Events

Upcoming Events

“Why Las Posadas is important to AAPI Christians” - Video Conversation

Available Monday, December 5, 2022

Link: Why Las Posadas is important to AAPI Christians

Leaders from The Gathering and the Diocesan Program Group on Hispanic Ministries gathered together for a video conversation on Zoom. The conversation explores what Los Posadas is, what to expect when attending one, and the deep meaning and symbolism surrounding this important community ritual and liturgy. The Rev. Carlos Ruvalcaba and Sandra Martinez-Moore is joined by The Gathering’s Erika G. Bertling and The Rev. Peter Huang in a conversation on welcoming the stranger, the stresses and challenges of journey and migration, and the meaning of telling our stories of faith in our communities.

Sandra Martinez-Moore from San Salvador, El Salvador, came to the United States when she was fourteen to escape El Salvador’s Civil War. She is a member of the Diocesan Program Group on Hispanic Ministries as well as Liderazgo Hispano. Sandra also serves on the Board of Bloy House and is an active leader at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Pomona. She has been married to her wife, Lee, for the past 23 years and has two adult children, Karina and Kenneth. Sandra also works as a licensed vocational nurse.

The Rev. Carlos Ruvalcaba was born in Guadalajara, México and worked as an emergency medicine surgeon before coming to the United States. He was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church in 2019. He currently serves as the rector associate at St Stephen’s Hollywood, a very diverse and progressive community in the heart of Hollywood as well as at St. Barnabas in Eagle Rock. Carlos also has served as the convener for the diocesan Program Group on Hispanic Ministries since 2012, and as the academic director of Instituto de Liderazgo, a diocesan program which in collaboration with Bloy House aims to provide theological formation to Latinx lay leaders within the Diocese of Los Angeles.

The Gathering joins the Diocesan Gran Posada

SATURDAY, December 10, 2022, 5 pM Pacific

St. Paul’s Commons, 840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles CA

We invite The Gathering community to attend the Diocesan Posada together at St. Paul’s Commons, 840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90026. Come for an evening of bi-lingual liturgy, fellowship with the Program Group on Hispanic Ministries, food (co-sponsored by The Gathering), and music. And yes, of course, there will be piñatas!

Past Events

Front & Center: AAPI Women in Church Leadership

Saturday, October 29, 2022, 10 AM PST,

St. Athanasius Church, 840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90026

The Gathering - a Space for Asian Pacific Spirituality is excited to offer a panel conversation, "Front and Center: AAPI Women in Church Leadership." Hear the perspectives of female AAPI leaders on the future of the church, peace and justice causes, leadership roles, and more. Our panel conversation will feature Julianne Hines, Charlene Jin Lee, and Katie Nakamura Rengers.

Julianne Sumiko Hines, MSW, is a macro social worker and social justice advocate, who currently serves as the Senior Warden at All Saints Church Pasadena. She is a life-long resident of LA County and is the granddaughter of Japanese immigrants, whose experience has fueled her dedication to social and racial justice throughout her academic and professional career. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work and has 17 years of experience in community organizing, government affairs, and nonprofit leadership, having previously worked in the California State Legislature and as an executive at Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley. Julianne's favorite things to do are having meals with her family or close friends, reading, or planning for future travel.

Charlene Jin Lee, Ph.D., is a practical theologian whose work centers on identity, voice, and context in spiritual formation. Attending to the middle space between reflection and action, her teaching and scholarship engages theological claims grounded in lived-experience and public witness. She is involved with advocacy for equitable housing solutions and workforce development for underserved populations. Charlene currently teaches at the University of Redlands Graduate School of Theology and is discerning a transition to ordained parish ministry. You can find her writings for the church at pres-outlook.org. She holds a Ph.D. in religious education from Union Presbyterian Seminary and a Ed.M. from Harvard University.

Katie Nakamura Rengers, M.Div., joined the Presiding Bishop’s staff in 2020, as Staff Officer for Church Planting. She is the founder of The Abbey, a non-traditional church plant in Birmingham, AL that began as a coffee shop and is now a Sunday worshiping community. Katie graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2011. She has served small and large, rural and urban congregations. She is passionate about helping the Episcopal Church live into its innovative, resilient, multi-cultural future. Katie, her husband and their two little girls live in Birmingham, AL.

The conversation will be moderated by intercultural educator/consultant Erika G. Bertling, member of The Gathering's leadership team.

