| Hoy 你好 こんにちは xin chào May Is Asian Pacific Island Heritage Month! The LGBT Christian movement is growing as fast in Asia and the Pacific as anywhere in the world today. MCC's Asia Pacific Initiative makes it possible for MCC's message of God's inclusive love and a progressive understanding of the gospel to be a major voice in shaping the future of this movement. Interest in MCC increases daily all over the Asian Pacific world and API is dedicated to supporting our existing faith communities there and being present for those who are desperate to hear our liberating message. As we celebrate Asian Pacific Island Heritage Month in the US, we lift up MCC's Asian Pacific Initiative. |
| Why Celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month? We join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success. May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month - a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian-Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island). Like most commemorative months, Asian-Pacific Heritage Month originated in a congressional bill. In June 1977, Reps. Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. The following month, Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration. Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration. In 1992, the official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. |
| MCC Asian Pacific Island Leaders Rev. Elder Hong Tan The Rev. Hong K. Tan was elected to the Board of Elders of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches in 1993 during his term as District Coordinator of the European North Sea District. Rev. Tan founded Metropolitan Community Church of North London and was its Senior Pastor for seven years. He was also the first Asian District Coordinator and ordained clergyperson in UFMCC. Born in Singapore, Rev. Tan completed his graduate degree in physiology at the University of London and completed his Masters in Business Administration. He did nine years postgraduate research in liver cancer at University College Medical School and published numerous papers. He has founded HIV/AIDS and People of Colors organizations and has cared for people with HIV/AIDS. Rev. Elder Tan was a member of the UFMCC delegation to the 1998 World Council of Churches General Assembly in Zimbabwe and facilitated the process for recruitment and selection of the District Coordinator for the Northeast and Eastern Canadian Districts. He was also a key organizer of the Asian-Pacific Islander Leadership Institute. Tan also participated in the Lambeth Conference of the Church of England and witnessed through various United Kingdom print, television and radio media outlets, while continuing work on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS in London through the London Ecumenical AIDS Trust of Westminster Abbey.  Rev. Stedney Phillips Rev. Stedney Phillips serves on the denominational staff of Metropolitan Community Churches as a Church Life Specialist for the Office of Church Life and Health. In this role she offers her expertise in Church Size Theory and Assessments, Interim Ministry and Blended Worship Development. She also serves as Chair of MCC's Asian Pacific Initiative Team. Stedney was ordained by MCC in December 2009 following her graduation from Pacific School of Religion. Prior to her ordination, she served as an Intentional Interim Pastoral Leader for 2 ½ years and has served MCC in various areas of local, regional and denominational work. She has served in various roles within MCC for over 25 years. Rev. Stedney resides in Long Beach, CA with her partner Wendy and daughter Hannah. 
Rev. Boon Ngeo Rev. Boon Lin Ngeo is Chinese-Malaysian born. He is better known as O.Young (Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng) in Chinese speaking communities in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and his home country, Malaysia. He is an ordained Christian minister at MCC New York. Rev. Boon was an award-winning journalist in Malaysia before he came to the United States. In 2006 he was the first public figure to come out publicly in his country. He is also a co-founder of MCC in Malaysia and he holds two Master's degrees in sociology and theology. He lives in New York city and teaches sociology at St. Peter's College in New Jersey and Gender studies at Hunter College. In Fall 2009, he was invited to teach LGBTQ Studies and Sociology, the first course of its kind offered at the Jesuit college. He is a best selling author and has published 24 books in sociology, theology and sexuality. He is a columnist for the Sinchew Daily, the leading Chinese newspaper in Malaysia. He is currently finishing his doctoral degrees in sociology and theology. 
Rev. Dr. Patrick Chang
Patrick S. Cheng is a theologian, seminary professor, and ordained minister. He is the Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He holds a Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. He also holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Yale College.
Patrick is the author of "Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology" (Seabury, 2011) and the forthcoming " From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ " (Seabury, 2012). He is an ordained minister with the Metropolitan Community Churches, an LGBT-affirming Christian denomination that is open to all people. He is the coordinator of Queer Asian Spirit, an organization dedicated to the spiritual and religious lives of LGBT people of Asian descent around the world and their allies. Patrick lives with his husband of two decades, Michael. His website is
 Rev. Alice Cabotaje
Rev. Alice Cabotaje was born and raised in the Philippines. She was a financial journalist for fourteen years and covered the capital markets of Asia Pacific region, North and South Americas. She graduated from the Pacific School of Religion of the Graduate Theological Union in 2008 and became an ordained minister with MCC. She is a Board Certified Chaplain and currently an ACPE Supervisory Candidate at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. She also serves as volunteer clergy with Peninsula MCC. Rev. Alice lives in Pacifica with Jane, her partner of nineteen years, their nine-year-old, black and tan dachshund Lena, two-year old Pomeranian-Yorkie Cody, cockatiel Jack, and lovebird Giada. Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong
The Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong is an ordained minister with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC). He is currently the Settled Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu and is an active member of the UUA's Journey Toward Wholeness Transformation Committee. Jonipher currently resides in Honolulu, Hawai'i and has been with his partner for over 13 years. He enjoys watching cheesy movies, snorkeling Hanauma Bay and composting as a spiritual practice. His website is Jonipher.com. 
