The year 2022 was filled with gratitude for God’s provision of turning dreams into realities! We have met exceptional Asian American and Latina faith leaders through our two flagship programs: 1) PastoraLab for Asian American Women Ministers and 2) How To Fuel Your Passion.

We thank God for Lilly Endowment’s investment in Asian American Women Ministers. We finally had an in-person consultation on November 2-4 in Indianapolis. During the first evening session, we had a 7-minute plenary opportunity to present PastoraLab’s impact on Asian American women ministers. Young spoke about why she created the program, and Joana shared its impact on her personally and professionally. Sharing a podium intergenerationally embodied the program!!!

Furthermore, having Geomon George (ISAAC’s newest board member) and a planning team for the consultation was also meaningful. Dreams do come true when one is willing to persevere and pursue what God is nudging within your heart. We are deeply grateful to our funders who have amplified our dreams.

Another funder we are grateful for is Trinity Church Wall Street. How To Fuel Your Passion, a pilot project, was birthed from the gap between knowledge and skill in the seminary curriculum. I was personally affected by these deficits when I began my role as the second Executive Director of ISAAC in November 2011. The critical areas to address were the following: 1) Financial competency. 2) Overcoming dissonance to fund-raising. 3) Bookkeeping and accounting. 4) Human Resources. 5) Nonprofit Policies and Governance. 6) Developing a case statement. The program integrated God and business acumen.

I did not want other women of color to face such a knowledge gap and skill deficit in flying their passionate causes—the resonance from the 12 women in this pilot project. We thank God for experts in each field who embraced the program and generously offered their time and talents. We want to thank Jefferson Lee, who coached each woman to enhance their case statement when such a need emerged halfway through. We also want to shout out to Rev Dr. Tony Lin, Program Director at Trinity Church Wall Street, who made it possible for women faith leaders to live out their passionate dreams to serve underserved people.

Young Lee Hertig
Executive Director