East Meets in San Francisco
Diocesan Press Service. August 23, 1974 [74221]
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- The Episcopal Asiamerica Strategies Task Force (EAST) -- recently appointed by the Presiding Bishop -- convened its first meeting at the Miyako Hotel in San Francisco's Japan Center on June 28-29, 1974.
The group is the outgrowth of an Ad Hoc committee which organized the first national conference of Asian American Episcopalians (San Francisco, 1974), after initial funding had been secured at Louisville in 1973; its main tasks this week-end were to draft a Task Force charter (to be presented to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church) and a proposed budget for the Asiamerica Ministry in 1975.
The Task Force consists at this time of 12 members and 7 co-opted members, all appointed by the Presiding Bishop. They are assisted by the Rev. Winston W. Ching, Executive Officer of the Episcopal Asiamerica Ministry, and his Executive Assistant, Mrs. Nancie Oyama, both of San Francisco.
The purpose of the group, as stated in the draft charter, is to: (1) serve as a resource to the dioceses and congregations of the Episcopal Church to help deepen, strengthen and expand the existing work of the church among Asian and Pacific peoples; (2) seek to develop new and effective forms of ministry to the elderly, youth, students on campuses, immigrants and other interest groups; (3) develop the means to begin serious theological reflection on the traditional forms of Asian spirituality; (4) develop ways to articulate the Gospel meaningfully to Asian and Pacific people; (5) determine the allocation of grants in performance of (these) tasks in accordance with the policies and procedures . . . of the Mission Service and Strategy Program ....
Other points of the charter, as passed by the meeting, specify future membership figures of "not less than 12, one third of which should be lay people . . . reflecting the . . . Asian and Pacific peoples in the United States," with co-opted members as needed; twice-yearly meetings (one to coincide with the Annual Meeting) with additional meetings when necessary; and appointed Executive Committee consisting of a Chairman and three other members (at least one a lay person); an appointed Executive Officer, nominated by the Task Force; an annual report to the Presiding Bishop and the Executive Council.
A proposed budget of $220,200 was discussed, and would provide funds for travel, national conferences and regional meetings, consultants, leadership training, ethnic ministry development, special projects and (since most Asian work is on the West Coast and in Hawaii) a hoped-for regional office in San Francisco. The proposed budget was passed by the meeting, will be reviewed by Executive Council in September and finalized in December.
A list of suggestions was drawn up for the use of 1974 funds still in hand (the 1974 "seed money" budget was $50,000), and included summer internships; seminary fieldwork; work amongst Alaskan cannery-workers (mostly Japanese, Chinese, Filipino); publication of an already-prepared research paper for Task Force use; kindergarten equipment for a Chinatown Episcopal day-care school in New York City. Approval in principle was given, and funds may be allocated by the Executive Committee when these and other requests are received in grant form.
Present at the meeting were: the Executive Officer, Fr. Ching, and his Executive Assistant, Mrs. Oyama; Task Force Members the Rev. Lincoln Eng, Beaverton, Ore., chairman; the Revs. Matthew Y. Ahn, Chicago, Ill., Martin Bayang, Boston, Mass., George Lee, Honolulu, Hawaii, Timoteo Quintero, Honolulu, Hawaii, Albany To, New York, N.Y., Victor Wei, Oakland, Calif.; Mrs. Betty Lee, San Francisco, Calif.; Mr. Samuel T. Shoji, Seattle, Wash.; Co-opted members: the Rt. Rev. E. Lani Hanchett, Bishop of Hawaii and 8th Province Representative to Executive Council; the Rt. Rev. C. Kilmer Myers, Bishop of California, President of the 8th Province; the Rev. William C. Heffner, Asia and Pacific Secretary for the National Church, Executive Council staff; and the Rev. Canon J. Pun, Director of Chinese Ministries, Diocese of California.
Absent were: Task Force members Mrs. Carole Lee, San Francisco, Calif.; the Rev. Canon Timothy Nakayama, Seattle, Wash.; the Rev. Canon John Yamazaki, Los Angeles, Calif.; Co-opted member: the Rev. Dr. Shunji Nishi, Professor of Philosophical Theology, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, Calif.