FACE Successfully Hosts Its 11th National Lighting the Community Summit

FACE Successfully Hosts Its

11th National Lighting the Community Summit

See speakers, sessions, and highlights below!

October 22-24, 2021

Virtual Conference, Hybrid Gala

On October 22-24, 2021, FACE hosted our virtual 11th National Lighting the Community Summit under the theme of A Time to HEAL: Health, Equity, Advocacy, Leadership.

The three-day conference was held virtually on Whova and discussed various funding, resources, partnership opportunities, networking training, and more! The conference also lifted up important topics surrounding AAPI issues and creating belonging. The event was joined by nearly 200 leaders and participants from organizations all across the United States including the White House, funding corporations, community organizations, non-profits, and churches. (See full list according to each session below.)

We were so pleased to have been joined by numerous White House appointees for two White House listening sessions on the 'State of AAPI' & 'White House Grant Opportunities & Resources & Appointments.' These featured sessions were joined by Erika Moritsugu, Deputy Assistant to the President & AAPI Senior Liaison, White House; Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Faith-Based Director, U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development; Marcus Coleman, Faith-Based Director, US Dept. of Homeland Security; Karen Dahl, Senior Advisor for COVID-19, Americorps; and Jerry Lawson, National Manager for the Faith Community & Small Business, Environmental Protection Agency.

Additionally, we featured a corporate funders panel that allowed participants to hear and ask questions about specific funding needs & opportunities available to them, along with 4 breakout sessions surrounding small businesses, housing/homelessness/affordable housing, youth, jobs & clean energy, and mental health. (See details below)

This year's National Asian American Prayer Breakfast included numerous faith leaders who discussed their work related to various issues in the community, ranging from Stop AAPI Hate, Black & Asian Solidarity, and Reconciliation in Media to housing & homelessness, immigration, North Korea, Afghanistan, church leadership and youth. See below for additional highlights, speakers, and topics discussed/prayed for.

As mentioned in our previous email blast, we ended the three-day conference by celebrating our 20th Anniversary as an organization. We also honored our FACE 2021 Beacon of Light Honorees for their outstanding service and leadership in the community at the intersection of faith and community, addressing anti-Asian hate, and for their support of FACE's mission for faith and community empowerment. Honorees included State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Bishop Grant Hagiya, Esther Lim, CIT Bank, Larissa Lam, and Baldwin Chiu, and Rev. Jongdai Park. (Please see photos below.)

We want to express our special gratitude to our various partners, funders, volunteers, and other supporters who have allowed us to do our work in faith and community empowerment. All glory and honor to God for the miracles and provisions!

See below for highlights & more from the Summit!*

*To download the pictures from the event & view the summit program booklet, please use the button at the bottom of this email.

Testimonies from participants

What a wonderful and inspiring 20th Anniversary Celebration for FACE! We celebrate President Hyepin Im and all of the great staff at FACE. We look forward to the next 20 years with joy an anticipation of great things!

-Bishop Grant Hagiya, CalPAC UMC

I was inspired after the conversations and reflections. Felt blessed to have the opportunity to reflect and listen.

-Sonal Shah, President of The Asian American Foundation (TAAF)

The SBA has a long standing tradition in supporting the intersectionality between faith based communities and small business eco systems. Events like the annual Lighting the Community Summit, presented by FACE - Faith and Community Empowerment, is a perfect example of bringing the community together to leverage economic development resources as we recover and heal the small business community to enable us to build back better.. Thanks for including the SBA - Great event.

-Victor Parker, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Field Operations, US Small Business Administration

The conference was a priceless learning and networking opportunity. I recently started an afterschool program for students in my community, and attended the conference to learn more about funding opportunities and partnerships. I was able to connect with a bank executive at one of the breakout sessions, and we scheduled a follow up meeting shortly after. I was thrilled when he awarded us a sizable grant on the spot. FACE is doing an outstanding job providing spaces where non-profit and Christian leaders can meet and forge vital partnerships. Thank you FACE for equipping and empowering us to shine the light in our community.

-Sharon Kim, Professor, California State University Fullerton & The Garden Church

It was a great three days - time well worth spending. Thank you for gathering such impactful speakers. Encouraging, Empowering, and Informative! Thank you, great job FACE team.

