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Aprgreat bulls game :]
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AprKingdom Ministry/// 100% Korean 100% American
Gotta admit.. it was an intensive day of training. But, it was needed. I really loved the 2 seminars that I listened in on. The first one was Moving from Youth Ministry to Community Transformation and the second was Between French Fries and Rice: Asian American Identity Formation and Related Youth Ministry Issues.
Moving from Youth Ministry to Community Transformation-I might not have been born or raised in an urban area, but as a teacher, I feel that my heart is there. In believing that the classroom is my ministry, I expected to go into this workshop hoping that Noel Castellanos could supply me with insight and resources needed to working biblically in the classroom as well as my community. I went away with being challenged with the questions- Who is in my community in Mayfair, and what are their needs? Our church has come a long way when it comes to outreach events. We are having an annual Fall Fest and Thanksgiving Dinner which didn’t exist a few years ago. And I shouldn’t forget our Wednesday night basketball. But now it seems like we need to step up our game. What’s the point of collecting their information if we do nothing with it? RELATIONSHIP..need to begin building that. Not out of charity, but out of LOVE. I am challenged to demonstrate love to my community in Mayfair and to think broader about the Kingdom ministry.
Between French fries and rice- I D E N T I T Y… it’s interesting.. how we come to form our identity. I remember always growing up with the constant reminder, ‘You are not the same as them [caucasians], don’t expect the same treatment.” At one point I think I identified myself just KOREAN, not Korean-American or Asian.. but just Korean. Throughout high school, I learned more about embracing both sides.. and now i’m more thankful for the fact that being Korean-American..is so versatile. I walked away from this workshop realizing that our youth need to be informed about the social injustice that practiced around ‘America’s original sin’ which is racism. Also, we need to be links between the parents and the youth to reconnect an understanding of conflict management in a biblical sense. Kids are pressured like no other in every part of their life, and its no wonder that the rebellious stage happens during the teen years. I hope our ministry can learn to celebrate our own ethnicity while affirming the American identity as well.
Lord, help us to step up our games as leaders. Equip us and ignite our hearts to actively serve in fulfilling the Kingdom ministry. Lead us in the places that are in need and not where we feel comfortable. Challenge us to live this out:
I wanna see the broken hearts
Finding hope in God above
I wanna know I’m doing all I can
So with this life, with all I am
No matter what the cost may be
I pray to see Your love become our cause - Perfect Love, Hillsong United
