01/06/2025
Today (May 31st) is our second day of the Inclusive Church Asia Connection 2025: Let’s Go! (ICAC) in Bangkok. We had fruitful storytelling by people around Asia in the inclusive church movement!
To begin with, Boon Lin shared how he embraced his gay sexuality and devoted into the movement. “But to be truly inclusive, we have to go beyond gender and sexuality,” he remarked. He pointed out we have to reconstruct our understanding of the bible, and to engage the neighbourhood in a much deeper way. Timothy Chan resonates this idea of “from identity to theology” by building Hub Church that also includes locals, expats, refugees and migrant workers.
Next, Susanna Kim shared the story of South Korea, where we can see pastors from mainstream denominations blessing LGBT+, but increasing number of them are being expelled. Seminary also disciplines students for participating in IDAHO ((International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia). In such long term of painful battle, she experiences the saying of “attending more funerals than weddings”. In response to suicides, the DDing D**g LGBTIQ Youth Support Center was incubated. “Keep singing your song always,” she said.
In the afternoon, Hong and Joanne shared how BMCC interacts with the Hong Kong society through counselling, drama and research. Kakay told the story of Lupang Ramos community church in the Philippines, initiated from farmers receiving help of seminary students in land clearing. While they file the government to protect their lands, they are facing threats of demolition, arrest and red tagging. During the process, they want to understand one of the farmers who might be gay, they went beyond to ask Kakay to teach about gay and le***an and even go to pride parade together.