-Rev. Lisa Williams, Pastor, Sand Pedro UMC

I have never felt more empowered! Hearing the stories from so many diverse leaders and up and coming leaders inspired me to continue working in a compassionate way for justice and equality. We can all make a difference! We are all in this together - we empower each other to make this world a better place for everyone. It was an honor to attend this amazing Summit and Gala!

-Rev. Lyda Eddington, Pastor, Westchester United Methodist Church

It was a great three day event to get to know the collaboration of diverse organizations and individual for our community. And FACE's 20 year dedication for the mission!

-Vicky Youn, Field Engagement Coordinator, Clever Care Heath Plan

The summit was a great time to connect with a diverse community and collectively discuss ways we can better partner with one another to serve others.

-Larissa Lam, Director/Producer, Far East Deep South

The synergy of such a humble yet powerfully collaborative community coming together by the grace of the Holy Spirit inspired me with testimonies of the journeys traveled thus far, and a hopeful light shining on the path toward compassion, generosity, justice, and servant leadership through Health, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership.

-Wonseok Yuh, Senior Pastor, Harris United Methodist Church

Congratulations to FACE on twenty years of faithful service to the community! Lives are being transformed by its wonderful outreach programs!

-David Kim, Senior Pastor, The Garden Church

My name is Carissa Yu and I am a Young Ambassador for FACE. I am extremely grateful to FACE for allowing me this opportunity to observe as faith leaders, community leaders, policymakers and other influential people come together and discuss the betterment of the AAPI community and what progress has been made so far. I was able to hear many uplifting testimonies about how individuals have been making an impact with their own projects. I even got to pitch my own passion project during a round of speed networking. Overall, this was a very valuable and inspiring experience for me.

-Carissa Yu, FACE Young Ambassador

Friday, October 22, 2021 (PST)

Opening Plenary: A Time to HEAL | Fireside Chat: State of AAPI: Faith, Politics, Hope & Identity

The opening session speakers really brought excitement to the start of this year's summit with their insights on the intersectionality between the AAPI community, faith, politics, hope, and identity.

Speakers:

Deepa Bharath, Staff Writer, Southern California News Group
Josh Dickson, Senior Advisor for Public Engagement & Deputy Director of White House Office of Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnership
Hyepin Im, President/CEO, FACE
Dr. Russell Jeung, Founder, Stop AAPI Hate
Sonal Shah, President, The Asian American Foundation
Nikki Toyama-Szeto, Executive Director, Christians for Social Action

Amplifying Our Voices: Winning Strategies on Breaking Down Walls

Prominent social justice leaders came together to discuss their advocacy work and pathways to meaningful changes in policy. They emphasized the importance and power of everyone's voices, especially those belonging to faith and immigrant communities.

Speakers:

Adam Briones, Chief Executive Officer, California Community Builders
Christine Chen, Executive Director, APIA Vote
Hyepin Im, President/CEO, FACE
Krystal Ka'ai, Executive Director, White House Initiative on AANHPIs
Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra, Academic Dean of Centro Latino, Fuller Theological Seminary
Matthew Soerens, US. Director of Church Mobilization and Advocacy, World Relief & Evangelical Immigration Table

Speed Networking Training & Competition: Our Voices Matter

FACE President Hyepin Im and Bank of Hope Vice President Lisa Hill hosted a reinvigorating exercise on how to speak up, develop an elevator pitch and maximize platforms to bring attention to one's advocacy work and concerns. Participants competed in speed networking and voted for the best networking pitch. After a very close competition between FACE's high school Young Ambassador, Carissa Yu, and FACE's C2 Leadership Institute fellow, Lyda Eddington, the audience winner was pastor Eddington who won a $100 gift certificate!

Led By:

Hyepin Im, President/CEO, FACE
Lisa Hill, VP & Community Development Officer, Bank of Hope

Speed Networking Competition Finalists:

Lyda Eddington, FACE C2 Leadership Institute Fellow & Senior Pastor, Westchester United Methodist Church (Winner)
Carissa Yu, FACE Young Ambassador & Highschool Student (Runner Up)

White House Listening Session 1: State of AAPI

Moderated By:

Hyepin Im, President/CEO, FACE

Speakers:

Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Faith-Based Director, U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
Erika Moritsugu, Deputy Assistant to the President & AAPI Senior Liaison, White House

Navigating Resources for Faith & Community Development

Rev. Dr. Mark Whitlock Jr., Senior Pastor of Reid Temple AME Church, shared his experiences as a minister working in economic development and social justice to emphasize the importance of the faith community in advocacy and impart lessons to faith leaders on how to begin social justice work. The session closed with an additional powerful testimony of his journey to Black & Asian Solidary.

