Abide Gathering 2026

“The Abide gathering was a deep breath of fresh air for someone who didn’t know he was holding his breath. I’m leaving more fully alive, and am so grateful I fully engaged.”

“Compared to the first time I attended, I felt that I was still processing how I grew up and the impact it had on me. But while the first time around, the tears shed were one of grief, this time around, the tears were one of gratitude and acceptance of my terrains & waters.”

“So thoughtfully put together in love. I have gone to so many gatherings but I usually show up at those feeling the need to posture and working so hard trying to connect with people. So in contrast, I can’t believe how doing the counter-culturally thing of identifying and sharing our “weak” and hurt parts of ourselves here helped not only free me but also connect deeply with strangers who now feel like family where I can show up as I am (with all my brokenness and gifts, with my hurts and healing). Many places feeds my head knowledge. This did that but also fed my heart, soul, and spirit. It was my first time here and I feel known and celebrated here. I felt things deeply here (love, healing, joy, play). I have been craving friendship and praying for it. Abide and the people I connected with is an answer to my prayers. I have hosted summits before and I have a glimpse of the amount of time, brain, energy, heart that goes into creating a space like this. I know the culture and energy and healing was able to happen because of your vision and love. Thank you.”

• Where and when we met: For our 5th Annual Gathering, we met from July 5-8, 2026 at The Henry Hotel in Dearborn, Michigan, which is just outside of Detroit. This year, we encouraged attendees to arrive one day early for extra connection, rest, and having plenty of time to acclimate, and were excited for the 65 adults and kids that joined in for community dinner and 4th of July fireworks rooftop viewing on Saturday. This was our fourth year meeting at The Henry and attendees continue to share gratitude for the accommodations, food, and warm and attentive hospitality from hotel staff.

• Who was there: 77 adults (including 33 first-time attendees) and 36 children and youth. Attendees came from 12 states + Korea and Singapore, ranged in age from 30s to 60s, and came from various ethnic and vocational backgrounds. Because our youth program doubled this year to 23 attendees, we brought on Jeru Ona, a youth pastor who was an outstanding addition to our team. We love seeing how Abide is becoming a week that both adults and kids are enjoying and looking forward to together. One attendee shared: “I was so thankful to have this space to rest, reflect and to receive. Abide is such a special place - unlike anything that I’ve been a part of. And I’m so grateful that my family as a whole got to experience this together.”

• What we learned: How to get our value, identity, and worth from God instead of what we do, how others see us, or the lies or burdens we carry; how an Abider’s determination to save her child led her on her own path of healing that broke many generational cycles of broken marriages and parent/child relationships; experiencing how God sees, hears, and understands us through El Roi prayer; reflecting on what it means to “show up loved” everywhere we go; how to engage our emotions as Asian Americans instead of suppressing and ignoring them; maintaining connections with children as they grow up; how to process transitions in the second half of life with God.

• What we experienced:

  • Multicultural, embodied, and soulful worship led by Aisea Taimani and a team of five other musicians - representing expressions from different languages, including American Sign Language

  • Spiritual formation practices led by Rema Cheng - guiding us in familiar and new practices that led to powerful encounters with God and experiencing him in personal ways

  • Andy Chan’s hosting and facilitation filled with gentleness, care, and strength, setting the tone for each session

  • Jeremiah Lepasana leading us in communion along with spoken word that reminded us of the ambitiousness of what Abide is doing and the invitation for us when we gather at the communion table

  • For the first time at Abide, David and Jean told their individual and joint stories together, allowing us to be a witness to the highs and lows of their journey leading to Abide’s fifth year, and showing us God’s faithfulness in the past, present, and future

  • Sharing our stories and witnessing each other’s joys and pain through a writing exercise called “Where I’m From”, where attendees filled in prompts about memories of their childhood and their journey to form a poem that was shared in small groups. Using the Abide team’s own poems, Aisea wrote a song called “I Am From Love” specifically for our gathering. On the last day, David Park shared an Abide Gathering version of the poem. The song and poem are included below.

  • Getting out of our heads, loosening up our performance-driven selves, and learning to play and listen to each other in new ways through improv, led by Matt and Dan from Zen-Prov!. We experienced some truly magical moments and saw different sides of each other emerge, and continued practicing some of the improv principles and practices throughout the rest of the week.

  • Fun fellowship through pickleball, a food and cultural/history tour in downtown Detroit, celebrating America’s 250th birthday by eating an All-American dinner and watching a dazzling 360 degree display of constant fireworks on the hotel rooftop, watching World Cup games hosted in the U.S., late night fun with extended conversations and board games, Asian snacks and ramen, and more!

“It is not an exaggeration to say my time here allowed me to experience heart-level healing and transformation that will lead to changing the trajectory of my life.”

“This was such an encouragement to me and in this season in my faith. I have more excitement to meet with the Lord not out of obligation but through the knowledge that I am loved and redeemed.”

“This experience has been healing for prior experiences with Asian Christian communities where it was harder to go deep emotionally and be vulnerable. I’ve been so blessed by others with similar cultural backgrounds sharing their lives & holding space for mine.”

“Abide has created this space for slowing down and checking in with myself every year, with the benefit of doing so in community with others who can understand the baggage I carry while pointing me toward what a more free, less baggage-ridden life might look like.”