Weekly Updates October 26, 2023

Film Screening Friday

We’re turning the corner toward Halloween Weekend. And we can’t think of a better way to share in the scare together than a special screening of a short horror film, REFUSE, produced by our friends over at Uncommon Voices.

The film’s director notes: “Although REFUSE leans towards the horror genre, this film centers around the universal theme of recovery and healing through the lens of a Korean-American family.”

We’ll be hosted by our friends UVC and partnering in this alongside Kinship Collective and The LA Church. There will be Q&A to follow. And we believe the conversations will be rich and real. The event is free. But because the film is legit scary 😱, we are aiming to keep it as an adults-only event. Time and address details are here:

Refuse screening

Town Fiesta Sunday

As our FAHM celebrations come to a close, we are wrapping up the month with a Town Fiesta! We will not be having a traditional service, but instead we’re inviting everyone to bring a dish from their community, their own history: a dish that reminds you of home. All this in the spirit of a Kamayan Filipino feast! This time will also replace the Food & Fellowship time for November.

Meleca shares with us her heart and description of town fiesta: Town fiestas or festivals are community-oriented gatherings that usually center around honoring a town’s “patron saint” or marking significant milestones within the community. When the first wave of my family immigrated to the US, they participated in a yearly town fiesta with other immigrants from their hometown as a way to connect, share resources, speak their home language of Waray, pass down history and cultural practices, and of course to eat, drink, and dance together. It is a joy to be able to reimagine our fiesta tradition and invite you to celebrate our first community fiesta together and co-create a fiesta that reflects the breadth and beauty of our beloved TCWHF Familia.


Migration Moments with Armando

For this migration moment, I want to set a table of listening and learning by centering some stories from leaders serving migrants on the front lines. In this panel discussion, originally curated by PAX, as a part of our Migration StoryArc publication, you will hear from three well-reputed, faith-based nonprofits serving the migrant community, including The Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel, one of our church partners. As you hear real stories about what is happening with migrants and refugees coming to the United States, and how these real people and families are being impacted by a broken immigration system, I hope you can embrace these sacred narratives with a Christlike tenderness. Take a moment to consider what solidarity could mean in this holy work, not just for yourself but for our church family and local communities.

VIDEO: ON THE FRONT LINES: Grief and Transformation in Serving Immigrants

We are grateful for organizations like Abara Borderland Connections, Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE Justice), and our friends at the Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley for standing in the gap while holding the grief and pursuing justice for our migrant neighbors.

WATCH


So thankful for you, church! And we cannot wait to move toward the table together for a glorious shared meal as a familia! See you soon!

Bobby