Both of these articles together make an interesting read. I go to a majority culture church here in California. I found it interesting, and endearing when I first went there, there was a Filipino American leading worship one of the first times I went. He was actually a contestant on the show, The Voice.
What was endearing and helped me stick around at the time was the fact I was welcomed by a variety of people. I didn't know at the time that Sunday evening service was different from the Sunday morning services.
Covid as we know had a major impact on us all. And that Sunday night service was one of the events that did not return when our state started allowing in person services and we started up meeting in person.
I guess for myself reading this and tying my own journey into this beings back hard memories also serving in a majority culture campus ministry. I literally was for the longest time on my team the only "Person of Color" where everything mentioned about the difference between Asian and Western values caused a lot of difficulty. There was no sponsor, no older person or other person who could also represent me. Unfortunately those leaders and teams were in different parts of the US.
All that to say, I was caught in the middle because I didn't understand or appreciate the position I was in and there was a strange disconnect I didn't fully grasp. The structure was not there to develop or learn the ropes, especially as a young, at the time, New Staff. There were a lot more complications I won't go into here.
After reading this, it re-kindles and affirms I have a role, and a unique position at my church. How to go about it after reading this might look a bit different than I even thought. It is interesting and exciting thinking that I could be used by the Lord to "unwittingly" but in a providential way, welcome a family or individual who is a person of color into this church and they become the next fill in the blank leader at this church or elsewhere in the Body of Christ as their perception changed seeing someone like them serving in their uniquely gifted way.
Both of these articles together make an interesting read. I go to a majority culture church here in California. I found it interesting, and endearing when I first went there, there was a Filipino American leading worship one of the first times I went. He was actually a contestant on the show, The Voice.
What was endearing and helped me stick around at the time was the fact I was welcomed by a variety of people. I didn't know at the time that Sunday evening service was different from the Sunday morning services.
Covid as we know had a major impact on us all. And that Sunday night service was one of the events that did not return when our state started allowing in person services and we started up meeting in person.
I guess for myself reading this and tying my own journey into this beings back hard memories also serving in a majority culture campus ministry. I literally was for the longest time on my team the only "Person of Color" where everything mentioned about the difference between Asian and Western values caused a lot of difficulty. There was no sponsor, no older person or other person who could also represent me. Unfortunately those leaders and teams were in different parts of the US.
All that to say, I was caught in the middle because I didn't understand or appreciate the position I was in and there was a strange disconnect I didn't fully grasp. The structure was not there to develop or learn the ropes, especially as a young, at the time, New Staff. There were a lot more complications I won't go into here.
After reading this, it re-kindles and affirms I have a role, and a unique position at my church. How to go about it after reading this might look a bit different than I even thought. It is interesting and exciting thinking that I could be used by the Lord to "unwittingly" but in a providential way, welcome a family or individual who is a person of color into this church and they become the next fill in the blank leader at this church or elsewhere in the Body of Christ as their perception changed seeing someone like them serving in their uniquely gifted way.