(March 18, 2001)

The streets of Westminster, Calif., 20 miles south of Los Angeles, are clogged with luxury cars and expensive sport utility vehicles. At the local mall, known as "Little Saigon," shoppers bob in and out of stores where jewelry, electronics and clothing seem to be spilling into the thoroughfare. Near the entrance of the mall a man stops at a gigantic Buddha, inserts money into a receptacle and lights incense in hope of prosperity.

Tuan Ma has seen consistent, steady growth in the congregation he founded in 1981.

"Vietnamese people work so hard," says Tuan Ma, pastor of First Vietnamese Assembly of God in Westminster, as he walks through the mall. "They experienced 30 years of war in Vietnam and did not have a good life. In America, they have an opportunity for a good education, so they want to get rich and live in the high class of society."

Bringing the message of Christ’s love to the Vietnamese community in this middle-class neighborhood and others like it has been Ma’s work for more than 20 years. Doing so, he says, has taken time and patience.

"Because many Vietnamese people have a Buddhist background, they are very slow to respond to the gospel," Ma says. "For a Vietnamese person to convert to Christianity is difficult because older generations of their families have a heavy influence on them."

Self-determination and unbelief also keep many from Christ, says Thanh Tran, who has attended the church since 1987. "Many Vietnamese have the sense that they can make it on their own," he says. "They say, ‘Look at me. I came to this country with nothing. Now I own a house, a nice car and I have a business. Why would I need Christ?’ "

Tran also notes that many Vietnamese cannot believe that a carpenter died for their sins and offers the gift of salvation with no strings attached. "Many of them cannot accept that," Tran says, "because they believe they have to earn everything."

In 1982, Ma, his family and a handful of friends started a Bible study. Their goal was to provide a place of worship that embraced Vietnamese culture and maintained customs while focusing on Jesus Christ. Through door-to-door evangelism, weekly meetings and much prayer the church eventually grew to 165 adults on Sunday morning. "The Lord draws people to the church," Ma says. "It grows, but slowly."

After 18 years of renting space for the congregation, Ma says the Lord told him to seek a permanent meeting place in January 2000. When he found the present building, he needed $250,000 for a down payment. The following Sunday he shared his vision with the congregation and members responded by giving $97,000 immediately. Within four weeks, the congregation had raised $260,000 for the new building. The church moved into the facility last April.

Sacrifice on behalf of the congregation made the purchase of the building possible, Ma says. Some families took second mortgages on their homes. One woman saved $10,000 in 10 years and gave all of it to the church.

"The Lord has done a miracle in our hearts. There is a new excitement among the congregation and you can see the joy in their faces," says Tran, who teaches in the public schools and serves on the pastoral staff. "We never imagined we could own our own building. God has been so faithful."

According to Ma, Westminster has one of the highest populations of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam. Though spiritual battles are waged on many fronts, Ma says the key to breaking down barriers is prayer. "We pray a lot," he says. "We have no choice other than to have the help of the Lord."