A few Sundays ago, a group of us came together on Zoom to listen to our Asian American Pacific Islander sisters and brothers share their own pain, anger and fears regarding the rise in violence and harassment of Asian Americans since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. And we lamented together that pain, anger and fear, praying that God would bring healing into our history and into our present moment. This was a powerful moment for those of us who were able to participate and we are happy to share it with all of you.
On this page you will find a number of pieces from the lament. First, you'll find the lament itself, as it unfolded. Spend some time listening along to what is shared. Pay attention to the stories. Think about how your own story fits into this larger narrative. Be open to what God may want you to learn, share, or change. You will also see a reflection from our own Ken Fong, one of the leaders and planners of the lament. Ken talks about how this experience, lamenting with people from differing ethnic backgrounds, impacted and moved him. Finally, you will see some real-time reflections in the chat box from people who participated in the lament, as well as some reflections following the lament on what people took away from this experience of listening to one another and giving space for each other's pain. Read through these reflections, and use them to guide your responses to people in your own life who may be experiencing similar pain and fear and anger. Lastly, Pastor John Jay shares a word about how we might consider the pause of this season as an opportunity to see things we rushed past before.
In so many ways, God is calling us to be a family to one another, not just in name, but in presence and action. Let's continue to give space to each other's stories, to pay attention to those who are hurting, and to cry out together to God so that healing, reconciliation and restoration may come.
Pastor Gretchen
chat box
19:13:55 From Zachary Hoover: Order of sharing: Jessica, Jose, Iris, Angel, Vivian; shared refrain after each person shares: We hear you. We see you. We love you.
19:13:59 From David Winchell: Amen
19:14:18 From John Jay Alvaro: Thank you Ken. Well said.
19:15:02 From Dan Linscott: Thank you, Ken. I was very sad hearing that.
19:15:17 From Leslie Cheng: Hi Jessica
19:17:11 From Zachary Hoover: Order of sharing: Jessica, Jose, Iris, Angel, Vivian; shared refrain after each person shares: We hear you. We see you. We love you.
19:17:15 From Leslie Cheng: We hear you, we see you, we love you
19:17:38 From John Jay Alvaro: Jessica, thank you for sharing. I am so sorry for your daughter's friend.
19:18:10 From Ken Fong: We hear you, we see you, we love you, Jessica.
19:19:51 From Ken Fong: We hear you, we see you, we love you, Jose.
19:20:08 From John Jay Alvaro: Jose, powerful. Thank you.
19:20:23 From Barbara Walker: Thank you, I can relate to your experience Jose.
19:23:23 From Leslie Cheng: We hear you, we see you, we love you
19:23:54 From Ken Fong: Thanks for being so vulnerable, Iris. I too can relate to that heightened sense of neuroses.
19:24:01 From Jenni Ingram: Thanks for sharing Iris. Welcome back!
19:24:31 From John Jay Alvaro: Iris, your words and vulnerability are an example in so many ways. Thank you.
19:26:34 From Leslie Cheng: We hear you, we see you, we love you
19:26:45 From Leslie Cheng: Sorry for what is happening with your sister
19:27:10 From John Jay Alvaro: Angel, thank you. We are blessed to have you in our leadership and friendship.
19:27:11 From Ken Fong: Wow! So powerful, Angel. We hear you, see you, and love you.
19:27:20 From Barbara Walker: thank you Angel. I hear you and love you
19:28:03 From Rebecca Takahashi: I hear you Angel. I share similar feelings of terror and powerlessness now. I’m sorry for what your sister and her kids experienced. No one should feel less than for what they look like.
19:29:32 From Leslie Cheng: We hear you, we see you, we love you, Vivian
19:29:45 From Ken Fong: Oh my, Vivian. You have brought me to tears.
19:30:02 From Jenni Ingram: Thank you for sharing Angel and Vivian.
19:30:13 From John Jay Alvaro: Vivian, all my gratitude for sharing and for your serving.
19:30:14 From Iris Chen: Thank you for your vulnerability, everyone.
19:30:36 From Katherine.VanStelle: Your stories all touched me deeply. Thank you for your courage and vulnerability.
