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Empathy & Restoration between Communities through an Ethnic Minority Lens

Training influencers to engage God and their communities more authentically and holistically through a global, collective lens.

Consider the World We Live in Today...

Social Media has changed the landscape of the whole world.  Shame has now taken centerstage. Brené Brown calls it a "silent epidemic" because it's silent yet affects everyone.

America’s religious landscape has completely changed. The percentage of those who don't identify with any religion has skyrocketed (e.g. 65% of Chinese Americans under 30 identify as religiously unaffiliated.

The world has never been so diverse; it’s never been so urban, so diverse, and so Asian!

 

Training to Bring Belonging and Restoration through an Ethnic Lens...

Imagine a world where...

  • everyone's story can connect with God's story, without needing to pass through another culture, nor pass through any religion.
  • the vulnerable are centered and blessed, and those who feel polluted are met with purity
  • our inherent biases are surfaced and walls between hostile groups are torn down.
  • your family, place, and culture of origin are just as important as anyone else's.
  • shame is met with honor, and feelings of dirtiness are met with purity.

Embody changes where we are bringing honor to the shamed

  • Jesus himself embodied real love, grace, and mercy across boundary lines while elevating those most marginalized. With Jesus as our model, we serve people from all world views.
  • Embodiment means our training is aimed beyond the cognitive and the behavioral. We're aiming for changed instincts via excavation of our narratives that govern how we see ourselves, others, and our Higher Power.

A 3-minute introduction to an Ethnic Minority Lens

Credit: Jeffrey Chung, a KR volunteer

Take a Deeper Dive...

HOME – BELONGING – RESTORATION – EMBRACE

September 23, 2023

by Pastor Andrea Wong of Hong Kong When people first meet me, they often ask, “Where is home for you?” A seemingly simple, yet complex question… You see, ordinarily, my default is to say: Hong Kong. It’s where I was born, where I’ve spent most of my life, but also where I currently reside. But…

Both in Heaven; Why not here on earth?

April 26, 2020

So far, two people who have had an impact on my life passed away during this world-changing COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve been a part of both of their communities, but never at the same time because I’ve not found a space where BOTH these two men would be welcomed and fellowshipping together here on earth, not the…

Sharing love with San Francisco’s interfaith worshipping communities

July 30, 2015

On a recent Sunday morning, I took my family to church as I do most Sundays. But this Sunday was different. After our worship service, bicyclists began gathering outside my church from San Francisco’s diverse inter-faith community.  I welcomed everyone to my church and began my role of presiding over this first-ever inter-faith service on wheels.…

As an Anglo-American pastoring a majority Asian-American church, Steve’s perspective has shaped my ministry and me in profound ways: 1) to open my eyes to greater degrees the structures of power and privilege within American society, and the way that many in our community experience that; 2) the way that the Kingdom of God subverts the bondage of guilt, shame and fear through the Gospel. I am so grateful for the ways that God has met us as we’ve committed to mutual submission.

Sean Curtis

Former pastor of The Great Exchange Covenant Church, San Francisco

Kingdom Rice rethinks and restructures paradigms and systems in light of Kingdom values with a prophetic voice. They provide a theological and cultural big picture and education and development to every level of the organization. They integrate emotional health, theology and cultural dynamics in all aspects of life and ministry.

Various members

Epic Movement’s Leadership Development Team

Steve’s ministry gave me such a shock, in the best way possible. Sitting in class with our missions training students I was learning things I hadn’t heard before. Things like how the gospel relates differently throughout the world, and that when we push the guilt/righteousness mindset we are not relating Christ to other cultures. I was woken up to the reality that culture gives others a different perspective, and that it is good. Steve taught how the ‘honor/shame’ culture of Asia depicts a beautiful view of the Kingdom of God. The students learned to step into another culture, to understand their thoughts and what Christ would want to do in the lives of those we would be sharing with.

The students were given the opportunity to re-write their testimonies so they related to the Asian culture we would be sharing with, and it had such a deep impact. I saw students who had no words to share the gospel before Steve’s teaching able to relate what God has done in them to a culture they never knew before. I experienced a new and deeper friendship with people I had met on previous missions trips simply because I tried a new way of relating to their culture. The best part of working with Steve is that he doesn’t just teach from book material, but he invites others into living out what he shares. He brings everyone into an interactive format that is taught and experienced throughout his ministry. Through Steve’s teaching everyone was better equipped to share the gospel in a culturally relevant way.

Kassi Palmer

Discipleship Training School, Youth With A Mission, San Francisco

Centering An Ethnic Lens opens space for a greater diversity of souls to find their stories in God's Story of Belonging and Restoration