The Gathering @ Chinese American Museum

SAturday, September 17, 2022, 11 AM PsT, Chinese American Museum, Los ANgeles CA

The Gathering - a Space for Asian Pacific Spirituality - invites all to the Chinese American Museum for a tour of its exhibits with special focus on "Collective Resilience - Asian American Artists Honoring Our Community's Strength and Unity." Come explore the Asian American experience and its collective resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic through the perspective of art. The museum visit will be followed by lunch nearby.

The museum is located at 425 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 90012. More information on the exhibition can be found here. Additional information for CAM can be found here.

AAPI Alive! The Gathering’s Eastertide Devotional

Our multimedia online devotional celebrating AAPI voices will launch on Easter Sunday (April 17), take us through AAPI Heritage Month, and end on Pentecost Sunday (June 5). Access AAPI Alive! here.

Feast of Pentecost Worship Celebration

Sunday, June 5, 2022, 3 PM PDT, All Saints Church, Pasadena CA

The Gathering - a Space for Asian Pacific Spirituality and All Saints Church Pasadena, invite all to a worship service celebrating the Feast of Pentecost and featuring Asian American/Pacific Islander music, art, and voices.

The Revs. Katherine Feng, Peter Huang and Keith Yamamoto will lead the service. Reflections will be shared by Ravi Verma, Joyce Swaving, and Mel Soriano. Music will be offered by Weicheng Zhao, Fang Gao, and Darita Seth.

The order of service (PDF) is here.

Videos of music and homilies can be found here:

Darita Seth sings “In the Morning When I Rise” https://youtu.be/g-BIyXzOjFs

Weicheng Zhao and Fang Gao performs “Amazing Grace” https://youtu.be/Szx8zHXlOKE

Joyce Swaving offers a reflection https://youtu.be/4VCAxbk_y5w

Ravi Verma offers a reflection https://youtu.be/OG-imjKt6Is

Mel Soriano offers a reflection https://youtu.be/fRiJqmY6n3c

AAPI Heritage Month Celebration

Saturday, May 7, 2022, 3 PM TO 5 PM PDT, St. Paul’s Commons Rooftop

We’re throwing a party to kick off AAPI Heritage Month and celebrate AAPI voices featured in AAPI Alive! Come for food, music, and fellowship, as well as hear from AAPI Alive! contributors.

Love My Neighbor, Stand Against Hate: Bystander Intervention Training & Workshop

SaturdAY, February 12, 2022, 1 PM TO 3:30 PM PST online

Have you ever witnessed intolerance and harassment and wished you knew what to do? Join Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA and The Gathering: A Space for Asian Pacific American Spirituality for this highly effective and practical training designed especially for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Be empowered to take direct action to protect our communities and stand up for our brothers and sisters, especially Asian-Pacific Islander/Americans!

In the first hour, AAAJ-LA's trainers will teach the "5 Ds" of how to intervene effectively as a bystander without compromising safety. Immediately following a short break, we'll use the second hour to put what we've just learned into action, especially as it relates to our faith communities. The Gathering team will facilitate reflective exercises and a Q+A time for us to grow together as Beloved Community.

Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration

SaturdAY, January 15, 2022, 4 PM TO 5 PM PST online

Please join us as we participate in the Diocese of Los Angeles Commemoration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event video is available on Facebook and YouTube.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor will be celebrant, and Bishop Deon Johnson of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri will preach at the virtual service, which will be streamed via the diocesan Facebook page and YouTube channel. Segments of the service have been recorded at L.A.'s Christ the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in the Leimert Park/Crenshaw district. Event coordinators include Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton, the Rev. Guy Leemhuis, and Gabe Vasquez-Reyes.

The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson is 11th bishop of the Diocese of Missouri. A native of Barbados, he holds bachelor of arts degrees in English and history and an associate's degree in biology as well as a master of divinity degree from General Theological Seminary. He served at churches in Ohio and Michigan, gaining experience in social justice issues, ministry to gay and lesbian communities and many other church boards and programs. For the wider Episcopal Church he continues to serve on the task force for Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision and as a consultant with the Office of Black Ministries. He was elected bishop of Missouri in late 2019 on the first ballot, and was ordained on June 13, 2020. He and his husband are parents of two children.

Advent Gathering

SaturdAY, DecemBER 4, 2021, 3 PM TO 4:30 PM PST, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Westwood CA

Bishop John Harvey Taylor and The Gathering - a Space for Asian Pacific Spirituality - invite all to "Advent Gathering" as we celebrate Asian Pacific American communities and cultures through Eucharist, fellowship, and food.

Bishop Taylor and St. Alban's Church in Westwood will host the event with Mel Soriano offering a reflection and the Rev. Peter Huang presiding at the service. Our time together will also feature worship music with Hannah Park and food prepared by Joyce Swaving. This is an in-person outdoor event, observing COVID-19 safety precautions.

