This coming month, we are fulfilling our mission through yet another innovative ministry opportunity. We are partnering with a unique cohort comprised of African American, Asian American, Latinx, and Indigenous leaders drawn from the ethnic ministries of InterVarsity, Cru, and Allender Center (a healing and restoration ministry). The theme is “Narrative Focused Individual & Collective Trauma Care.” This pilot cohort is traveling to San Francisco for four days to ensconce themselves into the SF African-American and Asian-American narrative arc as part of their journey of healing. 

 Kingdom Rice is the architect for the SF leg of this cohort. We are drawing from our experience bringing African-American and Asian-American stories together, our neighborhood immersions, and our cohort experience and focus. That said, we are immersing this cohort into different neighborhoods and assembling content and experiences to weave together this unique experience. I love that this cohort of BIPOC and Asian-American leaders are prioritizing healing from a collective narrative perspective. Whenever I’ve guest lectured to therapists in training, this collective approach is EXACTLY what I’ve been advocating for. Collective therapy is rare, which is largely why I’m excited to work with this cohort. And I’m equally excited that the participants includes very seasoned BIPOC and Asian-American leaders. That fact ties into my next highlight.

This cohort embodies a special heartfelt connection for me, one that’s spanned 30 years.  In 1992, the year of the L.A. Riots, I was designing chips in Silicon Valley when I attended a life-altering African American, Asian American, & Latinx conference. I distinctly remember being enthralled by the developed African-American teaching, music and culture. There, they invited me and my Asian-American posse to share their platform so that we could develop our own voice and expression of our Christian lives, at the time quite underdeveloped. Thus began my journey of faith to reclaim my Asian culture for Christ.  We’ve been cheering each other for the last 30 years now, sometimes in victory, sometimes through deep losses. In a real way, Kingdom Rice and this cohort are spiritual descendants of those early movements. In fact, this cohort has participants who like myself, can “go back” far enough to give witness to those early events. I feel humbled that God’s now given me decades to track this rich and often rough journey.

Lastly, this cohort is a part of KR’s primary focus for 2022. Our end-of-2021 board and consultant meetings concluded that cohorts are where we can leave the most lasting impression and replicate our values and mission into others. This includes learning best practices from other cohorts. My participation in this cohort accomplishes both; I’m deeply learning and leading as I’ve been planning with other leaders and speakers. I’d be hard pressed to think of another way to bring greater lift to our already perspective-changing cohorts. 

Though Kingdom Rice occasionally calls out the systemic racism I’ve personally experienced in ministry, that’s not our primary aim.  We exist to create new pathways to relate to God and their communities more authentically and holistically. And that’s exactly what we’re doing through the two projects in this letter. Pray God's grace on these two projects. Thank you for your participation!

Shalom, Steve