Peer-learning group coordinators in the Christian Reformed Church share their accomplishments at an annual meeting each November, but at least one group is looking to the Internet to communicate with an even wider audience.
Pastor Fernando del Rosario is the coordinator for the Asian American Pastoral Ministry (AAPM) peer learning group. He’s been spearheading AAPM’s efforts to get its new website (www.asiancrc.org) up and running.
“We want our website to be a simple and useful tool to help connect, strengthen, engage, and sustain more healthy and informed Asian CRCs today and in the future,” del Rosario says. The site includes
- updates: What’s happening in Asian CRCs and among the members of AAPM.
- helpful links to other websites with information and resources on peer learning, mentoring, worship, ministry, and leadership.
- a photo gallery featuring images from AAPM’s four semiannual meetings and from various Asian CRCs.
- a file cabinet with more detailed information for members and others interested in the group, featuring online access to minutes, learning opportunities, and future plans.
Del Rosario wants the site to keep improving and is continually gathering feedback. “We want to format the site so it will be accessible and easy to navigate—a real help to busy pastors needing a quick and easy one-stop source of information,” he said.
Del Rosario and his peers believe the impact will reach well beyond the Asian CRC community.
“We hope, and have been praying, that this website will be a good way to increase intercultural awareness among Asians and non-Asians in the CRC. We pray that it will lead to mutual encouragement, fellowship, and ministry support in our denomination,” he says.
Peer learning works, says del Rosario, and his group wants others to experience the power of peer learning in their lives and ministries.
“This is crucial if we’re to continue to nurture a strong and vibrant Asian community and raise greater awareness of our place and influence within the denomination as a whole.”
Del Rosario said he knows the goals are ambitious, but he thanks God for what they’ve been able to accomplish so far. “In the future, we want to begin to collect and share stories, photos, and ministry best practices.”
About the Author
Rachel Boehm Van Harmelen is a writer and consultant specializing in communications for nonprofit organizations. She and her husband, Peter, have four children and live in Fall River, Nova Scotia, where they attend All Nations Christian Reformed Church