A livestream recording of this event is available on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/thegatheringasianamerican).

Remembering the 1871 Los Angeles Chinese Massacre: Presentation and Discussion

SaturdAY, OctoBER 23, 2021, 4 PM TO 5:30 PM PDT, VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM

The Gathering will host a remembrance of the 1871 Los Angeles Chinese Massacre, when 10% of the city's Chinese population was murdered. Please join us for a presentation and discussion on Saturday, October 23, 4 - 5:30 p.m. Our event will review the history of the lynching, the impact on Chinese and Asian people in Los Angeles and the country, and the sociological and historical events that followed.

Our guest speaker will be Dr. John M. Liu, the professor emeritus, Departments of Asian American Studies and Sociology at UC Irvine. He founded the Asian American Studies Program at UCI and helped in the creation of the Department. He is a former associate editor of Amerasia Journal, the oldest journal in the field of Asian American Studies and was a founding co-editor of the Journal of the Association of Asian American Studies. His areas of concentration were in race/ethnic relations, comparative studies of ethnic communities, comparative international immigration studies, and social theory. Before moving north, Dr. Liu attended Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana.

A time for Q&A will be facilitated by the Rev. Peggy Lo from the Diocese of Chicago. The Gathering - a Space for Asian Pacific American Spirituality is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles to Asian Pacific Americans.

Video of the event can be found on our YouTube channel.

The Gathering Spot

First WEDNESDAYs of the month in 2021, 5 PM TO 6 PM Pacific, VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM

Come join us for The Gathering Spot, an informal monthly time to connect with other members of The Gathering in a smaller group setting. The Gathering Spot offers an opportunity to connect – listen, laugh, simply gather together – to meet for a moment to hope, lament, pray, and share. We will meet every first Wednesday of the month.

Celebrating Art & Spirituality as Asian Pacific Americans: Panel Conversation and Q+A

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2021, 4 PM TO 5:30 PM PDT, VIRTUALLY ON ZOOM

Please join us for a panel conversation and discussion on “Celebrating Art and Spirituality as Asian Pacific Americans." This event will focus on how our journey in creation integrates our cultural identity and spirituality. Come join us as we engage our speakers and each other on this topic.

This conversation will include Naomi Hirahara, journalist and Edgar Award-winning author, Dustin Seo, cellist and Associate Artistic Director of Street Symphony and Joshua Wong, Claremont Theological Seminary student and former Ralph Lauren footwear designer. Peter Huang of The Gathering will moderate the conversation.

Naomi Hirahara is an Edgar Award-winning author of multiple traditional mystery series and noir short stories. Her Mas Arai mysteries, which have been published in Japanese, Korean and French, feature a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor who solves crimes. The seventh and final Mas Arai mystery is Hiroshima Boy, which was nominated for an Edgar Award for best paperback original. Her first historical mystery is Clark and Division, which follows a Japanese American family’s move to Chicago in 1944 after being released from a California wartime detention center. Her second Leilani Santiago Hawai‘i mystery, An Eternal Lei, is scheduled to be released in 2022. A former journalist with The Rafu Shimpo newspaper, Naomi has also written numerous non-fiction history books and curated exhibitions. She has also written a middle-grade novel, 1001 Cranes. Naomi currently attends Christian Assembly in Eagle Rock and is active with its Multi-Ethnic Learning Committee. More information Naomi and her work can be found at www.naomihirahara.com.

Dustin Seo has been involved with Street Symphony since 2017 and commits his artistic practice to organizing and empowering communities in Los Angeles, specifically through partnerships with Skid Row based arts organizations and service providers. As Associate Artistic Director of Street Symphony, Dustin is responsible for curating all engagement and performance programming, building and sustaining artistic and community partnerships, and artistic personnel management and contracting. Dustin is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), where he received his Bachelor of Music degree with distinction in Cello Performance. Along with his performance studies, he also received an honors academic major in Musical Arts as well as a Certificate in Arts Leadership. Dustin’s education continues beyond school through the mentorship of community organizations and individuals who have been leading and organizing Los Angeles every day through their enduring compassion, humanity, and artistry. More information about Dustin’s work with the Street Symphony can be found at www.streetsymphony.org

Joshua Wong graduated from Art Center College of Design, and worked as an advertising art director in Los Angeles and New York City, where he later became the footwear designer for Ralph Lauren. In his fourteen years as an award winning senior art director heading advertising campaigns from IBM to Hilton Hotel, Joshua Wong learned to create campaigns that were both intriguing and compelling. He eventually followed his first passion and became Ralph Lauren’s women's collection footwear creative director. Before moving back to Los Angeles, Joshua was Banana Republic’s vice president of men’s and women’s footwear. He now enjoys studying as a seminarian at Claremont School of Theology integrating spirituality with creativity. Joshua is a postulant for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and a member of Thad’s Church. More information on Joshua’s work can be found at joshuawongdesign.com.

