TOWARDS VISIBLE
EAM CLERGY COLLEGIALITY

As the New Year 2005 ushered in, I submitted a Project Proposal in view of our 2004 Consultation Theme (�New Beginnings�) and in line with the national church �20/20 Vision�---doubling Episcopal membership in Year 2020. The Project calls for �Asian American Clergy Collegia�(see pages 4-6), a project which I hope will meet the needs of our EAM clergy and leaders so that we will be further equipped and empowered to do effective ministry in the 21st century. Clergy and Leaders are the key to Church Growth and we pray that the Project will be funded by the national church.

Part of what made me propose the Project was the good result of our �team visitations� in the Diocese of Olympia and the Diocese of Oregon. The Rev. Dr. Fran Toy, our EAM Council President and Mr. Peter Ng, our President Emeritus and I visited Seattle upon the coordination of Jerry Shigaki, diocesan ethnic missioner and vice-president of our Council.

Together, we were introduced to the visions and goals of the Diocese and their needs for Asian ministry. We were warmly received by the diocesan, Bishop Vincent Warner, Jr. who will be our host for the upcoming EAM 2005 national Consultation.

In Oregon, we were joined by our colleague, The Rev. Dan Caballero, national Hispanic Missioner and the Rev. George Hemingway who coordinated our visitation. We were impressed by the hospitality of the diocesan, The Rt. Rev. Johncy Itty, who incidentally is one of the only two Asian-American bishops in the ECUSA. (The other is Bishop Richard Chang of Hawaii). Bishop Itty (of Indian heritage), was admirable in his candidness (�apart from the few Hispanic congregations, ours is still a lily-white diocese�) and his vision for a more diverse diocese that responds
to the demographic shifts. We look forward to partnership in the development of Asian ministry in his diocese.

Aside from the Dioceses Olympia and Oregon, new opportunities for congregational development are also happening in the following:Diocese of Long Island, as a Filipino Congregation has begun in Woodside, New York; Diocese of San Diego, as a seminarian is prepared to be a Filipino curate/missioner; Diocese of Newark as a Korean seminarian is seeking entry; Diocese of Minnesota as a group of Hmong are being received in a parish; Diocese of Texas, as three Filipino seminarians are being considered; Diocese of Atlanta as a Pakistani priest has been received; Diocese of Arizona as a former Roman Catholic priest is seeking entry.

Church Planting is still the best way to Church growth and we are collaborating with the Dept. of Congregational Development in the national Church to have an Asian tract on �Plant My Church� Conference on October 17-18 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Collaboration and partnership must become our bywords in the implementation of our visions and goals. To this end, your Missioner has been in constant coordination with fellow ethnic missioners as well as other resources in the national Church.

With regards to an emerging church in Vietnam seeking �affiliation� with the Episcopal Church, we have partnered with the Anglican Global Relations in discussing its wider implications. Although, we would welcome this church (and its Pastor Linh Pham) in the fellowship of the EAM, we, deem it proper to refer their affiliation to the Anglican Church of Singapore which has an established deanery in Vietnam. The Rev. Joseph Mai, our EAM Southeast Asia vice-convener and personal friend of Pastor Ling is coordinating this particular matter.

With regards to the renewal of the Concordat of Full Communion between the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and the Episcopal Church, we have partnered with the Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations office of Bishop Christopher Epting in forming and hosting the Joint Concordat Council meeting on April 13-14 in Malibu, California. We hope that the agreements and actions we come up with in the IFI-ECUSA concordat and how they are implemented in the context of the USA will serve as a working model as we look at other concordats (e.g. Church of South India,
Mar Thoma Church, etc.) as they relate with actual situations in the United States.

Our support for Asian Clergy, Women, Youth and Seminarians continue as we see a vision of three revolutions in the EAM Community. A revolution of �attitude� as we see ourselves �no longer marginalized� but empowered and equipped for effective ministry; a revolution of �growth� as we see Asian churches starting and developing; and a revolution of �relationship� as we model a new paradigm for what it means to be a Church in the 21st century.

P.S. The first Asian American Clergy Collegium (East Coast) was held last March 7, 2005 and was well-attended by Clergy leaders in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachussetts, Virginia, Washington DC. Long Island, Connecticut, etc.. Report of this Collegium will be published in the next issue. Meanwhile, God bless you, your families and your works.