Front & Center: AAPI Women in Church Leadership
Panel Conversation featuring
Julianne Hines, Charlene Jin Lee, Katie Nakamura Rengers
Moderated by Erika G. Bertling
Saturday October 29, 2022 10 am – 12 pm
St. Athanasius Church
840 Echo Park Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90026
The Gathering
The Gathering is a space for Asian Pacific American (APA) spirituality hosted by the Episcopal Church. It seeks to provide opportunities for conversation among APAs while exploring topics relevant to ministry among and for APAs in Los Angeles, specifically but not limited to Christians who identify themselves as Episcopalians. Some of our monthly gatherings center on panel conversations and discussions while others (local pilgrimages and art & music events) are more experiential. We hope The Gathering is also a space for our non-APA siblings to learn more about issues related to APA spirituality.
Today’s Schedule
Welcome & Panel Conversation * 10:00 am – 11:15 am
We gather to hear from our panelists.
Q & A * 11:15 am – 11:45 am
We gather to share our voices.
Light Refreshments * 11:45 am
Please continue the conversation over a light reception.
Our Panelists
Julianne Sumiko Hines, MSW
Julianne is a macro social worker and social justice advocate, who currently serves as the Senior Warden at All Saints Church Pasadena. She is a life-long resident of LA County and is the granddaughter of Japanese immigrants, whose experience has fueled her dedication to social and racial justice throughout her academic and professional career. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work and has 17 years of experience in community organizing, government affairs, and nonprofit leadership, having previously worked in the California State Legislature and as an executive at Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley. Julianne's favorite things to do are having meals with her family or close friends, reading, or planning for future travel.
Charlene Jin Lee, Ph.D.
Charlene is a practical theologian whose work centers on identity, voice, and context in spiritual formation. Attending to the middle space between reflection and action, her teaching and scholarship engages theological claims grounded in lived-experience and public witness. She is involved with advocacy for equitable housing solutions and workforce development for underserved populations. Charlene currently teaches at the University of Redlands Graduate School of Theology and is discerning a transition to ordained parish ministry. You can find her writings for the church at pres-outlook.org. She holds a Ph.D. in religious education from Union Presbyterian Seminary and a Ed.M. from Harvard University.
Katie Nakamura Rengers, M.Div.
Katie joined the Presiding Bishop’s staff in 2020, as Staff Officer for Church Planting. She is the founder of The Abbey, a non-traditional church plant in Birmingham, AL that began as a coffee shop and is now a Sunday worshiping community. Katie graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2011. She has served small and large, rural and urban congregations. She is passionate about helping the Episcopal Church live into its innovative, resilient, multi-cultural future. Katie, her husband and their two little girls live in Birmingham, AL.
Erika G. Bertling (Moderator)
Erika G. Bertling is a intercultural educator & consultant who partners with higher education institutions to teach and engage groups on themes such as intercultural communication & leadership, multiracial/multicultural identity formation, and implicit bias awareness. Her lifelong, in-depth cross-cultural experience in multiple arenas informs her passion for the ongoing work of racial reconciliation and justice.
Upcoming events for The Gathering
Advent Gathering Dinner Church
December 3, 2022 Saturday, 5 pm Pacific, Church of the Messiah, Santa Ana CA
Links
www.TheGatheringEDLA.org
www.facebook.com/thegatheringasianamerican/
bit.ly/TheGatheringYouTube
Acknowledgments
Moderator: Erika Bertling
Planning Team: Erika Bertling, Sharon Matsushige Crandall, Jenny Goto, Peter Huang, Dustin Nguyen, Dustin Seo, Mel Soriano, Joyce Swaving, Joshua Wong
The presenters and our many helpers and volunteers for this event!
Donations
Your contribution will be greatly appreciated. Please make the check payable to: Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles (note: The Gathering).