Everyone interested in this topic is welcome to attend virtually. This free event is hosted by The Gathering - a Space for Asian Pacific American Spirituality, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles to Asian Pacific Americans. The Gathering holds events to engage topics relevant to Asian Pacific American communities and offers a space for Asian Pacific Americans to gather to share in their spiritual journeys.

“Nā Kamalei: The Men of Hula” Film Screening and Q+A

Saturday July 17, 2021, Time 2:30 PM Movie Screening, 4:00 pm Q&A on ZooM

A video recording of this event can be found here.

Please join us to experience Native Hawaiian culture through the film screening and Q&A of Nā Kamalei: The Men of Hula. This documentary captures the journey of legendary master teacher Robert Cazimero and the only all-male hula school in Hawai’i as they prepare to compete at the world’s largest hula festival. Beyond deep-rooted stereotypes of ‘grass-skirt girls’, the film tells a story of Hawaiian pride as the men celebrate their 30th anniversary in continuing the revival of men dancing hula.

Blending dance and culture with the personal stories of the men, the film follows the dancers—who range in age from 18 to 55 years old—as they return to the largest hula competition in the world. Often called the “Superbowl of Hula”, the stakes are high at the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. These men, many of whom are the oldest in competition, instead seek not to win, but to dance with pride and masculine grace. More information on the film and the director are available at: https://www.lehuafilms.com/na-kamalei-the-men-of-hula

This event is hosted by The Gathering - a Space for Asian Pacific American Spirituality, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles to Asian Pacific Americans. The Gathering holds events to engage topics relevant to Asian Pacific American communities and offers a space for Asian Pacific Americans to gather to share in their spiritual journeys.

A group screening on Zoom starts at 2:30 pm and leads into Q&A time with director, Lisette Marie Flanary and the Reverend Keleawe Hee, moderated by Erika Bertling of The Gathering.

Lisette Marie Flanary is the producer and director of Lehua Films and her award-winning documentaries, American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawaiʻi, Nā Kamalei: The Men of Hula, ONE VOICE, and Tokyo Hula have broadcast nationally on public television and shown in film festivals around the world. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is one of the co-directors of Good Pitch Local Hawaiʻi.

Keleawe Hee is AAPI, being of Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino ancestry. For the past 30 years he worked as a public school teacher, university mentor and college professor (teaching multi-cultural classes is one of his favorites). He is an Episcopal priest and being kanaka maoli, is in the minority. Discussing race and ethnicity continues to interest him and as the years go by different issues present themselves.

Erika G. Bertling (Moderator) is an intercultural educator and consultant who partners with higher education institutions to teach and engage groups on themes such as racially conscious parenting, culturally responsive pedagogy & leadership, multiracial/multicultural identity formation, and implicit bias awareness. She has lived and taught in a wide variety of international settings, with a diverse array of students, situations, formats, levels, and classrooms. Her lifelong, in-depth cross-cultural experience in multiple arenas informs her passion for the ongoing work of equity and inclusion.

Pentecost Gathering Worship Service

Sunday May 23, 2021, 3 pm to 4 pm, Virtually on Zoom

This May as we celebrate API Heritage Month, Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce invites the Diocesan Community to a special worship service celebrating the gifting of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and the gift of our APA heritage. We hope to find a united voice in our worship in the midst of this challenging season for APAs and POCs.

Click here to download the PDF of the slides

About our contributing musicians:

Gloria Fanchiang is a 2nd generation Taiwanese American songwriter, independent recording artist and worship leader. You can find more of her music at http://gloriafanchiang.com. You can find more worship music by Asian and Asian American women that Gloria has curated here: https://spoti.fi/3hBed5R

Larissa Lam, friend of The Gathering, is a Chinese American filmmaker, singer, and songwriter. You can find her work at https://larissalam.com . Larissa and her husband, Baldwin, recently shared their film “Far East: Deep South” with us and also on PBS! https://www.fareastdeepsouth.com

Who Shall We Be?: Theological Reflections on Being APA Christians in Today’s World

SUNDay, February 28, 2021, 4 pm to 6 pm PST, Virtually on ZOOM

Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce invites the Diocesan community to a panel conversation and discussion on “Who Shall We Be? Theological reflections on being Asian Pacific American Christians in today's world.” This event will focus on how Christians make meaning and respond to the events of our world. Come join us as we engage our speakers and each other on this topic.

