Episcopal young adults of Asian descent connect, bond at Hawai‘i retreat

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians of Asian descent in their 20s gathered at Camp Sloggett in Kōke‘e, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, to connect and build new relationships through worship, meditation, hiking and bonding exercises in a tech-free zone.

“There are many different ways that people have tried to translate the word ‘aloha,’ but it basically means love – and, in this case, God’s love, and this all-encompassing love,” Carolyn Morinishi, a lay leader at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Kap‘a, Kauai, told Episcopal News Service. She has been organizing the young adult ministry since 2011.

The Episcopal Church’s Office of Asiamerica Ministries hosted the Oct. 25-27 event with the theme “Let Aloha Lead Your Way.” The Rev. Keleawe “Malcolm” Hee, vicar of Good Samaritan Episcopal Church in Honolulu, Oahu, led this year’s retreat, focusing on helping participants find balance in their personal schedules.

During one activity, Hee made a circle and divided it into three parts of a day: eight hours for sleep; eight hours for work and eight hours for free time and rest. The activity made participants realize they spend most of their day working more than anything else. Hee told ENS that the activity was “eye opening” for participants.

“When one section runs into the other, that’s when we lose balance. When we focus on what we’re doing and balance our lives, we leave time in our day for prayer,” Hee said. “When you have prayer time, whether it’s once a day or throughout the day, you’re focused and present with God before moving on to the next activity. If all the compartments of a day run together and we neglect proper nutrition and sleep, that’s when our minds become muddled.”

During the retreat, Hee taught participants how to weave leis using ti leaves. While making the leis, they “weaved” their stories of faith, sharing their experiences. They also quietly wrote their worries onto paper and burned it in a campfire to symbolically “send their burdens up to God.” The contemplative activity was an opportunity for everyone to release tension and reflect on their relationship with God.

For this year’s retreat, Morinishi’s daughter built a Bible-themed escape room where participants had to solve puzzles using their knowledge of Scripture. They couldn’t look up answers using their smartphones because they had no access to cellular or internet service. Hee said the lack of internet access helped everyone relax and “be focused on the present without worrying about the outside world.”

Participants also played “EAM (Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries) Twister,” where the circles were labeled with different ethnicities instead of colors. The game was a demonstration on how diverse Asian Americans can be.

“They had to put their right hand on what their father is, for example,” Hee said. “With Asian American ministry, Asians don’t speak the same language. We had a very small cohort of only four people at this year’s retreat, but there was so much diversity there, too. One person was ethnically Chinese, and two people were Japanese living in two different Hawaiian Islands. Another person was half Japanese and half white, which reflects the next generation of Asian American, and mixed people have different viewpoints.”

Every Hawaiian island is culturally different, according to Morinishi and Hee.

Morinishi said this year’s retreat was a “rebuilding year” because EAM hosted it for the first time since 2019; EAM didn’t host an in-person young adult retreat from 2020 to 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, about 30 young adults would participate in the retreat every year. The retreats are held in different locations each year, including San Francisco, California, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and South Korea.

Morinishi said one of the goals for programs designed for young adult Episcopalians of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, like the retreat, is to encourage them to take up leadership roles in The Episcopal Church, including convention delegates and vestry members.

Asians make up an estimated 1% of The Episcopal Church, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center.

“It can feel awkward for those who are both Asian and Christian,” Morinishi said. “It’s good to offer opportunities like the young adult retreat so that people who are both Asian and Christian have a chance to see others like them and worship together. It’s a great bonding experience.”

Hee said he and Morinishi are in the early stages of planning the next EAM young adult retreat, tentatively scheduled for September 2025 at Camp Mokulē‘ia in Waialua, Oahu. The goal is to expand to pre-pandemic numbers.

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.