The Inaugural Journey to Mosaic in the Midsouth Conference
When we look at someone on the outside, we often make assumptions about who they are and quickly move on. But what if we took the time to dig deeper? Who is this person? What is their story? For a group of us in Texas, we wondered, what if we created a Journey to Mosaic (J2M) in the Midsouth Conference?
This story begins with Edward Ming Lee—Pastor Ed—born in Chicago and raised across from Wrigley Field by his immigrant parents. His family experienced racial harassment in their neighborhood, which left deep scars. One significant incident involved a group of Puerto Rican girls harassing his younger sister. Edward, ever the protective big brother, stepped in to defend her, with the support of three Korean friends. That, however, only escalated matters. The girls retaliated, sending the Latin Eagles gang—about 30 members—to harass them daily at school and outside their home. Soon after, the family moved to California, where they found safety in a bilingual immigrant Chinese church in the heart of Oakland’s Chinatown.
Fast forward to 1996 when Pastor Ed attended a Promise Keepers Clergy Conference in Atlanta, where God met him profoundly. Pastor Ed later shared, “I was convicted and felt shame for harboring ill feelings and prejudice toward Puerto Ricans. I made peace with God and apologized to fellow Hispanic pastors at the conference. I made a covenant with God to be more intentional about building healthy relationships with all people.” It was a profound moment of reconciliation, with pastors from all racial backgrounds confessing their own sins of racism and extending grace to one another.
It was during this time that Pastor Ed encountered the Evangelical Covenant Church through Dr. Michael Emerson, a Covenant sociologist specializing in race and religion, and Rev. Greg Yee, superintendent of the Pacific Northwest Conference, who had also attended the same church in Oakland. Pastor Ed, who had been serving at one of the largest and most culturally comfortable Chinese churches in the country, responded to God’s call to plant Mosaic Community Covenant Church in the very diverse region of Sugar Land, Texas, with David Wu (Mosaic Formation). Pastor Ed felt God’s call to create a J2M discipleship experience, where people could understand God’s heart for all people through the sharing of stories.
Unexpectedly, Pastor Ed passed away in May 2021, leaving behind the unfulfilled vision of J2M. However, through God’s sovereignty, the dream lived on. The Pastor Ed Biblical Reconciliation Ministry was established through the Mosaic Learning Center, a nonprofit that he had founded. I now serve as its executive director.
The inaugural J2M in the Midsouth Conference came to life March 6-9, 2025. Twenty-four participants gathered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, excited and ready for the journey ahead.
We heard from an Osage female elder, visited Black Wall Street at Greenwood, explored Little Rock Central High School, and concluded with Hispanic, Asian, and refugee experiences in Houston. The journey provided immersive, firsthand experiences that shifted hearts and perspectives.
One participant said, “Being on the sites physically, rather than just reading or watching from home, made it so much more impactful. This was a deeply transformational experience. I learned so much, changed my heart, and made new commitments.”
Another participant shared, “I’m blown away by the hate-filled examples of the past, contrasted with the love in this group.”
The food was a big part of the experience too. From Native American meals to family-style Afghan dinners, the shared meals became a time for bonding and reflection.
J2M isn’t just a journey through history—it’s about transformation. Why talk about race? Why invest in this effort in 2025, when diversity and inclusion programs are being eliminated? Because the heart transformation that we need goes beyond policies. Scripture speaks of God’s love for all people, and the Great Commandment and the Great Commission are not “one-and-done” tasks. Loving God and loving people is a lifelong process that requires acknowledging past and present hurts in order to experience the healing and reconciliation that God desires for his people.
As Pastor Ed often preached from Ephesians 2:14-16, reconciliation is not just about moving past issues with a simple apology. True reconciliation—apo katallasso (a Greek term meaning to separate from the past and move toward transformative change)—involves confronting our history and moving forward with God’s healing. Jesus has broken down the walls that divide us and created one new humanity through the cross.
Discipleship changes our decision-making. It challenges us to prioritize justice, fairness, and solidarity with the oppressed over our own comfort. As Anthony Emerson, co-pastor of Mosaic Church, concluded, “It is the opposite of the mentality that seeks to maintain a comfortable life at any cost. We must take up our cross and be intentional about being with and acting in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed.”
This story is about “we,” not just “me.” Through the Journey to Mosaic, we are called to be a part of God’s new story of reconciliation.