This conversation will feature Heidi Kim, Director of the Melrose Family Center for Servant Leadership at the Breck School and formerly The Episcopal Church's staff officer for racial reconciliation, Winnie Varghese, Priest for Ministry & Program Coordination at Trinity Church, Wall Street, and Gale Yee, Nancy W. King Professor of Biblical Studies emerita at Episcopal Divinity School. Yein Kim, rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Westwood, will moderate the conversation.

Heidi J. Kim is an educator and Episcopalian living in Minneapolis, MN. She currently serves as the Director of the Melrose Family Center for Servant Leadership at the Breck School. She previously served as the Staff Officer for Racial Reconciliation for The Episcopal Church for five years, listening and learning with Episcopalians and Anglicans throughout the church. Heidi’s experience in church-wide ministry as well as in higher and secondary education has focused on the stories of the survivors and disrupters of oppression and marginalization, as well as the struggles of faithful people to speak across difference while remaining in community. Her passion is working with curious, diligent, and loving people to maintain stronger and more faithful communities.

The Rev. Winnie Varghese is a priest at Trinity Church Wall Street. Before coming to Trinity, Rev. Varghese was the rector of St. Mark’s in the Bowery, a historic Episcopal congregation in New York City. From 2003-2009, she served as the Episcopal Chaplain at Columbia University. From 1999-2003 she served as the curate at St. Alban’s, Westwood and Episcopal Chaplain to UCLA. She graduated from the Union Theological Seminary (M.Div. 1999) and Southern Methodist University (B.A. Religious Studies 1994). She is the author of Church Meets World; editor of What We Shall Become; and author of numerous articles and chapters on social justice and the church.

Gale A. Yee is Nancy W. King Professor of Biblical Studies emerita, Episcopal Divinity School. She is the author of Poor Banished Children of Eve: Woman as Evil in the Hebrew Bible; Jewish Feasts and the Gospel of John; Composition and Tradition in the Book of Hosea; “The Book of Hosea” commentary in The New Interpreters Bible. Vol. VII, as well as many articles and essays. She is the editor of Judges and Method: New Approaches in Biblical Studies, which is now in its second edition (2007), a co-editor for the Texts@Context series, the Fortress Commentary on the Old Testament and Apocrypha (2014), and The Hebrew Bible: Feminist and Intersectional Perspectives (2018) for Fortress Press, and former General Editor of Semeia Studies. In 2019, she was president of the Society of Biblical Literature. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2020. She lives at Pilgrim Place, a retirement community in Claremont, CA, known for its social activism.

The event is free. Everyone interested in this topic is welcome to attend virtually. For additional information, please email TheGatheringEDLA@gmail.com. Registration is on Zoom here.

Film Screening and Q&A: Far East, Deep South: Discover the Past You Never Knew

Saturday, February 6, 2021, 2:30 PM Movie Screening, 4:00 pm Q&A on ZooM

The Gathering is hosting a special documentary film screening of Far East Deep South, a film which explores the seldom-told history of early Chinese immigrants living in the American South during the late 1800s to mid-1900s through the eyes of Charles Chiu and his family as they travel from California to Mississippi to find answers about his father, K.C. Lou.

The film provides a window into the lives of the Chinese in the South and the discrimination they faced in the midst of segregation. Included in the story is the bond between the Chinese and Black communities as two groups disenfranchised by racism.The film highlights the struggles and perseverance of the Delta Chinese and explores the added challenge of exclusionary immigration policies, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act. Additional information on the film and the filmmakers is available at https://fareastdeepsouth.com/

A group screening starts at 2:30 pm and leads into Q&A time with director, Larissa Lam, and producer, Baldwin Chiu, moderated by the Rev. Peter Huang from the Diocese of Los Angeles and The Gathering, with guest moderator, the Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers from the Diocese of Alabama and Staff Office for Church Planting from the Presiding Bishop’s Office. The film is also available for individual viewing on February 6 prior to the Q&A at 4:00 pm.

The Gathering joins Diocesan Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Saturday, January 16, 2021, 4 pm to 5:30 pm PsT, Virtually on Zoom

You are invited to join the Diocese of Los Angeles’ annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance, to be held online at 4 p.m. PT on Saturday, January 16, 2021. The Rev. Gayle Fisher-Stewart — Episcopal priest, former police officer and author of 2020’s Preaching Black Lives (Matter) will be speaking on the theme of “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community.”

