The Metropolitan New York Synod is proud to introduce Faces of Faith — a video series celebrating the people, places, and ministries that make our synod such a remarkable community. From the South Shore of Long Island to working-class neighborhoods of southern Brooklyn to Hudson Valley cities like Newburgh, our synod is home to hundreds of congregations, each rooted in a particular place and people. With Faces of Faith, we hope to bring their stories to life through short documentary profiles that we hope will inspire, challenge, and encourage you.

This first three-episode mini-season asks a single question: what happens when a congregation stops and takes the time to listen to its neighbors? Each of our three episodes profiles a congregation or ministry that has taken a searching, honest look at what its community actually needs, and then had the courage to reshape its ministry to meet the moment. The results are surprising, creative, and deeply faithful.

This month, as AANHPI Heritage Month draws to a close, we visit St. Jacobi Lutheran Church in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Sunset Park is a immigrant neighborhood where Asian residents make up approximately 43% of the population; people from all over the world move to Sunset Park to make a new home for themselves and their families. Recognizing the particular needs of Chinese communities in Brooklyn and beyond, the congregation at St. Jacobi chose to center its ministry around Mandarin-language liturgy. Many Chinese-American workers are employed in construction, food service, or health services jobs, industries where Sunday morning is often the busiest or only day off. Getting to church then is sometimes just not possible! So St. Jacobi holds liturgies on Monday and Tuesday mornings, welcoming workers when they can actually worship. Watch the full story on [YouTube / Facebook — insert link].

This first mini-season of Faces of Faith — directed by Simone Tetteh and produced by Kevin Ritter-Jung, MNYS's director of media and communications — will release a new episode each month. Each episode is accompanied by a short discussion guide designed for adult education settings in congregations. You can download this month's guide here. We hope you will watch, share with friends and neighbors, and find yourself inspired to reimagine what ministry can look like in your own community.