September is East & Southeast Asian (ESEA) Heritage Month
Jessie Tang, our Intercultural Ministry Director, reflects on her familial journey, and celebrates the stories of many others who’ve migrated into our cities and worshipping communities.
My dad came to the UK from Hong Kong in the 1970s, part of a wave of migration from Hong Kong and South China and in the 1980s, my mum came over from Malaysia to London, to work and to study.
Like others, they found jobs in the catering trade, often working long hours in restaurants and takeaways, to provide for our family.
This September, during East & Southeast Asian (ESEA) Heritage Month, we are called to reflect on the theme Reframing Resilience.
Resilience is an important attribute in life - not least for those who become immigrants in other lands.
As people migrate, they often carry the weight of leaving behind their homes, cultures, and languages. Upon arrival, they must navigate a new culture while facing potential prejudice and isolation in a country that may not always welcome them.
For some, in my parents’ generation, resilience was not simply about survival; it was about sacrifice - a willingness to give up something of themselves so that their children could grow up with opportunities they never had.
Sacrifice is also an important principle in the intercultural church. In order for my sibling in Christ to come alive in their worship and connect with God with their own culture or language, I may have to lay down some of my cultural preferences or learn to say ‘peace be with you’ in an unfamiliar tongue to myself.
Furthermore, if the premise of an intercultural church is that the cultures in the church make up the overall culture of the church, then heritage plays an essential role.
The stories, cultures, experiences and contributions of its members are valued in such a church. When we bring the good of our heritage - our food, our music, our languages, our histories - into the shared life of the church, we embody a colourful vision of the church as it is intended to be, and one that reflects heaven on earth.
Revelation 7:9 reads: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
For me, celebrating and honouring ESEA heritage means remembering the past, thanking my immigrant parents for their sacrifices, and living faithfully in the present — in a way that recognises how the resilience of parents is passed down to their children and can be shared with others.
It also reminds me that my culture and heritage is important, and that diversity is a gift to the whole body of Christ.
This month, as we celebrate ESEA Heritage, let us give thanks for the sacrifices of those who came before us, recognise the resilience they instilled in us, and continue building a legacy of faith and contribution for the generations to come.
Find out more about East and South East Asia Heritage Month