The event will be streamed live both on the diocese's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/LADiocese as well as on its YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCva0NDh1tfkDNXJxP1NlLfA

The Advent Gathering: Lessons, Carols, & Fellowship

Saturday, December 12, 2020, 4:30 pm to 6 pm PsT, Virtually on Zoom

Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce invites the diocesan community to "The Advent Gathering: Lessons, Carols, & Fellowship" on Saturday, Dec. 12, 4:30 - 6 p.m. This online event, an Asian twist on the traditional Lessons & Carols format, will feature Asian Pacific American-themed readings and music set to Advent themes of hope, love, joy, peace, and Christ.

Contributors of reflections and music include jason chu (@jasonchumusic), Gukhui Han (St. Luke's Church, Long Beach), Hannah Yim (Mutual Ministry of St. Andrew's and Christ Episcopal Church), Jenny Kim (Claremont Graduate University), Dustin Seo (Street Symphony), and Ravi Verma (Stillpoint).

Come with your favorite Advent/Christmas headwear and ornament. (Ugly Christmas sweaters encouraged but optional!) Festivity will include prizes for best headwear and ornament. Bring your favorite Advent story to share.

The event video is here.

At What Co$t?: Asian Pacific Americans, Racial Capitalism, and the Limits of Racial Identity

Saturday, October 17, 2020, 1 pm to 3 pm PDT, Virtually on Zoom

The Gathering (Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles) and Episcopal Asian Supper Table (Episcopal Diocese of New York) jointly presents this panel conversation featuring Jonathan Tran, Ph.D. (Baylor University) and Liz Lin, Ph.D. (Progressive Asian American Christians).

This event is also part of “Trauma and (Un)Truths: Promises Broken in God’s Name,” a web series presented by New Community Ministries, the Diocese of Los Angeles’ multicultural ministry, and Bishop Suffragan Diane M Jardine Bruce. The web series explores systems of oppression in church and society from the experiences of People of Color. This event will specifically explore understanding racial capitalism from an APA perspective.

Americans seem obsessed with racial identity. To belong here, it is thought, is to have a racial identity, and to participate in antiracism is establish, secure and assert one’s racial identity against those who would threaten it. But what if racial identity—say, establishing, securing and asserting it—especially under the conditions of racial capitalism only further entrenches us—including us Asian Pacific Americans--in unjust structures and systems? This conversation between two leading Asian American figures, Liz Lin (Progressive Asian American Christians) and Jonathan Tran (Baylor University), gets to the heart of a touchy subject, and invites participants to ask, “racial identity, at what cost?”

Dr. Liz Lin is the co-founder and director of Progressive Asian American Christians and a Senior Fellow at Newbigin House of Studies in San Francisco. She has a PhD in clinical psychology, as well as master's degrees in theology and psychology, from Fuller Theological Seminary. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her spouse and children.

Dr. Jonathan Tran lives with his family in Waco, TX, where he teaches theology and ethics at Baylor University. Originally from Vietnam, he grew up in southern California, went to school in North Carolina and now lives in Texas with his spouse, two teenagers, four cats and five chickens. His primary area of research is philosophical theology and is currently completing a book that attempts to reimagine how we think about antiracism.

The video recording of the event is available here.

The Gathering joins New Community’s presentation, “Trauma and (Un)Truths”

All are invited to a new series of talks "Trauma and (Un)Truths: Promises Broken in God's Name", presented by New Community, the Diocese of Los Angeles' multicultural ministry, hosted by Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce. The series will begin on Saturday, Aug. 22, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., with an introduction and overview of the topics listed below. Advance registration is required. For additional information, please visit here. For additional information, contact Bishop Bruce at dbruce@ladiocese.org.

Doctrine of Discovery, presented by the Rev. Canon Mary Crist and the Rev. Fennie Chang. The Doctrine of Discovery, established by European governments and ratified by early United States policy, held that the claims of European Christians took precedence over those of Indigenous peoples throughout the world, launching five centuries of human rights violations. The Episcopal Church repudiated the doctrine in 2009, yet it lives on through the church's laws, systemic racism, and historical trauma. New Community is working to discover the untold truths in order to work together for change and to build Christ's beloved community.
Racial Identity, presented by Erika Bertling, Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton, the Rev. John Limo and Gayle Kawahara. Although race has no scientific basis in biological or genetic reality, it is nevertheless a very real social construct intentionally designed to separate people into perpetual power hierarchies of superiority and inferiority. Whether or not individuals are aware of it, want it, or feel they have it, racial identity — especially in the deeply racialized history and culture of the United States, greatly affects all human experience. Racial identity is both externally imposed and internally constructed, and is crucial to understanding how people's identities and experiences have been shaped by race.
Racial Capitalism, presented by the Rev. Peter Kang, the Rev. Peter Huang, the Rev. Yein Kim and the Rev. Nick Griffith. Racial capitalism is a development of economic, political and social systems of oppression, formed by exploiting division between racial and cultural groups. These systems, sustained through power dynamics, are less likely to be seen as overt forms of racism and are instead demonstrated as hegemonic undercurrents. They exist in most systems of economy, including the church.

