c. 2003 Religion News Service
WASHINGTON _ Dozens of clergy and leaders of nonprofit organizations gathered Wednesday (Oct. 1) for the first National Asian American Prayer Breakfast to worship and foster networks across denominational and ethnic lines.
The breakfast, part of a three-day conference sponsored by Korean Churches for Community Development, included prayers for unity and talk of the potential partnerships between governmental agencies and ministries.
“It’s time for us who are doing the service and doing the development to speak together with a collective voice,” said keynote speaker Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners magazine and Call to Renewal, a Washington-based anti-poverty group.
“We are not just service providers. We are prophetic interrogators. Why are so many people still poor? … Why are so many immigrants included in those new poverty statistics?”
The gathering touched on national and international aspects of unity, from cooperation between the Bush administration and faith-based organizations to tensions on the Korean peninsula.
“Lord, we pray for peace and unity between the United States, South Korea and North Korea,” prayed the Rev. Hoon K. Lee, senior pastor of the Korean United Methodist Church of Troy, Mich., in a concluding prayer. “Help us to strengthen these relationships … and reconcile our differences.”
The breakfast and conference were held, in part, to mark the centennial of the Korean American church community. Organizers of the conference estimated that there are now 4,000 Korean-American churches in the country.
Networking with government, business and political leaders was a key focus of the conference, attended by about 150 people.
“There’s definitely services that are needed in the Korean community and we don’t want to be overlooked,” said Hyepin Im, president and founder of Korean Churches for Community Development, in an interview before the meeting.
“At the same time our community also has some amazing resources that we can bring to the table if we can be engaged.”
Her community development organization has offices in Washington, Los Angeles and Fullerton, Calif. It has worked since 2001 to help faith-based and community organizations in Korean-American and other Asian-American communities meet social service needs.
The Rev. John Cho, president of Good Friend Missions, a nondenominational Los Angeles organization helping the disabled, said the meeting increased his awareness of grant possibilities and ministries that he can work with in the future.
“There are so many resources,” he said. “I didn’t realize this. During this conference, the Lord waked me up.”
Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals and Presbyterians from across the country took part in the conference, which featured workshops on topics such as substance abuse, senior citizen services, homelessness, and homeownership.
The prayer breakfast followed in the tradition of the National Prayer Breakfast, which has been held in Washington for more than 50 years, and the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, that has been held two times.
Each has had its own particular way of combining prayer with the cultural customs of its audiences. In the case of the predominantly Korean breakfast, worship songs were sung in English and Korean and a graceful kung fu presentation was set to a recording of “Amazing Grace.”
Like other prayer breakfasts, the audience was addressed by a member of the president’s administration. In this case, Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu appeared and reiterated President Bush’s support for funding of faith-based programs.
“When your faith-based group applies for a grant, you should stand on the same footing as secular groups,” said Moritsugu, speaking on behalf of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. “The fact is that individuals working together in their communities, motivated by faith, can accomplish more than any government program.”
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