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ministry highlights
The First Hmong congregation
During Easter 2005, Hmong Christians filled the pews of Holy Apostles in St. Paul, and overnight the church became the first Hmong-majority Episcopal congregation in the entire Anglican Communion.
The Twin Cities is home to one of the largest Hmong communities in the U.S. — 60,000 in the last census.
Fr. Bill Bulson was introduced to a group of Hmong Christians, and just six months after initial contact, he found himself offering worship services in the Hmong language at Holy Apostles.
The extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit shines throughout Holy Apostles and the Hmong community:
Since 2005, we have baptized 175 children and adults.
Twenty-three youth are currently preparing for confirmation.
In the fall of 2008, Holy Apostles launched the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program for children, ages 3-12 years old.
We are forming a small group ministry that will meet in homes for Bible study, prayer, and fellowship.
We received a $30,000 UTO grant to continue our translation of the Book of Common Prayer into Hmong -- which we are eager to share with the worldwide church.
The first Hmong Episcopalian is in the discernment process, pursuing holy orders to the priesthood.
This remarkable ministry would not have been fulfilled without the partnership of the Bishop and the diocese in our efforts to nurture and stabilize Holy Apostles. Holy Apostles, on the eastside of St. Paul, had been experiencing financial hardship and declining numbers of members for several years. In 2004, Bishop Jelinek warned the congregation that unless something changed, Holy Apostles would need to close at the end of 2005. A core group of faithful members from many cultural backgrounds committed themselves to daily prayer for revival and provision.
When circumstances looked the bleakest for Holy Apostles, a community of 525 former Roman Catholic Hmong Christians found themselves without a spiritual home. Hmong leaders from this community, Fr. Bill Bulson of Holy Apostles, and the Bishop connected and discussed openness to Hmong language services, receptivity regarding cultural practices, and the possibilities for lay and ordained leadership. The Gospel is made known at Holy Apostles.
