Join other students as we seek to understand who God is and what his gospel means for the community of Houston Chinatown. God has created Asian Americans to be his image-bearers. Therefore, we belong in God's family and are invited to be culture crossers and culture makers.
“If we sat and learned from those who came before us, we might be able to see beyond our ownselves.”
When we step into church building, we experience the history, prayers, dreams, conflicts, worship of his people. Our hope is that when we step into Houston Chinatown, we will experience all of those things but in the contexts of our Asian American story. Together we will be engage the intersection between ethnicity and faith.
The program is open to any students who are a part of InterVarsity in the Red River Region (Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana). The content will be surrounding the history and experiences of Asian Americans in Houston. For those who do not identity as an Asian American, please contact Joseph (joseph.kwan@intervarsity.org) to discuss if this program will benefit you.
The program is from March 15-20, 2019. We will start Friday afternoon at 1pm and end on Wednesday at 1pm after lunch. You will need to get a ride to and from Houston. Be consider carpooling before and after the program. If you plan to stay in Houston after the program, please make your own accommodation.
The cost of the program is $250, which will include all the meals, the housing, and the activities. For those who are the designated drivers, you will get a refund of $25.
Please pay using our online system: (not available yet).
We have a limited amount of spots for our program due to the structure of our program, if we hit our capacity, we will notify you if you are placed on a waitlist.
This application is for us to learn more about you! We are excited to hear your story no matter where you are in your journey. Your application is a way for us to know how to more effectively develop this program. Deadline for application is Feb 15, 2019.
Please click here to apply: (not available yet).
Compared to other mission trips: One of the unique characteristics of the Houston Chinatown Program is the reflective, contextualized, and experiential modes of learning. Here are some of the ways you will learn:
Today, Chinatown boasts nearly two dozen shopping centers, hundreds of restaurants, apartments and housing, and many major, mainstream banks. Chinatown contain an incredible depth of history. There is much that the street of Bellaire and surrounding streets reflect what God is during within the people of our ethnicity.
One of our community values is to honor our elders. During the Chinatown program, our hope is that through the multiple generations of voices, we seek to expand our perspectives of ethnicity, justice, and faith by inviting those older than us to tell their story.
We are accustomed to learning through lecture or sermon formats. However, the Chinatown program seeks to use reflective and community-oriented spaces to teach new ideas: by preparing meals together, learning history over hot tea, and experiencing God in food that feels like home.
We believe that discipleship isn’t just a personal journey but a communal experience. As we engage in understanding and healing for ourselves, our hope is that your experience this week will translates to your families.
We are excited to develop the first ever InterVarsity Chinatown program.
Would you join a group of students as we engage something new this spring break?