Your Liberation Is Our Liberation: Why Black Lives Matter to APA Christians

Saturday, September 19 2020, 4 pm to 6 pm PDT, Virtually on ZOOM

Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce invites the Diocesan community to a panel conversation and discussion on “Your Liberation Is Our Liberation: Why Black Lives Matter to Asian Pacific American Christians.” This event will focus on understanding race dynamics between Black and Asian Pacific American (APA) communities, and explore ways to promote racial justice in our communities. Come join us as we engage our speakers and each other on this topic.

This conversation will feature Rachel Bundang, Suzanne Edwards-Acton, Ezer Kang, and Diane Ujiiye. Erika G. Bertling, intercultural educator and member of Thad’s Church, will moderate the conversation.

Dr. Rachel Bundang is a Catholic feminist ethicist. Presently based in the Bay Area, she teaches on the Religious Studies faculty at Sacred Heart Cathedral in San Francisco and the Graduate Program for Pastoral Ministries faculty at Santa Clara University. She has written multiple articles and book chapters and additionally serves on the editorial team for Theological Studies. A founding member of the Asian Pacific American Religious Research Initiative (APARRI), her areas of interest lie at the intersections of race, feminisms, technology, inequality, and Catholic social teaching. As a liturgist, she preaches and leads music regularly at her home parish in the Bay Area and also offers retreats and workshops nationally.

Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton is the Vice President of the H Belfield Hannibal Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians and the Chair of the Program Group on Black Ministry for the Diocese of LA. With a BA from UCSD and Masters from LMU, the greater part of Suzanne’s professional career has been as a teacher, principal and currently as the Field Director for a New Teacher Residency. She served as the Director of Jubilee Consortium Episcopal Urban Intern Program (EUIP/JYLA). Suzanne also holds a Masters degree in Pastoral Ministry from Seminary of the Southwest. She is the founder of MyWorkToDo.com, a virtual reflective affinity space to learn about systems of whiteness and #InCreaseTheFold, folding (origami) as a contemplative practice. Suzanne is passionate about racial equity.

Dr. Ezer Kang is Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at Howard University. His research and writing focus on how minority groups thrive…or not in the context of poverty in US cities and low-middle income countries, especially relating to the mental and physical well-being of persons living with HIV. He also is a licensed psychologist who conducts psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for children and adults who recently immigrated to the US. Ezer received his M.A. in Theology and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena.

Pastor Diane Ujiiye is an “activist minister” co-founder of Black and API Solidarity, which organizes Black and Asian/Pacific Islander educators, organizers, gang intervention workers, formerly incarcerated, clergy/faith leaders, undocumented immigrants, and American born women and men. She has a background that includes over twenty years of working in the fields of substance abuse, mental health, HIV/AIDS, and gang intervention, early childhood education, race relations, and non-profit strategic planning in multi-ethnic LA County and California. Diane has conducted civil rights and public policy advocacy for Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders in California, resulting in the successful passage of state legislation. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Program information and additional resources available here.

A recording of the event is available here.

The Gathering – Summer Book Club

The Gathering Summer Book Club offers an opportunity to read, reflect, and discuss some of the most significant Asian (American) Literatures.

July - August 2020 on Mondays at 5 PM (PDT) on Zoom

Click here for more information.

AAPI Christians for Black Lives: A Vigil of Love and Solidarity

Saturday August 2, 2020, 10 am to 11:30 am, Leimert Park Village Plaza, Los Angeles & Virtually on Zoom

Los Angeles-area Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Christians and congregations from Southern California will gather with the Black community in "A Vigil of Love and Solidarity" at Leimert Park Village Plaza, 10 - 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1. The Gathering: A Space for Asian Spirituality, a ministry of the Diocese of Los Angeles, will take part in the event, along with a wide variety of other Christian groups. The event is also cosponsored by the H Belfield Hannibal Chapter Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) and the Program Group on Black Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

"We gather in unity from diverse backgrounds, theological convictions, and denominational affiliations to demand equal justice for Black lives," according to the event website. "We confess the ways that AAPI peoples have been complicit in anti-blackness, while also rejecting the false narratives of silence and inaction that erase the history of our social action. Joining our Christian and activist ancestors, we commit ourselves in redemptive hope to the collective pursuit of racial justice and the dismantling of unjust systems for the glory and honor of our Creator."

