Letter From Jonathan Tran

Dear Redeemer, Dayspring and Rise Prep Community,

My name is Jonathan Tran and I am a theologian at Baylor University in Waco, TX where I teach theology and ethics. I am currently writing an academic book called Yellow Christianity: Intervening on Antiracist Thought, where I examine the relationship between race, religion and class and Asian American Christianity. A significant part of the book looks at Redeemer and its partners, Dayspring and Rise Prep. I am particularly interested in how Redeemer/Dayspring/Rise Prep think about matters of race and class and what role Christianity plays in that thinking and its practices. Specific chapters deal with Redeemer’s presence within the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood, Dayspring’s particular business practices as expression of a different economic approach and Rise Prep as a service to local communities and a unique take on Asian American approaches to education. Research for the book will depend first on my own being around the church and its partners, and I have already benefited from being allowed to virtually visit through the various Zoom opportunities (Sunday service, bible studies, community groups, etc). Along with that broad familiarity, the book will depend significantly on interviews with people familiar with Redeemer, Dayspring and Rise Prep. I am hoping to do a number of recorded interviews with individuals who would be interested in talking with me about any of these or other relevant topics. Interviews (either by Zoom or by phone) will be recorded and interviewees will receive digital copies of recordings, and if quoted will be given opportunities to review quotes in order to check for accuracy. Interviewees will also be asked to sign consent forms. Scheduling interviews will involve interviewees setting up with me a 90 minute block during which the approx. 1 hour interview will be conducted. Group interviews can be scheduled if preferred by interviewees. I would be more than glad to interview those who do not identify as Asian American and/or Christian, and of course those who do. Interview questions/topics will involve a broad ranging conversation covering everything from one’s history of involvement, day-to-day life, questions about race and racism, political economic matters, racial and religious identity, the Bayview/Hunters Point community, and whatever else interviewees might want to talk about. If you would be interested in speaking with me (whether in an official recorded interview or off the record) I would be grateful for that. Please feel free to email me at jonathan_tran@baylor.eduand we can set up a time. Thanks so much for your time.

Peace,

Jonathan Tran

Baylor Religion Associate Professor

Prayer Requests from Sunrise Ministries, Cambodia

Technology for meeting together continues to be challenging. If we do a zoom meeting when everyone is at home, it seems to work out OK. But if some or all the staff are at the office, calling in on their own phones, there’s a lot of cross-talk and feedback. And using just one computer for the staff in Kampong Cham to zoom with me in Phnom Penh requires them to be close together. I’m still trying to figure out how to help the staff with this.

We joined with other faith-based groups to apply for some USAID money for a corona-virus response. Pray we do or don’t get this money—whatever is better. Reporting for USAID is supposed to be tough. Pray that we get other funding if this money doesn’t come through.

Cambodia has very few confirmed cases of COVID. Either the government isn’t testing so there are lots of cases we don’t know about, or Cambodian weather and habits are protecting us—or both! In the rural areas there’s no air conditioning and people basically live outside—this is true for the poorer half of all urban areas as well. There’s little public transportation like buses or trains and people use motos and tuktuks—all full of fresh air and sunshine. People are rarely in enclosed spaces with strangers. Pray God continues having mercy because our medical system couldn’t handle a crisis.

Personally, our daughter is almost done high school (2 more weeks?). As a stop-gap career she is learning from me to zoom-tutor dyslexic kids (the same Barton tutoring I did with her years ago). It’s not her favorite but it’s good money without going to college, which she doesn’t want right now. Pray as I mentor her and thanks to God that she’s finished school and I’m more free to work. Whoo hoo! It’s been a long journey for our family for her to finish school—I loved it but it’s time to be done.

What Is Spiritual Direction?

From Dale Gish

What is spiritual direction?
Spiritual direction is rooted in a desire to draw near to God, to hear his voice and experience his presence in your life. A spiritual director facilitates spiritual conversations where you can talk about the joys and struggles of your relationship with God, and the obstacles you face in your spiritual journey.  Sessions include prayer, listening, and dialogue between you, the director, and God. Because God is present and at work, everything, both good and, bad becomes the raw material for the work God is doing in your life. As you pay attention to God in your everyday life, you can become more attentive to what the Lord is doing and saying and experience your belovedness in a deeper way. You may bring any topic to the session, but the focus will always be on seeing and hearing what God is doing in the midst of that situation.

The process of spiritual direction
Spiritual direction is an ongoing conversation that takes place over many months. It is more about spiritual dialogue with a soul guide than receiving lessons from a teacher. Spiritual directors may offer suggestions or ideas, but do not tell you what to do—that is for you to discern with the Lord. Through conversation, questions, observations and suggestions for the spiritual journey, a spiritual director helps you center in on God and listen to the voice of his Spirit. Typically people meet with a spiritual director once per month.

Things you could bring to a spiritual direction session:

• A struggle in your personal, family or work life -and seek to see how God is at work in that situation

• An experience of God's grace or presence in your life recently -to celebrate and savor what God is doing

• Your experience in prayer recently, struggles or breakthroughs -to grow in your prayer life

• Your desires or longings for God -to seek God as your heart's desire

• Major decisions or life transitions -to discern God's leading and calling

• Your identity and self understading -to explore who God has created you to be

• Wanting to love deeply from the heart -Allowing God to soften and open your heart to him

Letter from Sunday Agang

From Sunday Agang:

I bring you greetings. As I continue to ponder on our present situation, I can't help but realise that the global coronavirus pandemic has reminded us that we are one. The barriers we have falsely created are unrealistic and baseless. We are equal humans. We are all vulnerable and desperately in need of each other to survive. In essence, the outbreak of COVID-19 at Wuhan, China in 2019 has exposed our nakedness, weakness and limitation. It has evidently revealed one profound truth: We are one. No wonder, Jesus prayed,  “…[T]hat they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11). 

Superior versus inferior, majority versus minority, developed versus developing political economies and so on are not in God’s vocabulary. They are only humans creation to further estrange themselves from each other to feel safe outside of each other and God. We have created circles of obligation that distorts our God-given moral vision and mission to one another and the world, as equal humans who are expected to stand in solidarity with one another to defeat our common enemy in a fallen and decaying world: Satan and his sin of pride and fear.

Stay safe. You are in our thoughts and prayers! 

Sunday

YWAM Food Pantry in the Tenderloin

Volunteering at the YWAM Food Pantry in the Tenderloin (at 357 Ellis St.) on Thursdays:

12-1:30 pm and includes set-up of tables, social distancing measures, packing food into grocery bags and more with little to no contact with patrons (Max is 10 people).

1:15-4 pm and includes distributing bagged groceries to patrons, managing the queue, and tear-down/cleaning/sanitizing at the end (Max is 5 people)

If you would like to volunteer, please RSVP to emily@ywamsanfrancisco.org and say you are from “Redeemer”.

This is a trial run. Our team will re-evaluate our new procedures regularly to maintain the safety and well-being of all involved and they will keep us updated as we make changes.