At Trinity, our congregants come from many different backgrounds, ethnicities, and countries. One of our missional statements is to GROW TOGETHER and to love one another in the body of Christ. We believe one important step in the process of growing together is to know more about each other. This step helps us to understand and to know each other personally so that we can love as God has called us to love. Heritage months are great times to explore cultures and learn more about each other. In May, we celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
Asian/Pacific encompasses:
- Asian Continent
- Pacific Islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands)
- Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia)
- Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island).
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month originated with Congress. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
Here are some sites to explore this month:
31 Stories for 31 Days of AAPI Heritage Month
Asian American Christian Collaborative
Asia Society.org
9 Things about Asian American Christianity
10 Books to Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month