Moderated By:

Hyepin Im, President/CEO, FACE

Speaker:

Rev. Dr. Mark Whitlock Jr., Senior Pastor, Reid Temple AME Church

White House Grant Opportunities & Resources & Appointments

Representatives from the White House shared grant, partnership, and political appointment opportunities offered by various federal agencies in the country. They discussed their own career paths that led them to being in their current political appointments to provide participants with further insights on the journey.

Moderated By:

Hyepin Im, President/CEO, FACE

Speakers:

Marcus Coleman, Faith-Based Director, US Department of Homeland Security
Karen Dahl, Senior Advisor for COVID-19, Americorps
Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Faith-Based Director, U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
Jerry Lawson, National Manager for the Faith Community & Small Business, Environmental Protection Agency

Closing & Networking

Day 1 closed with participants having greater access to resources they may not have thought were available with new found capacity through funding, partnerships and advocacy. Networking rounds were available for continued opportunities.

Speaker

Hyepin Im, CEO/President, FACE

Saturday, October 23, 2021 (PST)

National Asian American Prayer Breakfast

Faith and civic community leaders gathered together to advocate and pray for concerns that impact our communities, our nation, and the world. Powerful voices lifted up the following prayers!

Faith Leadership
Government Leadership
Anti-Asian Violence
Racial Reconciliation
Black/Asian Solidarity
Immigration

Homelessness
Mental Health
Voter Justice
Peace in Afghanistan
Peace in North Korea
The Next Generation

The Prayer Breakfast was moderated by:

Hyepin Im, President/CEO, FACE
Richard Lui, Journalist, MSNBC & Author of Enough About Me

BIG thank you to our inspirational speakers who graciously gave their time, wisdom, and gift of prayer:

Dr. Tim Chang, Professor, Liberty University
Jay Chung, FACE Board Member/Vice President/Treasurer of Mana Group
Bishop Grant Hagiya, California-Pacific Conference of the UMC
Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Faith-Based Director, U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
Sandra Choi, Co-Owner, JHOG Design & Development
Steven Kwon, Founder & President, Nutrition & Education International
Larissa Lam, Director/Producer, Far East Deep South
Dr. Daniel Lee, Academic Dean, Fuller Theological Seminary Asian American Center
David Lee, CEO, RogueRed
David Mcallister-Wilson, President, Wesley Theological Seminary
Steve Suh, FACE Board Member/President of Mission & Service Inc, Director & Co-Founder of Elite Legal Education Center (Seoul, Korea), Managing Partner of Crouser & Suh
Guillermo Torres, Director of Programming, Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice
Jim Wallis, Writer, American Theologian, and Justice Advocate, Chair, Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice, Sojourners Podcast
Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, President, Skinner Leadership Institute, The National African American Clergy Network
Margaret Yu, National Director, Epic Movement, CRU
Rev. Won-Seok Yuh, Senior Pastor, Harris United Methodist Church

Special thanks to our two performers who shared their beautiful talents in music for moments of reflection during the event:

Cile Borman, Professional Musician & Community Activist
Danny Jung, Contemporary Jazz Artist at JazzLife Media

Fireside Chat: Corporate Social Justice - Funding in the Pandemic Reality - Breakout: Meet & Greet/Q&A With Funders

Heads of Corporate Social Responsibility joined us to discuss the meaning of "Corporate Social Justice" and share their priorities and strategies for providing resources and investments to our most underserved communities especially during the pandemic year.

Funders answered questions from the audience regarding ways to develop corporate funding partnerships and their corporations' current work to address important social issues such as homelessness, racial violence and anti-Asian hate.

Speakers:

Bob Binnie, SVP, Risk and CRA Program Management, CIT Bank
Richard Bynum, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, The PNC Financial
Kelvin James, Senior Vice President & CRA Manager, Bank of Hope
Julius Robinson, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, MUFG Union Bank

Breakout Sessions 1

Experts in key issues such as business development, housing/homelessness/affordable housing, and health/mental health equipped faith, non-profit, and business leaders with knowledge of resources, funding, and model programs that they can access and replicate to serve their congregation or community constituents.

Small Business

Business development organizations, corporate directors, federal agency representatives and faith organizations shared ways they support small businesses including essential federal small business programs, contracting opportunities and technical assistance for domestic and international opportunities.

