It all started when…
a church raised gunman drove between two Asian owned businesses in Atlanta (almost an hour apart) and massacred 8 people (6 of whom were Asian women). Then, following a series of mass shootings, including Buffalo where 10 African Americans were killed at Tops Supermarket, numerous school shootings, a shooting at Pulse nightclub, the white supremacist shootings in El Paso and at Mother Emanuel AME, etc. we found ourselves dealing with the aftermath of the shooting at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods.
Then Uvalde happened.
For the first time in my life, I heard first generation Asian American Christians say they wanted to take a vocal stand against gun violence. So we wrote a statement, garnered signatures, and then took it to Washington D.C. to meet with Senate offices. Our leading signatories were Pastor Billy Chang (the one who was being celebrated during the shooting in Laguna Woods), the leaders of the Evangelical Formosan Church (a Taiwanese American denomination), and the board of Logos Evangelical Seminary (the Taiwanese American seminary). I went twice in the span of three weeks to meet with 15 Senate offices and present them with our Christian statement on Gun Violence.
Which leads us to this moment. We believe Christians can contribute (and have been contributing) to the discourse in ways that are grounded in a Biblical and theological vision of human flourishing - addressing issues of violence, hate, and murder.
If the gun violence issue is something you think is important and you would like to get involved now or in the future, would you fill out this form?
This gathering in DC is open to Christian leaders in the Washington DC area. There are limited seats available, so please know that even though we’d like to accommodate, due to venue restrictions, we will only be able to allow a limited number of people to attend. Lunch and Dinner will be provided. We simply ask you commit to attending for the entire day.
Once you RSVP, please wait for a confirmation to know that your spot is secure. If you RSVP and we aren’t able to accommodate you, please know that we will plan to have other events in the future.
Finally, even if you can’t attend, please RSVP and let us know you are interested in the issue and getting involved in the future.
Sincerely,
Raymond Chang
President, AACC
SCHEDULE
Registration 9:00am
Welcome and Introduction 9:15am
Steve Park (20 min: Devotional) 9:40am
Break 10:00am
Amy Peeler (30 Min: Biblical Treatise) 10:30am
Discussion or Q and A. 11:00- 11:30am
Soong Chan Rah (30 Min: Theological Treatise) 11:30-12:00pm
Discussion or Q and A 12:00-12:30pm
Lunch 12:30-1:30pm
Josh Wu (30 Min: Christian Political Engagement) 1:30-2:00pm
Carolyn Wu (15 Min: Young Person's Reflection) 2:00-2:15pm
Break 2:15pm-2:45pm
Sharon Risher (30 Min: Personal Narrative) 2:45pm-3:15pm
Breakout Groups 3:15pm-4:45pm
School Violence
Pulse
Veterans
Dinner 5:00pm
Panel - TBD 6:00pm
Closing Prayer 7:00pm