News

The Institution of the Rev. David Lui: A Multicultural Event

Written by Mathew K. Chacko
Monday, 24 April 2006

On April 2, 2006, in the quiet San Francisco neighborhood of 29th Avenue and Noriega Street, there was a great deal of excitement brewing with the institution of the Reverend David Lui as the new rector of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation.

The bilingual service, in English and Chinese, was presided over by the Right Reverend William Swing, Bishop of California. The congregation of over 160 people, reflecting the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Bay Area, gathered in prayer and celebration to support Fr. David's new ministry at Incarnation. The Reverend Dr. Fran Toy, the Reverend Dr. Franco Kwan, the Reverend Dr. Gordon Lau, the Reverend Salying Wong, and the Reverend Vincent Jang served as assisting ministers for the service.

The Canon Dr. Ronald Johnson delivered the homily, in which he compared Fr. David to Joshua leading his people into a new and promising future. Dr. Johnson also noted that the day marked a day of beginnings and endings–the beginning of Fr. David's new ministry and the impending retirement of Bishop Swing.

In 2002, the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation embarked upon a new vision for the parish, multicultural ministry to the people of San Francisco's Sunset district. The Reverend David Lui joined Incarnation as an associate to help grow this burgeoning endeavor. The ministry started with the introduction of a Saturday language school, a program to help students with English language skills. Today, Incarnation's outreach program includes bilingual services on Sundays, a Chinese language school, ESL and citizenship classes for adults, and afterschool and summer programs for children. Planning is underway for a weekend program for seniors to begin in the fall of 2006. For details on service times and the various programs, please contact Fr. David Lui at (415) 564-2324 or visit the Web site: www.IncarnationSF.org.

( Chinese version )