Moderated By:

Joseph Kang, FACE Board Member/Managing Director, Kang and Company
Sandra Ko, Co-Owner, JHOG Design & Development

Speakers:

Terri Batch, Senior International Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce
Richard Chacon, Director of Supplier Diversity and Community Development, MUFG Union Bank
Matthew Lee, Founder/President/CEO, FASTech, Inc.
Jane Oak, Founder, Tapestry LA Convergence
Victor Parker, Deputy Associate Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration
Rhonda Thornton, Director, USC Supplier Diversity

Housing, Homelessness & Affordable Housing

Experts on real estate, homelessness, and affordable housing presented possible housing projects, ways to develop assets, and approaches to advocating for affordable housing and homeownership initiatives.

Moderated by:

Justin Davis, FACE Board Member & Sr. Vice President, Hanmi Bank

Speakers:

Allyson Crosby, Associate Director of Systems Alignment, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Jos Ferguson, FACE Board Member & Affordable Housing Consultant
Maury Ruano, FACE Board Member/Housing Development Director, Pair-A-Dice Development, LLC
Rev. Kelvin Sauls, Director for Interfaith Initiatives at Community Health Councils
Kevin Kang, Program Coordinator/Housing Counselor, FACE

Breakout Sessions 2

Youth, Jobs & Clean Energy

Organizations providing career-based education, training, and work opportunities to youth talked about the funding partnerships that helped grow their programs and the available funding streams to support new youth initiatives. Rev. Dr. Charles Dorsey introduced the emerging field of transportation electrification and emphasized the importance of faith leader involvement in reducing the disproportionate impact of poor air quality on suffering communities.

Moderated By:

Steve Suh, FACE Board Member/President of Mission & Service Inc, Director & Co-Founder of Elite Legal Education Center (Seoul, Korea), Managing Partner of Crouser & Suh

Speakers:

Rev. Dr. Charles Dorsey, Founder, The Dorsey Group, LLC
Mirabelle Johnson, Program Coordinator/Housing Counselor, FACE
Dr. Philip Starr, Executive Director, Managed Career Solutions
Telebah Woods, Senior Vice President & Business Development Manager, Neighborhood Lending, Bank of America

Health & Mental Health

Community mental health and health resource providers shared faith and non-faith-based resources that they've created to address issues such as cultural sensitivity of services, health disparities, stigma, and service underutilization. They offered feedback on how to engage in community outreach and encourage individuals to seek help.

Moderated by

Carol Chung, LA County Department of Mental Health

Speakers:

Curtis Chang, Founder, Christian and Vaccine, Consulting Within Reach
Keren Goldberg, Founder/President/CEO, Commentaries From the Edge Podcast
Rev. Elbert Kim, Senior Pastor, Camarillo United Methodist Church
Jack Miranda, Executive Director, The Jesse Miranda Center for Hispanic Leadership
Ben Odell, Program Specialist, US Department of Health and Human Services
Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard, Program Director, USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement
Peter Winston, Vice President of Community and Provider Development, Clever Care

Continuing the Fight: Creating Belonging | Closing

The closing session addressed that while the pandemic brought much sadness, darkness, and grief, it also introduced new leadership, and space/opportunities for change. Speakers representing various faith and community groups reflected on meanings of belonging and envisioned ways we can utilize these newfound platforms to strengthen and foster community including the AAPI community.

Moderated By:

Maury Ruano, FACE Board Member/Housing Development Director, Pair-A-Dice Development, LLC
Hyepin Im, CEO/President, FACE

Speakers:

Pastor Ray Chang, President, Asian American Christian Collaborative
Dr. David Chao, Director of the Center for Asian American Christianity, Princeton Theological Seminary
Rev. Janna Louie, Venn Diagram, American Baptist Minister/Area Director, Southern California
James Rodriguez, President, Fathers and Families Coalition of America
Adam Taylor, President, Sojourners
Eddie Yen, President, LA County Asian American Employees Association
Jay Chung, FACE Board Member/Vice President/Treasurer of Mana Group
Joshua Wu, Vice President, Edelman Data & Intelligence

Sunday, October 24, 2021 (PST) | Awards Gala

On October 24, 2021, FACE hosted our hybrid 20th Anniversary Awards Gala Dinner under the theme of Light up the Night: A Time to HEAL as part of our 11th National Lighting the Community Summit.

