Radical hospitality causes church ‘wonderful problems’
-25/11/05
When 175 Hmong refu
Radical hospitality causes church ‘wonderful problems’
-25/11/05
When 175 Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia were officially received into the US Episcopal Church at St Markís Cathedral in Minneapolis earlier this month, their congregation became the first of its kind in the Anglican Communion.
Holy Apostles is the only predominantly Hmong congregation in the Anglican Communion, according to the Rev Dr Winfred Vergara, missioner for Asian American Ministries of the Episcopal Church. Its mission is one of ìradical hospitalityî in the footsteps of Jesus.
Vergara, whose office has provided both financial and leadership resources to Holy Apostles in recent months, was the preacher at the historic confirmation and reception service.
He told the congregation that if the church is to survive and flourish in the 21st century, ìWe must be a reflection of the world of many colours, faces and cultures. As on the day of Pentecost, we must become a church of many languages, tribes and nationsÖ Tonight, the Holy Spirit is here filling us with dreams and visions of what the Episcopal Church is and can be.î
The Rev Carolyn Schmidt, rector of the Church of the Holy Cross, Dundas,
Minnesota, and an American Indian, attended the service and wrote these words in her parish newsletter the following day:
ìThe new people do not bring a vast wealth in money. They bring all of the challenges of a new immigrant people. They really are a challenge for the congregation and for our diocese. But this challenge is the reason we have parishes. This is the reason we are the church. We are here to open our doors to all the challenges of the world. We are here to bring in and pray with strangers. We are here to listen to the needs of people and to minister to them, not asking if we can, but trusting.î
The cover of the order of service for the occasion illustrated the dioceseís 148-year-old tradition of ministry shared across cultures: juxtaposed images of Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple (first bishop of Minnesota) baptizing American Indians at Fort Snelling and Sy Vang Lor, one of the new Hmong faithful at Holy Apostles in festive traditional Hmong dress.
The 175 former refugees are the core membership of more than 600 adults and children who have started attending Holy Apostles. The lay and ordained ministers describe their mission as one of ìradical hospitalityî based on the biblical injunction to create anew community in Christ.
The congregation acknowledges that there are large logistical difficulties, and sometimes it is a challenge ìjust to copeî. But they describe these as ìwonderful problemsî to have. They are out of room and need to expand.
[With grateful acknowledgment to Joe Bjordal and the Episcopal News Service]
Also on Ekklesia: Pope urges Jesus-centred view of asylum seekers; Urgent appeal launched for Sudanese refugees; Campaigners highlight deaths of street children at UN; Asylum victims attacked, destitute and vilified say reports.
Radical hospitality causes church ‘wonderful problems’
-25/11/05
When 175 Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia were officially received into the US Episcopal Church at St Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis earlier this month, their congregation became the first of its kind in the Anglican Communion.
Holy Apostles is the only predominantly Hmong congregation in the Anglican Communion, according to the Rev Dr Winfred Vergara, missioner for Asian American Ministries of the Episcopal Church. Its mission is one of ‘radical hospitality’ in the footsteps of Jesus.
Vergara, whose office has provided both financial and leadership resources to Holy Apostles in recent months, was the preacher at the historic confirmation and reception service.
He told the congregation that if the church is to survive and flourish in the 21st century, ‘We must be a reflection of the world of many colours, faces and cultures. As on the day of Pentecost, we must become a church of many languages, tribes and nationsÖ Tonight, the Holy Spirit is here filling us with dreams and visions of what the Episcopal Church is and can be.’
The Rev Carolyn Schmidt, rector of the Church of the Holy Cross, Dundas,
Minnesota, and an American Indian, attended the service and wrote these words in her parish newsletter the following day:
‘The new people do not bring a vast wealth in money. They bring all of the challenges of a new immigrant people. They really are a challenge for the congregation and for our diocese. But this challenge is the reason we have parishes. This is the reason we are the church. We are here to open our doors to all the challenges of the world. We are here to bring in and pray with strangers. We are here to listen to the needs of people and to minister to them, not asking if we can, but trusting.’
The cover of the order of service for the occasion illustrated the diocese’s 148-year-old tradition of ministry shared across cultures: juxtaposed images of Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple (first bishop of Minnesota) baptizing American Indians at Fort Snelling and Sy Vang Lor, one of the new Hmong faithful at Holy Apostles in festive traditional Hmong dress.
The 175 former refugees are the core membership of more than 600 adults and children who have started attending Holy Apostles. The lay and ordained ministers describe their mission as one of ‘radical hospitality’ based on the biblical injunction to create anew community in Christ.
The congregation acknowledges that there are large logistical difficulties, and sometimes it is a challenge ‘just to cope’. But they describe these as ‘wonderful problems’ to have. They are out of room and need to expand.
[With grateful acknowledgment to Joe Bjordal and the Episcopal News Service]
Also on Ekklesia: Pope urges Jesus-centred view of asylum seekers; Urgent appeal launched for Sudanese refugees; Campaigners highlight deaths of street children at UN; Asylum victims attacked, destitute and vilified say reports.