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Pastor Tony Hsu
In November 2020, I received a phone call from the U.S. office of Gospel Operation International (GOI), inviting me to serve as one of their board members. In the past, the elders of our church had encouraged me to represent the church as one of the vice presidents of the Southern California Chinese Mission (CMC-South) from 2016 to 2021, and once again encouraged me to accept this invitation. After some consideration, I felt it was my duty to accept, especially since GOI has been a mission organization our church has supported for many years. Furthermore, since our Mission Committee launched the Kairos course on seizing the opportunity for missions in 2018, GOI has sent numerous individuals to help us annually.
Therefore, starting in May 2021, I began participating in the semiannual board meetings of GOI's U.S. office. These meetings are typically held online in May or June, while the fall meeting is held in person in Los Angeles. The meetings are mostly scheduled for the Monday after pastors' rest days. In 2023, with the retirement of Rev. Isaac Chan, the Director of the U.S. office, the June meeting was held in person, and the fall meeting was online.
Every few years, GOI organizes a retreat to coincide with the board meeting, inviting missionaries supported by the organization to join for a few days of rest, time with the Lord and fellowship with board members and office staff. With the support of our church's Mission Committee, my wife and I were fortunate to participate in this retreat in October. The missionaries and their spouses attending were mostly from the younger generation, including several Chinese-Americans whose first language is English, and one American who is fluent in Mandarin. As a result, the retreat was primarily conducted in English. Additionally, three of the founding Chinese church leaders who established GOI 30 years ago (in 1995) were present: Mrs. Lin Xupeizhu (wife of Rev. Cyrus Lam), Rev. Stephen Ho, and Mrs. Ho Liang Shuangfeng. This retreat had significant intergenerational fellowship and legacy-building meaning.
I recall that about three years ago, the U.S. office of GOI began supporting a second-generation Chinese-American serving Muslim communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. During one board meeting, we discussed that, to more effectively support second-generation Chinese-Americans in North American churches who are committed to missions, it might be necessary for future board meetings to be conducted in English and include second-generation Chinese church leaders who speak English. During the retreat, after spending a few days in sincere fellowship, the younger generation, having built trust with the older generation, bravely shared the challenges they face in living and serving within the OBC (Overseas Born Chinese)-dominated church culture, and humbly presented some requests. During one of the intergenerational dialogues, the moderator asked me, as a board member in the middle generation, to express my views. I could not decline and shared my humble thoughts.
Thirty years ago, when GOI was founded, all the board members spoke Chinese, and in fact, they were all Cantonese speakers. All the missionaries supported by GOI also spoke Chinese. Later, the board decided to conduct meetings in Mandarin, which was a significant milestone. Now, at least the North American office of GOI has recognized the need to actively support the next generation of Chinese-American missionaries. However, the objective reality is that among all the Chinese churches in North America that support GOI, only the Mandarin and Cantonese congregations are likely to know about GOI, while the English-speaking congregations are mostly unaware. Although GOI's board members and missionaries in many regions, especially in Asia, still predominantly speak Chinese, the fact that GOI now has several missionaries who can only speak English, and the hope to attract and support more missionaries who can only communicate in English with the board, means that the international board must eventually consider using English in its meetings, and the U.S. office may need to make adjustments sooner.
Coincidentally, a book I was invited to recommend, Faithful Ministry Through Chinese Churches in America, edited by Dr. Daniel Eng (former Youth Ministry Pastor at ACC), was recently published. This book explores the experiences of second-generation Chinese in American churches. At the retreat, I mentioned the book to several ABCs (American-born Chinese) with whom I was dining, and many of them immediately checked the reviews on Amazon. They were greatly encouraged by what they read. As soon as the book was published, I recommended it to all the pastors and elders in our church. Pastor Liu of the Mandarin congregation has agreed to dedicate half of our bi-weekly meetings to discuss several chapters of this book. Similarly, Hilarie, an English-speaking intern pastor in the Southwest District, is also reading this book with me, and we are learning and growing together. Pastor Liu affirmed the value of this book, and Hilarie was especially excited about it.
In conclusion, being invited to serve on the board of GOI's U.S. office has not only allowed me to learn from many spiritual leaders along the missionary journey, but it has also deeply encouraged me through hearing the latest updates from missionaries and learning about the progress of GOI's work in mission fields around the world, as well as the nurturing of new missionaries. At the same time, I have gained a clearer understanding of the financial challenges faced by mission organizations and the difficulties that missionaries face on the frontlines. Perhaps one of the main purposes for God arranging for me to serve as a board member on behalf of our church is to encourage our church to be more generous and willing in supporting mission organizations that are wholeheartedly dedicated to the work of the Lord.
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