The celebratory event was held at the Pasadena Masonic Temple and lifted up many of the accomplishments and impact of FACE's work during the past 20 years of service. The event was joined by various dignitaries including State Treasurer Fiona Ma, LA City Controller Ron Galperin, our Dinner Co-Chair Julius Robinson of Union Bank, corporate & community partners and sponsors, FACE board members, and our Young Ambassadors. The Gala guests also had the opportunity to hear client testimonies from our various programs including our C2 Leadership Institute, AAPI Youth@Work Career Pathways Initiative, and Homeownership Program amongst others including our Anti-Asian Hate and Black/Asian Solidarity Campaign with the premiere of our Black Asian Solidarity PSA against Anti-Asian Hate.

The evening also honored our FACE 2021 Beacon of Light Honorees for their outstanding service and leadership in the community at the intersection of faith and community, addressing anti-Asian hate and for their support of FACE's mission for faith and community empowerment. Honorees included State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Bishop Grant Hagiya, Esther Lim, CIT Bank, Larissa Lam and Baldwin Chiu, and Rev. Jongdai Park. (Please see photos below.)

The guests also had the opportunity to enjoy various Korean cuisine food stations and also enjoy special performances from K-Pop group BXK, Musical Star Finalist Haram Choi, and Cile Borman. The honorees, the Dinner Co-Chair Julius Robinson, and our lead sponsors Union Bank and the Jewish Federation got treated to a special shout out from the BXK group before their performance!

We want to express our special gratitude to our various partners, funders, volunteers and other supporters who have allowed us to do our work of faith and community empowerment. All glory and honor to God for the miracles and provisions!

See below for highlights & more from the event!*

*To download the pictures from the event & view the summit program booklet, please use the button at the bottom of this email.

Honorees

FACE's 2021 Beacon of Light Awards

Speakers

Controller Ron Galperin,

City of Los Angeles

Julius Robinson

Head of Corporate Social Responsibility,

MUFG Union Bank

FACE Program Testimonies

Dakota Lee

FACE Youth@Work Intern

Rev. Lisa Williams

FACE C2 Graduate & Pastor of San Pedro UMC

Co-Emceed By

Christiane Cordero

Reporter, ABC7 Eyewitness News

Hyepin Im

CEO/President of FACE

Special Performances

Haram Choi

Musical Star Competition, Finalist

Cile Borman

Professional Musician & Community Activist

BXK

Up & Coming Kpop Group

See their shout out and exclusive performance of their hit song 'Excuse Me'! -------->

Kpop Group BXK Gives Shoutout & Exclusive Performance for FACE | 20th Anniversary Awards Gala Dinner

Attendees Learned & Experienced...

How to activate faith and nonprofit leaders to maximize their community engagement
Workshop sessions on various government and corporate resources and partnership opportunities for churches, nonprofits, and businesses
Networking opportunities with influential leaders from across the county
How to create and sustain true solidarity
How to partner with various stakeholders -such as government agencies, corporate funders & others- to leverage resources to better serve the community
Lessons on best practices for community service programs
Mentoring & career path opportunities for youth
Training on fundraising, program development, advocacy, media relations, government relations

Honorary Co-Chairs

David Mcallister-Wilson

President of Wesley Theological Seminary

"Congratulations to FACE on its 20^th Anniversary. You have accomplished so much in all these years, but in now certainly seems you were founded for such a time as this. Your theme this year matches this moment in the history of America. Thank you for your leadership."

Bishop Grant Hagiya

California Pacific Conference of the UMC

"I want to share my deepest congratulations to FACE and Rev. Hyepin Im, Executive Director on the celebration of their 20th Anniversary. FACE and Rev. Im represent our Asian American community at its finest to all of Southern California and even beyond our borders, as they have received national attention especially from the Biden/Harris Presidential Administration. I look forward to the next 20 years of growth and prosperity for FACE!"

Rev. John Jongdai Park

Head Pastor of Joong-Ang Presbyterian Church

Dinner Co-Chair

Julius Robinson

Head of Corporate Social Responsibility

MUFG Union Bank

Honorary Committee Members

US Senator Chris Van Hollen
US Congressman Tony Cardenas
US Congresswoman Judy Chu
US Congressman Ted Lieu
US Congresswoman Grace Meng
US Congresswoman Maxine Waters

US Congressman Tony Cardenas
CA Assemblyman Steven Choi
CA Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio
Gardena Councilwoman Paulette Francis