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Humble service brings diverse community together
Humble service brings diverse community together through relationships and friendships...
Sitting in an elementary school lunchroom ensuring that no fights break out is not what most people have in mind when they think of church outreach. However, for Yucan Chiu, the lead pastor of Ethnos, watching over the Doyle Elementary School children during lunch was his act of service for the first three years of his ministry. That was the most tangible way for him to reach his community.
“It’s not about big programs and big stuff, it’s about humble service,” he said.
The humble service of Ethnos, a multiethnic church in San Diego, Calif., started in September of 2003 when Yucan and his wife were looking for a church to become a part of in San Diego’s University City district. In their search, though, they realized something was missing from each church they visited.
“We felt like as we prayed and visited other churches, no one was really making an effort to reach the community in its diversity,” Yucan said. “It is a gift of God to have a diverse community.”
University City is home to many immigrant families in San Diego. At Doyle Elementary, where Ethnos meets, there are at least 20 languages spoken. With the community’s diversity in mind, Yucan and 12 others came together to start Ethnos. Yucan said because diversity was going to be a main component of their ministry, he, an Asian American, did not ask any other Asian Americans to join them in starting the church. They even named the church after the Greek work for “Nations” used in the Bible.
“In the Bible it (diversity) is part of God’s heart and desire,” Yucan said, citing Galatians 3:8. The demographic breakdown of Ethnos is roughly 35 percent East Asian, 30 percent Caucasian, 15 percent Pacific Islander, 10 percent Latino and 10 percent African American. “Its definitely, in terms of culture, a snapshot of our community,” he said.
Finding ways to reach the entire community is not always easy, though. That is why their ministry started in a community center, and continues now in the elementary school. “The school is kind of a hub for all the people in our area,” Yucan said.
The community mixes “ritzy” upper-class area and low-income housing structures. Yucan said near the elementary school there were 50 lower-income units that no one had made an effort to reach out to. To reach them, Ethnos created mentorship programs in which members of Ethnos sign up for a yearlong commitment to build one-on-one relationships with students through various activities.
They also have joined with other efforts in their community that celebrate culture, and host English conversation groups to help immigrants as they transition into life in the United States. At the end of the year, the elementary school hosts a cultural celebration and Ethnos finds different ways to be a part of that as well to “reinforce the value of multiculturalism and support it.”
A group of Ethnos members have also joined with the local Indian residents in their efforts to engage the community through groups like the Network of Indian Professionals. “One of the things we’ve discovered is that what churches should not do is start a new program,” Yucan said. “We join them so we can build bridges and reach out.”
Yucan said the biggest need he sees in the community is the need for relationships and friendships. He said because most residents live in apartment buildings a big emphasis exists on privatization and individualization. To combat this, Ethnos members join with different apartment complexes to hold parties and build relationships among neighbors. They also participate in the district’s annual Easter Fair to get people out of their complexes and to come together as a community.
Though making real, lasting friendships takes time and effort, Yucan said he and other Ethnos members would continue to extend themselves to their community. “I don’t think the church has another reason for existence. If you’re not reaching out you shouldn’t be a church,” he said. All of this, he added, is not to bring more attention to the church. Rather it is to fulfill the conviction that God placed on Ethnos from the very beginning.
“We try to maintain a real humble and servant mindset to realize that the point is not to make the church flashy or to get name recognition in a brand way,” Yucan said.
Church Information:
Ethnos
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