Pictured above:  EAM Youth & Young Adults by the Golden Gate Bridge

EPISCOPAL ASIAMERICA MINISTRIES: 
​2019 JAPANESE CONVOCATION & YOUTH LEADERSHIP CAMP

[August 5, 2019] This past summer, the Diocese of Hawai'i was well represented at two of the Episcopal Church's Asiamerica Ministries (EAM) events.  The Japanese Convocation (JCON) was held July 11-14, 2019, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Seattle, WA, followed by the first EAM Youth & Young Adult Leadership Training Camp held at the St. Columba Retreat Center in Inverness, CA, July 26-28, 2019.

Representing the Diocese of Hawai'i at JCON was the Rev. Malcolm Keleawe Hee, accompanied by his wife Faye, and members from Good Samaritan: Deb Nishihira, Gavin Nishihira and Lori Chun.  This was the largest JCON gathering to date, with attendees from St. Peter's (Seattle, WA), Sei Ko Kai (San Francisco, CA), St. Mary's (Los Angeles, CA), Good Samaritan (Honolulu, HI), and Metropolitan Japanese Ministry (New York, NY).  More about the meeting follows below.

Ron and Carolyn Morinishi have been involved with EAM Youth since 2011, as members of St. Mary's in Los Angeles.  Now retired and splitting their time between Los Angeles and Kapa'a, Kaua'i (All Saints'), they were instrumental in coordinating the first EAM Youth & Young Adult Leadership Camp.  More about the camp follows below. 

EAM Japanese Convocation, Seattle, WA

Note:  The following is by the Rev. Malcolm Keleawe Hee, who shared that when he first started attending the convocation nine years ago, he was a lay person from Good Samaritan Episcopal Church in Honolulu.  He has since become a priest and is able to experience these gatherings in a different light.  Along with workshops and worship, the group enjoyed touring Seattle that included Japantown and other historical sites that documented the internment of the Japanese during WWII.

​EAM Japanese Ministry also bridges history and modernity as exemplified by St. Mary’s Church in the Diocese of Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Japanese Ministry (MJM) in the Diocese of New York.  St. Mary’s became pivotal in U.S. history when it became one of the processing zones during the Japanese Internment in World War II.  MJM offers a “church without walls,” meaning all are welcome into the fellowship, Japanese Christians or non-Christians, in a ministry that has no permanent location and no regional boundaries.  MJM serves as a home for both Episcopalians in New York as well as spouses of Japanese transient businessmen in the East Coast. -- From the St. Peter's Episcopal, Seattle, Facebook page

​[By The Rev. Malcolm Keleawe Hee]  The Japanese Convocation of the Episcopal Asiamerica Ministry (EAM) met in Seattle from July 11-14, 2019, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Parish, one of the five historical Japanese Episcopal churches in the nation. Other churches represented were Seiko Kai in San Francisco, St. Mary’s Mariposa in Los Angeles, Good Samaritan in Hawai'i, and the Metropolitan Japanese Ministry in New York. 

Although this is the Japanese Convocation, many attendees were of various ethnicities such as Filipino, Vietnamese, Caucasian, Chinese, and Hawaiian, who came to support and lift up our Japanese brothers and sisters. Numbers have grown from ten attendees a decade ago to over 40 this year. We have established relationships with other Japanese Episcopal/Anglican churches in Canada and Tokyo.

Our focus for this year’s convocation was "Telling Your Church Community’s Story."  Discussion touched on a number of topics such as  when your church was established for Japanese Episcopalians, pivotal events, struggles and challenges, strengths, and what the future holds. We also heard from our host church, St. Peter’s, on their visioning process, “Rooted in our past. Growing toward our future.”

​Representatives of the Japanese Convocation were also able to attend the funeral of the Rev. Cn. Timothy Nakayama, an early pillar in the EAM community. The beautiful service was held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle. As a young child during World War II, Nakayama was interned in a Japanese Canadian internment camp. The convocation took a tour of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. This is the site where the first of 120,000 Japanese Americans were banished and placed in concentration camps. Nidoto Nai Yoni, let it not happen again.