For the in-person event, metered parking will be available on Degnan Avenue; lots are at 43rd and Creed and 43rd and Norton. Attendees should wear a mask and comfortable shoes, bring water, and prepare to observe safe distancing. A video announcing the event is here; more information and online attendance information is here, or email to AAPIChristiansforBlackLives@gmail.com.

Pentecost Gathering Worship Celebration

Sunday May 31, 2020, 5 pm to 6:30 pm, Virtually on Zoom

Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce invites the Diocesan Community to a special worship service celebrating Pentecost and Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The worship service will feature readings and music by Asian Pacific Americans.

Fellowship with The Gathering

Wednesday, May 6, 2020, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm PDT, Virtually on ZOOM

Fellowship is a space for The Gathering to come together to pray, to listen and connect with each other, especially during these challenging times of the coronavirus pandemic. We seek to find community and solidarity in the midst of social distancing, love and hope in Christ, and to provide support for our Asian Pacific American community.

Being Asian Pacific American in the Age of the Coronavirus

Saturday, April 25, 2020, 4 pm to 6 pm PDT, Virtually on ZOOM

Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce invites you to a conversation and discussion on the impact of the coronavirus on the Asian Pacific American (APA) church and communities.

Our current crisis has widespread and devastating impact that we are still trying to understand. This conversation will focus on the APA communities that have been feeling even more vulnerable as targets of racism. Come join us as we engage our speakers and each other on this topic. The conversation will feature Russell Jeung, PhD, and Joseph Lee, MD, and will be moderated by Sharon Matsushige Crandall.

Russell Jeung

Joseph Lee

Dustin Seo

Fellowship with The Gathering

Wednesday, April 15, 2020, 5 pm to 6 pm PDT, Virtually on ZOOM

Fellowship is a space for The Gathering to come together to pray, to listen and connect with each other, especially during these challenging times of the coronavirus pandemic. We seek to find community and solidarity in the midst of social distancing, love and hope in Christ, and to provide support for our Asian Pacific American community.

Called to the Wall: Diocesan Pilgrimage to the US-Mexico Border (Canceled)

SATURDAY, March 28, 2020

The Gathering will join “Called to the Wall,” the annual pilgrimage to the U.S. – Mexico border in support of immigrants’ rights sponsored by the dioceses of Los Angeles and San Diego on Saturday, March 28. The pilgrimage group will travel by car caravan with stops at several churches along the way, and conclude at the border. Plans are being finalized.

The Gathering at the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Ministry Fair

Saturday, March 7, 2020, Campbell Hall, Studio City

The Rev. Yein Kim and the Rev. Peter Huang from The Gathering and the Rev. Antonio Gallardo from St. Luke’s in the Mountains Episcopal Church will present a workshop on “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” - Conversations on Racism and Microaggressions. Also look for The Gathering’s booth for additional information on our ministry!

Asian Immersion: Chinese Cultures and Communities 2.0

Saturday, February 29, 2020, 10 am to 1:30 pm, St. GABRIEL’S Church, Monterey Park

Come explore potential connections your church ministry can make with your surrounding Asian communities. Our time together will feature presentations and discussions on Chinese culture and spirituality, conversations on building bridges with surrounding Chinese communities and engaging different models of ministry with the Chinese community. This event builds on our Chinese Immersion 1.0 from 2019. However attendance of previous event is not necessary. This event is free and includes lunch.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” - Panel Conversation on Racism and Microaggression

Saturday, February 8, 2020, 10 am to 12 pm, Church of Our SAVIOR, San Gabriel

Racism can be blatant but often is experienced as subtle message and gestures of exclusion. Come join us as we engage the panelists and each other on this topic, focusing especially on the experiences of Asian Americans in Southern California. The panel conversation will feature Khushnud Azariah, Episcopal priest and vicar of St. George's Church in Riverside, Jason Cha, director of Intercultural Programs, Westmont College, and Nancy Wang Yuen, sociologist and author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism. Erika Bertling, intercultural educator and consultant, and a member of Thad's, will moderate the conversation. The event is free, and everyone interested in this topic is welcome to attend.

Event video: https://www.facebook.com/thegatheringasianamerican/videos/182210879760633/