Rev. George Balgan Rev. George completed his internship at MCC of Las Vegas and was ordained into ministry at MCC LV in 2006. He is also a chaplain in Las Vegas. He serves as the Worship Leader for the Saturday evening worship service and offers Pastoral Care to the members and friends of MCC LV. Rev. George also serves as the staff lead for MCC-LV Youth, a new style of ministry geared to the needs of LGBT youth, 21 and under. MCC - LV Youth Friday Fellowship is an informal gathering, with contemporary music played by young musicians. Rev. George guides a safe, open discussion based on spiritual topics chosen by the youths themselves. Rev. Joe Pang, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia  | | Rev. Joe Pang |
 | | Rev. Ceejay Agbayani |
Rev. Ceejay Agbayani, Quezon City, Philippines  | | Kakay Pamaran |
Kakay Pamaran, MCC Quezon City, Philippines - MCC Judiciary Pool  | | Pastor Edgar Constantino |
 | | Pastor Myke Sotero |
Pastor Edgar Constantino, MCC Makati Pastor Myke Sotero, MCC Metro Baguio |
| Resources Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
For Teachers
Asian Pacific American Firsts Poster
API Histories
Asia Society
The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology
Asian American Timeline
2010 US Census Information The Wing Luke Asisan Museum http://www.wingluke.org/ |
|
Asian Pacific Island LGBT Organizations
South Bay Queer and Asian
Gay Asian Pacific Alliance http://www.gapa.org/ Asian Pacific Pride http://api-pride.blogspot.com/ Asians and Friends Washington http://afwashington.posterous.com/ National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance http://www.nqapia.org/ Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women & Transgender Community http://www.apiqwtc.org/ Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York www.gapimny.org Asian/pacific islander Queers United for Action (AQUA) http://www.aquadc.org/ |
| | Celebrations
Collide, Connect, Create - 5th Annual Queer and Asian Conference
We Axe You to Speak: An API Heritage Month Literary Reading
Pride and Heritage DC www.dcprideandheritage.org |
 2gether blessed in Concert
at Wichita Falls MCC
Saturday April 14, 2012
3 p.m.
Benefiting MCC Ministry in the Philippians
|
| | | Our Team |  | Rev. Stedney Phillips
Chair  | Rev. Ed. Paul
|
 Rev. Boon Lin Ngeo Rev. Elder Ken Martin Barbara Crabtree, Advisor |
| Our Vision | MCC's Asian Pacific Initiative seeks to
cultivate and nourish relationships with
people of Asian and Pacific Islands descent,
building vibrant, liberating Christian
communities that are supportive of gender
and sexual minorities and which respect the
spiritual journeys of all.
 |
| Our Mission | *Nurture hope and
healing *Strengthen faith *Establish relationships with seminaries in Asia to develop local leader -ship *Provide resources to local churches *Connect to the global LGBT movement |
| Serving | | * China
* Hong Kong
* Japan
* Malaysia
* Pakistan
* Papua New Guiea
* Philippines
* Singapore
* South Korea |
Litany: Here We Are On The Edge
We are here.
Dancing on the edge. The edge of the Pacific Rim, the ring of fire. The dangerous and delightful edge of spirituality and sexuality.
Here we will be. Living out loud. Loving out loud. Worshiping out loud. All the while knowing the danger of loving each other and the Christ.
Here we will not be. Silent. Afraid. Alone. Invisible. Nameless. Faithless. For we have strength by being in relation -ship with each other, with MCC and with the Divine.
Here we will sing the song of liberation. Here we will dance the dance of whole - ness. Here we will laugh the joy of salvation. Here we will drink and eat at Table, as our true selves.
Here we are. On the edge. It is ours to fill to over -flowing. With Passion. With Hope. With the Love of God through Christ and in Communion with Spirit. The Holy edge.
Here we are!
Amen.
written by Vickey Gibbs
| | |
api | Asian Pacific
an Emerging Ministry
small yet GROWING
by Vickey Gibbs |
| Information | For more information about the
Asian Pacific Initiative contact Rev. Stedney Phillips
at
RevStedneyPhillips@
MCCchurch.net
or visit our webpage
http://mccchurch.org/m
inistries/asia-pacific-initiative/
Donate to API
by emailing
API@MCCchurch.net |
API Ministries
2gether blessed
concerts
supporting API
Saturday, April 14th, 3pm
Wichita Falls MCC, 1401 Travis St. .
Sunday, April 15th, 10am MCC of Greater Dallas, 1840 Hutton Dr., #100, Carrollton, TX 75006, .
Sunday, April 15th, 7pm- Promise MCC, 2527 W. Colorado Blvd., Dallas TX 75211, .
| Message in 4G
God's Grace is Given thru the Gospel
Bible Study in Tagalog and English
Los Angeles, CA |
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