Welcome to our PastoraLab community | A Cohort for Asian American Women of Faith
The PastoraLab's Alumnae Network formation initiative stems from the alumnae's desire to sustain the relationships fostered during this transformative two-year program. Following the graduation celebrations of three in-person cohorts in October and December 2024, heartfelt testimonials and the expressed commitment of Pastoras to maintain these connections inspired the creation of the Alumnae Council. This council was established to design activities and formalize the Alumnae Network, significantly advancing the H.E.A.R.D. objectives. The objectives of this blog are H.E.A.R.D.:
Honor leadership identity: Raise ethnic Asian American leaders who are overlooked mainly in society. The younger generation needs role models to emulate.
Educate toward flourishing: Write and teach with a focus on advancing the welfare of the Asian American community. What do we need to know? What do we need to do?
Accelerate liberating justice: Speak up for the Asian American community in justice issues. Be a voice for the voiceless and connect with other people of color.
Reconstruct narratives: We have been held captive for too long by the myth of the “model minority” script created by the dominant culture. We have been pitted against other minority groups when we are held up as a success story to be imitated.
Develop and curate community stories: The struggles of those who have gone before us must be told, transcribed, and transmitted to future generations so that they are not forgotten. There is much suffering in our collective memory.
PastoraLab Alumnae Blog Launch
Having reached over 100 AAPI women ministers, we recognize the strategic importance of continuing to engage, energize, and enhance their involvement with PastoraLab Alumnae Network. The first activity we begin this year is the PastoraLab Alumnae Blog to engage, energize, and enhance their continuous leadership qualities. The first six blogs will cover a theme, “Why PastoraLab Matters."
Strengthening Our Alumnae Network
We are grateful that several alumnae have agreed to serve as council members. They will play a key role in organizing retreats, promoting and recruiting new participants, and ensuring the program’s long-term sustainability. As the formalization process began, City Seminary generously offered a seed grant to support the PastoraLab Alumnae Network for H.E.A.R.D., enabling subsidized alumnae activities in 2025. For a growing movement, leveraging the village we’ve built is pivotal in three ways:
Pooling Talents: Harnessing our alumnae's diverse gifts and skills.
Power of Exemplars: Drawing inspiration from exemplary leaders within the network.
Collective Resources: Sharing knowledge, experiences, and support to foster growth.
PastoraLab Alumnae Testimonials
Michelle Kuan Yang reflects on her transformative journey as an Asian American woman in ministry leadership through the PastoraLab program. Over the past two years, she has experienced the profound impact of God’s grace, learned to embrace her cultural identity, and navigated challenges along the way.
Reflections from Michelle Kuan-Yang, Leona Suegay, and others highlight their transformative journeys of finding community and support through PastoraLab. These testimonies capture their experiences of navigating identity, embracing empowerment, and stepping into leadership roles in ministry. They express deep gratitude for the connections formed and the safe space provided for personal and spiritual growth while acknowledging the challenges of releasing old identities and anticipating new opportunities ahead.
Vicky Yang shares her journey of self-discovery, emphasizing the critical role of community and presence in fostering a sense of belovedness. She reflects on the power of pausing, improvisation, and vulnerability in forging meaningful connections with oneself and others.
Blog Schedule
I appreciate prompt confirmation of the invited alumnae’s responses to my invitation to contribute to the blog twice a year. The first blog post, scheduled for January, will feature an introduction by Young Lee Hertig, Director of the PastoraLab project. The subsequent schedule is as follows:
February: Leona Suegay
March: Yuri Yamamoto
April: Emily Isbell
May: Ajung Sojwal
June: Jessica Lu
Invitation to Join
We look forward to documenting the program’s impact stories and exploring ways to continuously enhance it. To close this introduction to the Alumnae Blog, I want to share the resonant words of George Bernard Shaw that I live by:
This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
May the PastoraLab Alumnae blogs inspire the whole community with joy, truth, and love.
Related Posts
