Southeast Asian Americans to Hold Bay Area Leadership Conference

May 31, 2007 08:30 AM EDT

Christian leaders from Southeast Asian American community will hold a leaders conference near San Francisco, June 1-2.

The gathering of approximately 75-150 people, hosted by the Southeast Asian Committee (SEAC) will feature arts, poetry, worship, and seminar on leadership issues involving SE Asian Americans.

Speakers include various leaders, missionaries and pastors currently working in the SE Asian American ministry field.

Rev. O’Brien, one of the speakers, has served as a church planter, pastor, and manager of refugee medical work and missionary who often works with people of Cambodian descent. Now involved with Next Generation church planting, O’Brien will deliver a presentation on his field of work.

Another speaker, Pine Khong, was once involved with gangs and drugs until his conversion to Christianity in 1998. Growing up in a Cambodian family, Khong came from an animistic background. Khong later graduated from Christian Heritage College in 2005, and worked as in youth ministry for seven years. He is now the youth director for Crossroad Community Church.

Along with fellow speaker and urban youth worker, Vanna In, Khong will speak about challenges in urban ministries.

The event will also feature a special performance from Nang Mitsumphanh, a Christian singer from Nashville, TN, who leads One Worship Ministry, which promotes diverse worship.

Last year, SEAC organized its first major conference including Southeast Asian leaders alongside Chinese American, Japanese American and Caucasian missionaries.

Participants from last years event came from the U.S. states of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, Washington and California.

As with last years conference, SEAC hopes to develop ministries through leaders that serve Southeast Asians and begin a movement in each region across the United States.