19:30:46 From Lindsay Dorman: Thank you, all, for your courage and willingness to share hard things. We love you.
19:31:10 From Ken Fong: Bless you, Katherine, and all other non-AAPI, who have gathered with us tonight to listen.
19:33:49 From Zachary Hoover: The guidance is about 2 min. each.
19:34:54 From Leslie Cheng: Same, Rebecca, same
19:37:25 From Dan Linscott: I’m grateful to have been offered the chance to hear all of your stories and experiences.
19:37:45 From Ken Fong: Your sharing, Rebecca, reminds me to recommend listening to my interview with Nina Wallace (haha Japanese American) @ www.aapodcast.com She explains Andrew Yang’s call for Asian Americans to be super obvious patriots “like the Japanese Americans did during WWII.”
19:38:15 From John Jay Alvaro: Rebecca, grateful for your sharing and presence here.
19:48:21 From Dan Linscott: Amen
19:48:23 From Katherine.VanStelle: Amen
19:48:43 From David Winchell: Amen and amen...
19:49:19 From Temna Meren: Amen! Glory be to God!
19:49:41 From Zachary Hoover: Major love and respect, major to all who shared and those who did not but carry them.
19:50:36 From Jenni Ingram: Yes, thank you all for your vulnerability. We’ll be praying. We hear you. We see you. We love you.
19:51:03 From David Winchell: The arrow to the right of my name will change it to everyone
19:51:12 From Barbara Walker: Amen! My heart hurts for you my brothers and sisters. We stand with you. We love you💕
19:51:23 From Evelyn Murray: Thank you. I needed to hear this.
19:51:28 From Zachary Hoover: Amen. We belong to each other.
19:51:29 From lovefrommary@gmail.com: Precious friends, I am so very sorry. I love you. Mary
19:51:53 From Katherine.VanStelle: I stand with you. I see you. I love you. Thank you for allowing me to hear your stories.
19:51:58 From Zachary Hoover: www.pbs.org “Asian Americans” May 11 and 12
19:52:27 From Zachary Hoover: www.aapodcast.com or church webpage.
19:52:34 From Zachary Hoover : (for the podcast interview)
19:53:01 From Rebecca Takahashi: Thanks to Ken for leading us through the lament. I highly recommend Ken’s podcast, Asian America! He has managed to interview many leading Asian American voices.
19:53:19 From Zachary Hoover: www.stopaapihate.com (run by A3PCON, LA Voice board member Manjusha Kulkarni is the ED)
19:53:48 From Jenni Ingram: Thanks for the info, Zachary and Rebecca!
19:54:07 From Dan Linscott: All of your sharing has been such a gift to me. I needed to hear your stories. Thank you for your vulnerability and for trusting this space. We hear you, we see you, we love you.
19:54:32 From David Winchell to Zachary Hoover (Privately): Thank you for your leadership...
19:54:45 From Lindsay Dorman: Thank you all so much. I love you. I am sorry. And I want to keep listening.
19:54:55 From Philip Hui: Thank you very much for caring for Asian Americans. This kind of compassion is very important to our community.
19:55:16 From David Winchell: I will continue to listen
19:56:00 From Barbara Walker: Amen! Thank you all so much!
19:56:02 From Vivian: Thank you so much for creating this space.
19:56:25 From Zachary Hoover: Ken, Gretchen, John Jay, and those who shared, we can do a short debrief.
19:56:25 From Dan Linscott: Love you all. I’ll keep listening.
19:56:26 From Galaxy Tab A: Thank you, church!
