Report from Rev. Dr. Lui Tran, Vice-Chair, Vietnamese UM National Caucus and Rev. Ken Suhr, Director of Leadership and Congregational Vitality for Cal-Pac.
The 34th Convocation of Vietnamese United Methodists in the United States took place July 26-28, 2024 at West Anaheim United Methodist Church in Anaheim, California with the theme “Living Faithfully With God” (Romans 12:2). In attendance were over two hundred clergy and lay persons, including forty-five young people, from fifteen UM local churches in the U.S., as well as five delegates from Vietnam. The Convocation featured two training workshops on “Small Groups,” a presentation on “Recent Developments in the UMC,” and the completion and award ceremony of “Lay Servant Ministries” led by Rev. Dr. Bau Dang, Rev. Son Nguyen, and Mr. Khanh Doan.
During the Opening Worship on Friday, Rev. Dr. Dung Le preached on “Faith in God’s Word” from 2 Timothy 3:14-17. On Saturday morning, the delegates and observers heard updates and testimonies from all ministry representatives. On Saturday afternoon, the delegates elected a new Executive Committee: Chair: Rev. Hieu Phan; Vice-chair: Rev. Dr. Lui Tran; Secretary: Rev. Esther Dang; Treasurer: Khanh Doan.
The Saturday evening worship service featured Rev. Dr. Luat Tran preaching on “Living Faithfully With God” from 2 Timothy 4:1-5, while the youth and young adults gathered for their English-speaking worship with Rev. Mary Duong as their speaker. The 34th Convocation adjourned with Closing Worship on Sunday with Rev. Dr. Dung Le preaching on “Do not conform to this world” from Romans 12:2.
Rev. Ken Suhr, Cal-Pac’s Director of Leadership and Congregational Vitality, attended the final day of the gathering and shared that “My soul was deeply encouraged to witness the sincerity in which the gathered pastors and church leaders sang familiar hymns in their native tongue, celebrated God’s faithfulness and the faithfulness of individuals, shared hopeful plans for the future, received encouragement from God’s Word, and consecrated new lay servants. After the closing worship, there was a community feast that was filled with glorious textures, flavors, and even Vietnamese iced coffee. Not only was my spirit and body filled, but my hope was strengthened for the Vietnamese caucus churches and ministries. I am already looking forward to next year’s Vietnamese caucus gathering in Garden Grove, and will be praying and doing what I can to support the local churches and ministries in the upcoming year.”
As is customary among United Methodists, this annual gathering was filled with fellowship, fun, and food. Next year’s Convocation is scheduled for July 24-27, 2025, at Garden Grove UMC.
