Cold calling a Chinese church

Dear church manager who picked up at 9:45 pm on a Saturday night,

Thank you for providing me with far more information than I asked for, and for validating my experience as a minority and person of color. While I never asked for it, you openly and willingly named other Chinese churches that I could consider in the area, giving me the sense that you wanted me to know the options and go as God leads, instead of grasping for me to join your congregation. You were upfront that your teaching pastor is leaving at the end of next month. Much of the English congregation loves his teaching, but just be aware that he's leaving and the church is actually in the search for three (where did the other two come from?) new pastors.

Some of this is really unnecessary to a newcomer attending your church. But you demonstrated a mature way of gauging things: "It sounds like you are familiar with church?" "I am not sure how long you have been a believer, but..." Perhaps not the smoothest of questions, but I appreciated the clarification, appreciated that you didn't make assumptions.

But more importantly, as I awkwardly tried explaining I'm looking at both multi-ethnic churches and Chinese churches, you comfortably and easily said, "Of course, it's a decision every minority needs to make." And I took a deep breath and knew you were right, and that it was okay.

You don't know that I was just told yesterday to "open my eyes" by my white student. You don't know that I think I'm getting emotionally tired of adjusting every thing: feeling like I'm begging students take off their shoes to come inside my house, wondering if they are looking at me differently, constantly getting caught off guard by my Caucasian roommate's assumptions and attitudes.  You don't know that I've been asking God, "Am I ready for this?" when I think about leading students who may have never really has an Asian friend...in addition to being older than me and don't have a built-in respect for authority in quite the same way. That sometimes conversations with a group of white people feel too fast and too aggressive and I'm too tired to squeeze my voice in. That I feel a little guilty for wanting breathing room with friends of like culture, where I can do a whole lot less explaining and whole lot more just being.

It was refreshing to hear you weave between the terms ABC and OBC. I felt a sense of familiarity just knowing what you were referencing, in your using the term "first generation born" just like I do. And even if I don't know if I'll end up at your church, tonight, I am grateful.