Unsung Heroines of Oakland Chinatown:

Charisse Siu and Ivy Lee

Charisse and Ivy to my left at the dedication their church (2008)

I’m ready to focus my next topic on missional work with the underprivileged. In this installment, I wish to talk about two unsung heroines. For those who do not know Charisse and Ivy, they are two of my students. Both were very sharp academically and can get a job anywhere. In fact, at one point, Charisse was thinking about getting her Ph.D. Instead, both young ladies have chosen to serve the Oakland Chinatown community where many of the marginalized are not reached (and may not ever be reached) by the middle-class Chinese churches of Chinatown. I want to use this blog to share a little about their work simply because I find what they do so meaningful. I have consulted Ivy to write up most of this report in order to give an accurate picture of what they’re doing right now.

Vision with a Mission

Faith Jireh Christian Church began as a dream in the heart of Charisse Siu to serve overseas Chinese youth and college students, from blue collar Chinese immigrant families, in the Oakland Area. The ministry begins in the summer of 2002 when God provided Charisse a place at a Chinese Christian community center where, once a month, she gathered a group of 5 college students, who were either non-believers or church “drop-outs”, for bible study. Through this Bible study group, Charisse became more certain of the need of youth and college ministries in Oakland Area. The vision was to establish an independent church to minister to the youth and college students as well as their families. The goal is to ground them in the faith through biblical discipleship, to equip the next generations so that they could be leaders in church and community, and missionaries to those back in China. The goal became clearer after a research study was done by Charisse on the demographics of Asian youth in Oakland. The vision materialized on October 5, 2003 when Faith Jireh Christian Church had its first Sunday worship service at the Chinese Christian community center followed by the start of College Fellowship and an Adult Fellowship on Friday nights.

Getting Their Own Place: Reaching the Community

Since the summer of 2004, God has opened doors of opportunities for FJCC to reach out to more young new immigrants. Every summer God leads the youth and college students to join FJCC’s Summer Program which is tailor-made for the new immigrants. Besides providing English and Mathematic tutoring, outings, retreat/camping, counseling and care, students are also invited to evangelistic meetings and Sunday worship. Throughout these years, hundreds of youth have heard the gospel more than once, and couple dozens have responded to accept Jesus Christ as their saviors. Some continue to grow in church and become followers of Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! They plant the seed, but God makes it grow.

In February 2008, after years of prayers, God provides FJCC their own place of worship with affordable rent. In regular school semesters, FJCC opens the place during the weekdays as the Youth/College Center which provides tutoring and spiritual guidance to students in high school and college along with extracurricular activities. In other words, FJCC has created a full after-school outreach to the neighborhood. During weekends, its fellowship provides the opportunity for youth and college students to learn about the Bible, serve the Lord with others, and fellowship with those in their peer group.

After that blessed day in February 2008, the place where they worship is already full. This is a great problem to have. The growing number is showing that God is faithful to bless this ministry and its vision.

Disasters Struck: Reaching the World through Reaching the Community

In 2007, through prayers and God’s guidance, FJCC has chartered a Chinese Christian campus fellowship at Laney Community College which consists of a significant population of new immigrants. The fellowship is called Living Strong which holds weekly Bible study meetings and special evangelistic meetings at the campus. Each semester students come to build a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and build friendships to support each other. God has given them this unique opportunity to serve the college students because Living Strong is the only Christian club at Laney Community College. It has been serving the campus for two years thus far. If youth holds the future of China, then these two young ladies are changing the future now. This is “home mission” in action.

In May, 2008, when the China Sichuan earthquake shocked the world, a friend of FJCC immediately initiated a Tent Drive among his friends. FJCC was invited to work closely with him and Living Strong also joined in by collecting donations in the campus. The effort was pushed much further by a Christian trading company and churches across the U.S. This event later turned out to be a campaign called “One Thousand Tent Drive” which raised about USD 150,000.00 for the Sichuan earthquake victims. Here is a link to a friend of Charisse’s on SCTV reporting the needs for tent to which the fellowship responded by doing a fund raiser. http://512.sctv.com/data.asp?ID=3649 I can see that Charisse and Ivy are not just spectators, they are missional players. God opened avenues of service for FJCC and Living Strong to work together with all others in order to serve the needy in their hardest time.

Witness within the community was so strong that even a Chinese newspaper came to see what they were doing to relieve the earthquake disasters. The newspaper wants to know how a little urban church that is struggling with its own finances could actually inspire the community to give to help other even poorer parts of the world. This is a small church with a big heart. I must credit the leadership of these two young ladies. Their work is what I call community in action in the name of Christ.

In December, 2008 in response to several devastating national disasters that led to the increase in demand and the shortage of blood supplies in various states, as well as Bay Area hospitals, Living Strong worked with a blood center to hold a Blood Drive at the campus. The turnout was overwhelming. This semester, Living Strong continues to share the good news and will hold another blood drive next month to serve our community.

Conclusion

In light of all that God is doing and all that God is going to do, I have asked these two ministers how we can best support them. First and foremost, prayers support is much needed, as an urban ministry like this is always emotionally, financially, and spiritually challenging. Within the urban area among the poor, even the most basic needs are great. Charisse and Ivy do not have the luxury like many of us who work in an upper-middle class church with our fancy offices and sanctuaries. They’re in a battle almost every day.

Another way churches can support them is to participate in their mission. I use the word mission not so lightly because many of these new immigrants have literally never heard about Jesus Christ. They’re in great need of the gospel. English-speaking or Chinese-speaking volunteers are always welcomed (e.g. drivers, homework tutors, music talents, evangelistic team leader/participants, seminary interns, Christians who have a heart to serve youth and college students).

I would also enlist the churches of my readers to support the church financially, simply because many congregation members of FJCC earn such low wages that they cannot tithe adequately to the church. Every church has a mission fund. If every church I know can put aside a percentage to help these young ladies to continue reaching the unreached, FJCC will do its appropriate kingdom work. After all, no church is strategically reaching this group. FJCC is reaching the unreached in our own backyard. However you feel about women being in ministry should not keep you from giving. After all, how many men are willing to do the kind of meaningful work they’re doing by faith? I know of very few. I believe Oakland Chinatown is our new mission field to China because its cheaper cost of living is drawing immigrants. As a future mission field with the largest single ethnic population in the world, China is strategic. They did not ask me to write this blog but I feel that it is my obligation to give them the kind of exposure this meaningful ministry deserves. For donation, please send checks to the following address. It is a worthy cause.

FJCC

212 9th Street, Suite 207
Oakland, CA 94607