By AACC
To kick off the new year, AACC staff share their New Year’s hopes and resolutions as it relates to AACC and our work to honor the imago Dei in all of us while seeking to hear the voices of often marginalized AAPI Christians.
This year I’m not making a traditional New Year’s resolution. In 2020 my resolutions were completely derailed by the pandemic. In 2021 I resolved to get my life back to normal (unsuccessfully). In 2022 I have simply accepted the fact that there is no normal. My only resolve, if I can call it that, is to be kind. These last two years have been full of hate, racial tension, loss, divisions, exhaustion. We’re all hurting. What the world needs now is kindness. No matter what happens in 2022 I’m resolved to see people’s humanity and treat people with dignity because they’re made in the image of God (even if/when they spout racist rhetoric or hate). If there is any hope of making it through another year, I’m going to cling to the peace and comfort of Jesus and show his kindness and humanity to the people around me. In the midst of so much instability, I know that’s a choice I can have agency in.
Michelle Ami Reyes, VP
My hope for 2022 is to listen more. AACC is providing such beautiful words from the AAPI community and it’s easy to consume, share, and move on. Slowing down, really sitting in the moment, and listening to one another is where I believe real change happens. I often find myself reading an article or being in a conversation with a response already in my mind. I make up my mind before I even finish reading. I want to take time to really listen, to impart the vulnerable words and thoughts that those share around me, to carry them with me as I move through the day, week, and this New Year.
Reeve Klatt
My goal for 2022 in relation to the mission of AACC is to continue to offer witness to the stories of AAPI people and God’s presence inside of our lives. I hope to offer more story and article proposals this upcoming year and focus on encouraging AAPI Christians to speak up, uplifting AAPI voices inside of the church, especially AAPI women, and learning more about discipleship to Christ with AAPI identity. I want to write more about valuable theological resources and the intersection of AAPI identity and theology. I also hope we grow as an editorial team working and collaborating in a way that brings the best out of each of our gifts and creativity.
Isaiah Hobus
My 2020 and 2021 involved a lot of personal wrestling with concepts of faith, justice, identity, and community. In those years there were many times I felt resigned to wrestle in obscurity. It was through reading the voices of other AAPI Christians and reaching out to safe friends that I was able to not only know I am not alone in my struggles but that there is also space to openly wrestle with these concepts. My resolution for 2022 is that in both my personal circles and in the work of highlighting the diverse voices of AAPI Christian at AACC that there will be more and expanded spaces where AAPI Christians can feel seen and be holistically celebrated with how God uniquely purposed us into the bodies and diverse circumstance from which we come.
Bek Wright
My hopes for 2022 are complicated. In my own life, and in the Church, I long for reconciliation and unity, while holding to a desire for justice, consideration, and equity at the same time. I do not want to gloss over transgressions uncovered or magnified due to the pandemic or other catalysts, but I also want to show grace and forgiveness like Jesus did. It is a tension that I feel most of us have become accustomed to during this Covid age. So, while my hopes for 2022 are for unity, reconciliation and a truer love in the church and in my life, I am realistic that those cannot truly happen until the imago dei is recognized in all people by all people, and dignity is rightfully given and restored. However, I will choose to walk forward (fully relying on God’s strength) towards those hopes while holding both hands open in the tension, because I know that Jesus is leading the way.
Lora Kwan
Prior to joining the team at AACC, I really didn’t have any Asian American community other than my family and relatives. It can be difficult for many of us to find an uplifting community that actually values our ethnic identities. But in the past few years, I’ve been blessed to meet so many people through events, marches, panels, and articles, and it’s through these connections that I’ve been able to find a supportive community. My hope for 2022 is that AACC would be able to develop ways of bringing AAPI Christians together and expanding our community in tangible ways. Through our resources, I think we are helping other AAPI Christians know that they are not alone, but I hope that in 2022 our work can go much further than building more resources to building more relationships.
Joshua Huver
The past couple years have been ones of growth as the Lord has used the pandemic, heightened racial unrest, and His Word to further open my eyes to the reality of injustice in this world, my own complicity in and ignorance of it, and His desire for us as agents of peace and reconciliation. AACC has been such a blessing in connecting me with other Asian American Christians with whom I’ve been able to share stories and discuss how the gospel gives meaning and purpose to all of them. I’ve found tremendous personal healing in this, and I want to focus on helping bring this healing and understanding to others this new year. Having moved to a new city where my local context is more diverse and not predominantly Asian American, I hope to continue building cross-cultural friendships and learn how the Lord might be using my story as an Asian American Christian to uplift and empower others, particularly those who are different from me.
Grace Liu
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash