Center For Pacific & Asian-American Ministries

The Center for Pacific and Asian-American Ministries is related to the Division of Ordained Ministry of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.

It was created to provide ministerial education and other services across the denomination to strengthen and enhance ministry, both lay and clergy, for Pacific and Asian American constituencies. The Center is located on the campus of Claremont School of Theology for strategic and administrative purposes.

Contact Information

CPAAM
1325 N. College Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711

Ph: (909) 621-7707 / Fax: (909) 626-1208

Objectives

  1. To concern itself with Pacific and Asian-American communities and ministry in response to specific needs of local churches, and to act as an advocate to promote more effective ministries.
  2. To monitor the context and content provided for theological education and formation at STC and other United Methodist seminaries as they affect our Pacific and Asian students.
  3. To enable and assist the School of Theology at Claremont (and whenever possible, other seminaries) to design and develop courses to be incorporated in the regular curriculum in the area of Pacific and Asian-American theology and ministry. The Center will cooperate with the faculty of seminaries to provide culturally inclusive and relevant courses as well as the cultural context for theological formation to enhance and thus strengthen pastoral ministry in Pacific and Asian-American churches and communities.
  4. To provide opportunities for seminary students, ministers, and lay persons to engage in dialogue in order to develop more effective models for Pacific and Asian-American ministries.
  5. To develop new Pacific and Asian-American ministerial leadership through enlistment of persons for pastoral ministry and to strengthen present pastoral leadership by means of continuing education programs, workshops, seminars and other related activities.
  6. To strengthen lay leadership for Pacific and Asian-American local churches in all areas of church life and ministry through contextual and diversified continuing education programs.
  7. To assist various boards and agencies of the United Methodist Church as well as other churches, groups, and organizations to become more sensitive to the needs of our Pacific and Asian constituencies and work with them to develop appropriate responses.
  8. To develop and make available resources on Pacific and Asian-American concerns in support of ministry, both for our constituencies and for the church at large.

Summer Internship

CPAAM Summer Interns will:

  • Have “hands-on” experience of pastoral and other forms of ministry in all aspects of Asian-American local church;
  • Experience the life of changing needs and patterns of Asian-American churches and community as servant leaders; Explore through practice and reflection some viable ways to hear, discern and respond to God’s call into ordained and other forms of ministry;
  • Meet the spiritual needs of the transgeneration, second and third generation of Asian-American United Methodist Churches.

Teaching Churches will

  • Take this opportunity as an ongoing call of God and be viable participating vehicles of ministry and mission for the 21st century by providing for the young adults an opportunity to experience total aspects of local church ministry.

Intern Requirements

All interns must participate fully in all activities of the internship program. (Korean-American interns in particular are required to participate in the 1998 Transgeneration Convocation).

All interns should keep “action-reflection” journal for personal growth and weekly reports and must attend reflection meetings. A final reflection paper summarizing the experience must be prepared before the end of the internship or presented at the TG Convocation.

Stipend & Other Financial Support

  1. Interns will receive a stipend of $1,000 upon completion of the internship provided by Section of Elders and Local Pastors, Division of Ordained Ministry, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
  2. Travel expenses, from and to Claremont and to the internship site, will also be provided by Section of Elders and Local Pastors, DOM, GBHEM.
  3. Room & board during the internship period will be provided by each teaching church.

Who Can Apply

Any Asian-American who is

  1. an upper class college student
  2. a college graduate who is a member of the United Methodist Church and has a sense of calling to the ordained ministry in and for the United Methodist Church, can apply for the internship.

How to Apply

Send your application by March 30 with a recommendation from your pastor and a 500-word essay about why you want to apply for the internship and what you hope to learn from it. Send to:

Summer Internship Program Director
CPAAM
1325 N. College Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711
909-621-7707, fax 909-626-1208