About Us
 Related Organizations

2006 Statistical Portrait of the Nation's
Asian and Pacific Islander Populations
Hawai`i PAAM's Mission

To recognize and celebrate the unique insights and contributions of Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans and their churches in the life of the United Church of Christ		 Council for Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM) was created by the 14th General Synod to advocate for racial and ethnic concerns within the UCC. It is composed of representatives from:
  • Council for American Indian Ministry
  • Council for Hispanic Ministries
  • Ministers for Racial, Social, and Economic Justice
  • Pacific Islander and Asian American Ministries
  • United Black Christians
Council for Hispanic Ministries (CHM) is an autonomous body working cooperatively with Council Regions and Associations, Conferences, and Ministries of the UCC to promote its work among Hispanics/Latinos/Latinas in the United States of America, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and other nations of the Caribbean, Central and South America.

The Council for Hispanic Ministries:
• Promotes its mission within the United Church of Christ;
• Monitors boards and ministries of the United Church of Christ that deal with concerns   and issues of significant importance to Hispanic people;
• Enhances the international, intercultural, and interfaith dialogue among its constituencies.
• Assists in the spiritual, theological and worship experience that honors the context and culture of its members and congregations.

Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM) is the voice for American Indian People (also commonly known as Native Americans) in the United Church of Christ. CAIM provides Christian ministry and witness to American Indians and to the whole UCC. It supports the work of local churches and their pastors. It encourages the enlistment and education of American Indians for ministry. CAIM also strives to be a resource for the American Indian person in other UCC congregations across the lands to provide them support and to strengthen their participation in the life of the church. CAIM hopes that this membership will be an active and vocal support group on issues involving CAIM and for American Indian people in general. CAIM desires to strengthen youth and young adult involvement in the local and national church. It communicates to the whole UCC the issues of justice that affect American Indian life.

Ministers for Racial, Social, and Economic Justice (MRSEJ) is an association of Christian ministers that actively pursues political resolution of Racial, Social and Economic Justice issues. MRS EJ is the clergy component of the African-American historically under represented peoples of the United Church of Christ. Although it operates separately from United Black Christians, the lay component of the African-American historically under represented peoples, the two entities do sometimes work together on pronouncements within the UCC.
According to their old web page, they are a group that seeks to "address racial justice, within the structure of the church and within the world, to focus on economic justice, noting that economic denial is one facet of racism, and to give voice and power to the many social issues where people are denied justice."

United Black Christians (UBC) is an officially recognized special interest group of the United Church of Christ. It provides voice and vision for the more than 70,000 African American members of the church.UBC represents African American laypeople and clergy who faithfully minister in the UCC's more than 278 predominantly African American congregations and in congregations that are not predominantly African American. UBC seeks to preserve our tradition as a people of faith and hope. UBC recognizes that it is the Black church that has meant survival for African Americans on these shores and affirms that it is the Black church that will assure our continued growth, development, endurance and ultimate liberation.

UBC affirms that each of us has gifts to offer and is entitled to the full rights and privileges as a child of God. UBC proclaims that through Jesus we will "write the vision and make it plain," so all will know we are children of God!
The Aims and Objectives of Hawai`i PAAM:
  • Spiritual Development sensitive to our cultures
  • Social, Economic and Justice needs
  • Leadership training which is rooted in cultural practices with some adjustments to western ways. (This is a process of mutual discovery and affirmation of our different cultures.)
  • Concerns of women both within their own cultures and interculturally
  • Youth Ministry concerns
Our Beginning (Nationally):

PAAM was organized in 1974 at a gathering in San Francisco, California of representatives from different regions throughout the United States.  The vision was to unite and move forward at the national, regional and local levels as Pacific Islanders & Asian Americans in the United Church of Christ, sharing our unique gifts with one another.

PAAM was voted into existence at the 10th General Synod in 1975, as a recognized Special Interest Group within the UCC. The 17th General Synod adopted the pronouncement A United Church of Christ Ministry with Pacific Islander & Asian Americans, calling to establish an implementation committee to make requests about the ministries of the PAAM churches. The 18th General Synod passed a resolution designating the last Sunday of April as PAAM Sunday when all UCC churches recognize and celebrate the gifts and contributions of Pacific Islander & Asian Americans in the life of the UCC.

The aims and objectives of (National) PAAM :
  •  To promote the leadership and identities of the Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans in order to empower them and their churches in the United Church of Christ
  •  To identify concerns of PAAM ethnic groups and advocate strategies for developing solutions
  •  To recognize and celebrate the unique insights and contributions of Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans in the life of the United Church of Christ
  •  To encourage Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans of all ages to affirm their unique ethnic and cultural identities and to develop their theologies
  •  To facilitate the involvement of Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans in instrumentalities, agencies, task forces, conferences, associations, and all other settings of the United Church of Christ
  •  To combat institutional racism and promote pluralism within the United Church of Christ in the struggle for justice toward the goal of reconciliation of all peoples
  •  To combat institutional racism in the UCC and the wider society in the struggle for justice and to challenge the UCC to affirm the ethnic and cultural diversity represented by the Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans

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