Frequently Asked Questions

  • We think our gathering is a unique experience where there will be something of value for everyone - a culture that is built on relationships rather than performance, thought-provoking content and conversations, a needed reset with faith and identity, and helpful frameworks for navigating challenges in life. To our knowledge, a national fellowship like this has not existed for Asian Christians, and we are excited to invite you to be part of building something new at Abide.

  • This gathering aims to attract primarily Asian Christians who are open to growth, sharing from their life experiences, finds value in deep connection with others, and are ready to listen with openness and understanding. We are inviting people who fit this description from all walks of life, different regions of the country, diverse professions, and from various theological and political leanings. We think Abide will be best suited for attendees beginning in their mid-20s, with no upper age limit. Intergenerational friendship is a gift that we hope to see occur within the Abide community.

    There is no formal vetting process for Abide attendees, but there will be a cap to attendance to encourage intimacy and connection. As you learn more about Abide and experience it yourself, we hope you will be part of inviting others who will add to the fabric of the community and help it to grow deeper and stronger.

  • Absolutely! We do not want or intend this gathering to be exclusively Asian. People from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds are welcome and the hope is that they will continue to attend if they feel connected and comfortable with the members of the community.

  • The registration fee for the gathering includes all meals from Sunday evening through Wednesday morning, as well as the programming for the event.

    While registration fees for comparable gatherings often range from $1,200-$2,400 or more, our generous donors have made it possible for us to maintain accessibility by subsidizing about half of each participant's costs. Additionally, we've chosen The Henry as it enables us to make Abide as affordable as possible while still providing an exceptional experience.

    Please reach out to us if you need financial assistance to attend, as we have a select number of scholarships for community members.

  • We would love for your kids and youth to experience Abide with you. Our hope is to see the next generation of Abiders connect with each other, experience God’s love, and form friendships.

    Abide Gathering offers childcare and youth camp options. Our youth camp experience is for children rising to grades 6-12 and we will also have childcare for children who are younger than this age. This will be an incredible opportunity for the next generation in the community to meet each other, make friends, and get to experience faith and fun together.

    Youth camp info: Abide Youth Camp.

    Childcare at Abide info: Abide Childcare.

  • Our annual gathering covers topics that we believe expand our understanding of how to flourish in life as children of God. In the past we have covered topics such as the idol of performance, grief, sabbath, career and life vision, and much more. We leave plenty of time for conversation and connection over meals, evening time, and afternoon activities. For descriptions of past Abide Gathering events, please go here.

  • The attire for our event is casual. We expect temperatures to range from the low 50s to the low 80s, so please bring layers for warmth in the evenings and in air conditioned spaces. As weather can always be unpredictable, we suggest consulting weather forecasts prior to your trip so that you can pack accordingly. Also, please bring a comfortable pair of sneakers in case you want to take some of the nearby walks or tours around Dearborn or Detroit.

  • In order to create a welcoming, distraction-free environment, we discourage solicitation of any kind during our annual gathering and within our community afterward, including requesting funding for nonprofit or for-profit ventures.  

    We understand that during and after the gathering, opportunities to share about your work may come up organically in discussions and informal conversations at Abide events. We encourage participants to focus on meaningful exchanges about their passions and projects without expectation of support or engagement. 

Event & Logistics Questions

  • We have seen life trajectories change through the power of deep friendships and learning experiences, and it is out of this conviction and hope that we are starting the Abide Gathering. We have a longing to see flourishing and growth within the context of our Asian heritage and experience, and think that the best way to do this is through authentic relationships, not performance. We believe that the impact of friendships that are built on openness and trust will compound as the community matures over time.

  • There are large church denominations and parachurch organizations that have Asian or Asian American sub-groups and communities. Some of these organizations have senior leadership at the executive and Board levels who are Asian or Asian American. There are also a variety of professional organizations for Asian Americans. The faith-based organizations are not explicitly focused on Christian Asians, nor were they formed for the purpose of fostering intergenerational friendship. The professional organizations do not have a Christian identity and are not specifically designed to be for both spouses in a couple. We believe Abide will sit uniquely at the intersection of faith, whole life relationships, and ethnic affinity for Asian Christians.

  • The focus for creating Abide is on growth through deep intergenerational and peer friendships within the community of Asian Christians. The creation of Abide is not a statement about the need for diversity in other communities. In fact, Abide was actually birthed from the formative experience of some of its members in an intergenerational community called Telemachus. This community was founded on the familiarity, friendship, and trust of its initial cohort of mentors who were all white. Abide is an acknowledgement of the reality that different cultural and ethnic spaces can serve a beneficial purpose in ministering to people from different backgrounds. Smaller communities with shared experiences can lend themselves to a level of familiarity that will provide easier access into stories and challenges that can lead to deeper connection, healing, and growth.

  • Abide does not primarily exist to address any specific justice issue, or any other externally focused cause. There are those in the community whose work is focused on race, justice, and reconciliation, and we will encourage connection and collaboration within the community when possible.

  • We know that there are significant differences between the home cultures of different regions and countries in Asia, and in some cases, there has been historical animosity and conflict between these cultures. Abide will never claim to represent what all Asian Christians experience and will likely not be as diverse as the broader Asian population. However, the expectation will be for a high level of connection between members of the community for at least three reasons:

    1) Attendees to the annual gathering will be there by invitation only. Abide will always be an intimate gathering and each person invited will have been considered in this light. It is likely that those who are invited, and especially those who choose to keep coming back, will find a high level of connection with a significant number of the other attendees.

    2) While Asian cultures are very different from one another, they are also similar in important ways, especially as compared to the majority western culture of the United States. We expect that there will be a level of familiarity and affinity between attendees based on cultural similarities. We believe that for many attendees, a national gathering of Asian Christians will be a novel, encouraging experience.

    3) Abide will emphasize relational connection over personal performance. The gathering itself will exist to foster connection over comparison, and we believe this will make it more likely that a diverse Asian group will find common ground.

General Questions