19:57:50 From John Jay Alvaro: In the face of death, live humanly. In the middle of chaos, celebrate the Word. Amidst Babel, speak the truth. Confront the noise and verbiage and falsehood of death with the truth and potency and efficacy of the Word of God. Know the Word, teach the Word, nurture the Word, preach the Word, define the Word, incarnate the Word, do the Word, live the Word. And more than that, in the Word of God, expose death and all death's works and wiles, rebuke lies, cast out demons, exorcise, cleanse the possessed, raise those who are dead in mind and conscience.
reflections
At first, I was ambivalent about attending. There was a part of me that was saying, "Zoom meeting to lament, what a downer." I'm so glad that I was able to be there for it though. It was important to hear those in our church who have experienced such uncomfortable or hurtful situations. It broke my heart to be implicitly told, "You are not one of us." I didn't need a bowl of water; I was crying through the whole thing. It was very meaningful to be able to be a face and a voice that could show solidarity, that they are indeed one of us. I loved that all the non-Asian-identified-persons were asked to remain silent and allow the stories to be told without interruption. I like that the space was theirs to be seen in, not for others to crowd with our feelings about it. Thank you, it was a rewarding experience and I think I am better for having taken part in it.
~Dan L.
I really appreciated the church hosting the lament and prayer meeting. It showed me that my church family is with me during this troubling time of AAPI harassment. And that the church supports AAPI and diversity in action/deed, not just in intention and words.
~Jessica L.
I really appreciated [the lament]. The design of the evening to hear individuals and respond as a group provided a good context for knowing people's experiences and expressing care. I appreciated Zach's leadership overall and, for novices like me in using Zoom, guidance in navigating it. It was especially good to hear Kathie Enriquez's observations about the health care workers and the affront she feels when people complain about inconvenience, from the staying in place orders and other restrictions. I was also grateful to see and hear people from our congregation. We recognize the value of even our briefest encounters on Sundays when we are deprived of them.
~Jeannette S.
Ed & I appreciated the prayer meeting. We felt the church's concern and love... it's good to be seen and heard. Thank you!
~Kathie E.
Thank you for having the prayer meeting. I thought it clearly met a need and gave members a place to be vulnerable. Although we can't solve the problems of discrimination, it is really important to acknowledge that it is real. The confirmations and affirmations were healing. As a person of color, I could really relate to the experiences my Asian-American brothers and sisters have experienced. Being tolerated is very different from being accepted. Most people who are not of color take pride in their tolerance. That, to me, is very sad. We should hold more of these services for: victims of domestic violence; victims of sexual abuse; and for people in non-traditional relationships. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you.
~Barbara W.
It was really meaningful and special. I appreciate that, as a church, we can mourn with those who are especially mourning during this time. It was also helpful to hear about others' experiences.
~Jenni I.
Thanks for organizing the meeting to show caring for Asian-Americans. It was great to hear from those who voiced out their stories, feelings, and thoughts. The pandemic virus won't be just a short-term challenge for human beings. In this unusual time, we can reflect on how to change our lifestyle, especially social relationships, and our relationship with nature. In fact, God loves all beings, including a virus that exists for a million years. Unfortunately, mankind ignored women, other races, and all "lower class" beings in the world of technological triumph! One of the causes for that is that spirituality has not developed at the same pace to provide a counterbalance. Churches have a significant role to play in promoting equality in personal, social, and spiritual development. Could FBCP lead this movement by spreading this co-existing spirit of cooperation out into our community?
~Philip H.
I had not realized the extent of the Asian backlash. I so appreciated the sharing of our members. The service was well done. Thanks for making it available.
~Carolyn D.
Very thankful for the time and the thoughtfulness that was put into it. Didn't realize how much emotion I was holding in until then. Appreciate all of you!
~Iris C.
Anger & sorrow. I am praying that I can be more intelligently praying for prejudice around the world, country, state, county, city, neighborhood... thank you.
~Dave W.
Bringing a kind of platform to "lament" itself is church together indeed. To me, racism is not color or region specific but "exposure deficiency syndrome." I grew up in one tribal region until I had the opportunity to interact with more than 20 tribes in Nagaland alone. Then I realized what it means to be disciplined from anything that hints at a"tribalism" slur. Then, I went to metropolitan cities in India as a church mission project where I encountered a way different culture and set up, though in one demarcated country. Today, I am here in LA with an international community - where I continue to renew myself in exploring towards a new humanity in Christ as I journey through the missional goals in my life. How I wish and look forward to better teaching my family about the wide diversity of life in this God given world but one humanity! Thanks for the opportunity to share.
~Temna M.
Thanks for creating a space for us to be seen and heard.
~Jose L.
