The story of Asian American Christianity is not told through a single community. Every generation, culture, and migration journey adds another chapter to the story of God’s faithfulness. This summer, we invite you to learn from one of those stories.
Burma Christian Diaspora in Indianapolis: Celebrating Our Stories, Embracing Our Challenges
📍Dates: August 7–8, 2026
📍In-Person Location: Falam Baptist Church of Indiana in Indianapolis, IN
📍Virtual Attendance: Airmeet
Hosted as part of the Our Story, Our Faith initiative, this conference brings together pastors, scholars, ministry leaders, students, and families to explore the history, resilience, and witness of the Burma Christian diaspora—including Chin, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, and related communities.
While the conference centers the experiences of Burma Christians, its conversations speak to questions shared across many Asian American communities:
How do we preserve faith across generations shaped by migration and displacement?
How can churches care for communities carrying trauma while cultivating hope?
What does Scripture teach us about exile, belonging, and God’s faithfulness?
How do we honor our histories while equipping the next generation to lead?
Throughout the conference, you’ll hear from pastors, theologians, and community leaders whose work explores Scripture, migration, worship, healing, reconciliation, and the future of Asian American Christianity. Together, participants will reflect on how remembering our stories can strengthen our witness today.
Whether you come from a Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Burmese, or another Asian heritage—or simply desire to learn alongside these communities—we hope you’ll join us for this opportunity to listen, learn, and build deeper relationships across the diverse body of Christ.
We hope you’ll also share this invitation with colleagues, church leaders, students, and friends who care about the future of Asian American Christianity. As we learn one another’s stories, we discover more fully the story God is writing among us all.
Reflections from Dr. David Chao about the Burma Christian Diasporic Church
Schedule Highlights
Worship and Fellowship
Day 1 opens with a time of worship and devotions, and closes in the evening with community lament and prayer, followed by worship and praise, led by clergy in the Burma diaspora community.
Breaks and in-person meals will be intentional opportunities for fellowship, discussion, and resource sharing. We have also partnered with a local Burmese caterer to provide authentic Burmese food for community meals (Friday lunch & dinner, Saturday lunch).
Plenaries
“Scripture and the Scattered Church: Biblical Theology of Migration and God’s Faithfulness” by Dr. Pum Za Mang, Associate Professor of World Christianity, Myanmar Institute of Theology
“Social History of Refugee Resettlement” by Rev. Dr. Hrang Hlei, Congregational Care Pastor, Indiana Chin Baptist Church
“Refugee Resettlement: History and Laws that Our Community Needs to Know” by Lun Kham Pieper, Attorney at Law, Registered Domestic Relations Mediator
“Trauma, Alcoholism, and Healing in the Diaspora” by Tansy Kadoe, LMFT, Licensed Therapist; Doctoral Candidate in Marriage and Family Therapy, Fuller Theological Seminary
Panels
“Indianapolis Stories of Arrival and Community-Building” feat. oral history fellows Ciin Kham, Ma May Si, Bawitin Par, and Van Sui
“Intergenerational Dialogue and Youth Voices: Solidarity and Next Steps” feat. ministry leaders Justin Thang, Stephen Hre Kio, and Theodora Eddison
“Pan-Asian Closing Reflections” feat. Gabriel Jay Catanus, Andrew Lee, Joshua K. Joseph, and Naw Eh Phaw
💻 Planning to attend online?
Virtual tickets are $5 or less per person, and fee waivers are available upon request—we want this gathering to be accessible to all. Groups get discounts, so invite your friends and colleagues!
🎟️ In-Person Group Registration Discounts
Register as a group to access 10%–25% off the regular price of $60 per ticket. All you need is your group members’ email addresses to reserve their spots—each group member must confirm their registration by filling out their information!
In-person tickets include 2 lunches and 1 dinner.
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