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Photos from the Rev. Malcolm Keleawe Hee and the St. Peter's Seattle Facebook page.

EAM Youth & Young Adult Training Camp

​The first Youth & Young Adult Leadership Camp became a reality this summer as a result of the 2018 EAM National Consultation held on O'ahu at the Ala Moana Hotel (E-Chronicle, August 2018).  The National Consultation, which is held every three years, brought hundreds together from the seven ethnic convocations of EAM (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islanders), and added an eighth convocation, Youth and Young Adults.  As a result of the great youth response, funds were provided for a youth gathering in 2019. 

Along with funding from the EAM, the Anglican Canadian Asian Ministry (ACAM) in partnership with Asian Commission of the Diocese of California (ACDC), sponsored July's training camp that took place in California.  There was a lot of interest to attend, but due to logistics and space, participation was limited, and a waiting list formed.  The final count was 27 youth from California, Minnesota, Hawai'i and Vancouver, Canada. ​

The Rev. Dr. Fred Vergara, the Missioner for EAM, was one of the adults who accompanied the group.  Fr. Fred shared that it was one of the most organized camps he has seen.  "​From start to finish, the event went on smoothly and with great results."

As mentioned earlier, Ron and Carolyn Morinishi, who have been involved with EAM for many years, volunteered to organize the trip.  Carolyn said that she chose the theme of "Leadership" because she wanted the youth to be able to go back to their own churches and help organize youth group events. 

But planning would be a challenge.  "We were given approval for our funds in October 2018," said Carolyn, "which left very little time to secure a location."  

Luckily for the group, the Rev. Merry Chan Ong, Rector of Church of Our Saviour in Oakland, CA, came to the rescue.  She was able to secure the St. Columba's Retreat House for the event, and also arrange ground transportation.  They were able to charter a bus that could transport the entire group together.  

Meals and snacks were handled by Rev. Merry, Fr. Joshua Ng, and Fr. Fred (pictured in the slideshow cooking up a storm).

Photos contributed by Carolyn Morinishi and Fr. Fred Vergara

Fr. Fred in center with the "rappers"

winning rap team video

Click on the button above to view the winning team in the "rap off" that had the theme of Moses.  Fr. Fred joined in too!

From Fr. Fred Vergara...

Training began with “Servant-Leadership.”  Most of the learning was praxis: lecture and practice, and often with fun-exercises such as Team Building via “unlocking yourself without losing connection” and “Escape Room” where the key combinations have to be searched by the small groups using coordination, communication, team building, trust and delegation of skills.

At the end of the learning processes, they had fun applying biblical lessons via skits depicting their interpretations of Moses, Adam and Eve, and Noah’s Ark.  They also depicted the various kinds of hospitality, Bible study, and other church practices that are sometimes incongruent to the needs and taste of Millenials. I was even moved to contribute my share in doing “rap.” 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Along with leadership training, the group did a service project making 90 "agape bags" that would be given to the San Francisco Night Ministry for the homeless and those in need.  Donations for the agape bags came from parishioners across the country, and the Rev. Debbie Low-Skinner helped with this project. ​

On Sunday, the final day of the trip, they drove to San Francisco and attended services at Grace Cathedral.  The youth helped with the Sunday school and took part in the worship service.  Afterwards, they delivered the agape bags to the San Francisco Night Ministry, which were gratefully received.  Before their flight, they were able to take in a quick tour of San Francisco, visiting the Cable Car Museum, Chinatown, Dragon's Gate, and a visit to Fr. Joshua's church, True Sunshine Episcopal Church, before heading to the airport.

The youth convocation is looking forward to another event in 2020.  Stay tuned!

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Sybil Nishioka, Editor and Communications Contractor, Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i