Being in an Asian Church: Blessing and Curse? - Ken Fong

Morning Session

Why do Asian American churches function like they do? What are the benefits of being in an Asian American church? How does being from Asian cultures help and hinder us from being apprentices of Jesus? Being in an Asian Church, you have both choices and responsibilities.

Daniel: A Model for True Spirituality - John L. Ng

Morning Session

While in exile conditions, Daniel lives, moves and has his being according to a non-negotiable set of beliefs, values and convictions. It becomes his guide, goad and guard in his manner of living. This Daniel narrative provides a model for practicing true spirituality in a post-modern, urban context.

Facing the Challenges of the Second-Generation Asian-American Church: A Panel Discussion - Moderator: Peter Ong

Afternoon Session

Of the issues facing Asian-American congregations, the cultural barriers and social differences between the older immigrant generation and the younger American-born generation have become significant topics of debate. There is a great need for reconciliation and understanding between the generations, but in many congregations, these ideals seem impossible to achieve. The purpose of this panel is to provide a forum where these issues can be discussed, where the sources of conflict can be identified, and where solutions and alternatives can be formulated under the hope that the generations can be reconciled so that the Asian-American church can better serve the Lord's purposes. We've invited panelists to constructively discuss vital issues facing the Second Generation Asian American church. Issues to be addressed will include

• vision (What is the purpose of the Asian American church? How is vision perceived from one generation to another?)
• responsibility (Can the new generation take responsibility? If not, why not and what training is necessary?)
• trust (Does trust exist? What can be done to foster trust? What underlies the growing frustration?).

God Has Huge Plans for You - Roger Lehman

Both Sessions

A Tender Heart Hears God The economic downturn has directly and indirectly impacted our ability to hear God when we most need it. Trauma, abuse and deep disappointments can cause our hearts to harden. The hardness can block out God’s voice so that we can’t hear the plans He has for our lives. We can remove those layers of hardness.

Experiencing the God of Breakthrough The plans God has for us are always much bigger than us. We will learn how to breakthrough our doubts, fears, generational curses, and other roadblocks.

The Anointing: Our Identity & Destiny We will learn how the Lord anoints us with the unction of the Holy Spirit to do the works of the Father and to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God outside the four walls the church.

Making a difference means traveling off the map - Joe DeSantis

Afternoon Session

Christians today have much in common with explorers like Lewis and Clark, Neil Armstrong, Captain Kirk and the members of the Starship Enterprise. Like them we are called to go "where no one has gone before," and where no map has yet been imagined. We're called to discover, and to learn, and to know and to love the changing world before us. And we're called to make a difference by living redemptively as agents of God's peace.

Yet it scares us to travel beyond the borders of what we know. And why not? Ever since kindergarten we've been taught that "it is wrong to color outside of the lines" that others have drawn for us. So, too frightened to move ahead, we gravitate toward the familiar and wonder why nothing changes. But change takes change, doesn't it? What's that old saying? "If you keep on doing what you've been doing, you'll keep on getting what you've got." Making a difference in the world means making changes in the way we think, speak, and live. Jesus' word for this is, "repent."

This workshop is about becoming God's agents of change by learning to change. It's about having the courage to travel off the map and about having the faith to trust the compass of God's Spirit and Word to guide us through the wilderness ahead.