our particular contexts," he said.
The conference will feature 14 different speakers from various Asian American ministries and churches, including Dr. Ben Shin, Associate Professor at Talbot School of Theology and Hyepin Im, the president and CEO of Korean Churches for Community Development.
These speakers will be speaking in 13 different workshops, not only from their knowledge in their respective fields, but also from their own experiences as members of the Asian American church.
Dr. Ben Shin, for example, has a particular passion for mentoring leaders and is also the Director of the Asian American ministry track for the Doctor of Ministry at Talbot. His workshop "Called to Stay" will specifically address how the Asian American church can reach the young adults, the upcoming leaders for this generation.
Hyepin Im, who has years of experience of advocacy and community development, will be able to share her insight on how Asian Americans can be a light to the community outside of a church or ministry context during her workshop, "Community Ministry."
Topics in other workshops include raising up missional leaders, church planting, creating a safe space for LGBTQ Christians, and more, all discussed through the lens of the Asian American church context.
"Anyone who is interested is welcome to come - it's not just for pastors or ministers. I'd invite anyone to come and just give it a try, see how God will speak to their hearts, and witness how God is moving in Asian American churches," said Chou.
The conference will span all day on Saturday, from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., and will take place at Evangelical Formosan Church in El Monte.
To register and for more information, visit the conference website at: www.infuseconference.org.
