WHO WE ARE
Chinese Christian Union Church is located in the heart of Chicago’s Chinatown, and it is our mission to share the love of Jesus Christ and make disciples within our neighborhood and beyond.
Safety Walk Chinatown, April 11, 2021
One way we are demonstrating this love is by responding to the nationwide rise in anti-Asian violence. When reports of this violence emerged, we began doing research and asking questions. We initiated conversations with:
25th Ward’s Office
Chicago Police Department
The Chicago Partnership
Progressive Baptist Church
New Life Community Church
TogetherChicago
Good News Jail and Prison Ministry
Chinatown Neighborhood Watch
Chinatown Security Foundation
While our research will be ongoing, these conversations yielded a lot of answers that gave us clarity on the current state of safety in Chinatown and informed ways that our church can promote peace in Chinatown and between Chinatown and surrounding neighborhoods.
How One Chicago Community Is Standing Up to Fight Anti-Asian Hate
This month, the Chinese Christian Union Church launched the ‘Chinatown Peace Project’ in partnership with CPD to ensure the safety of the local community.
What We’re Doing
The three prongs of this approach are prevention, justice & mercy, and addressing root causes.
PREVENTION
Starting with prevention our church will promote safety in Chinatown by:
Assisting our neighborhood in acquiring home surveillance.
Advocating for strategic lighting for streets and businesses from government sources
Going door-to-door with police officers to educate our neighborhood on safety practices and spread awareness of threats to our community.
JUSTICE & MERCY
To promote justice and mercy our church will:
(Justice) Form a court advocacy program to appear at the trials of crimes committed against our community to hold judges accountable to just rulings and sentencing
(Mercy) Reach out to any victims of crime in our neighborhood and connect them to medical, counseling, financial or volunteer resources to demonstrate love.
(Mercy) Connect those who are convicted of crimes against our community to spiritual, educational and career resources and mentors that can offer them a path out of a criminal lifestyle.
addressing root causes
Our church will address root causes by:
Partnering with organizations and ministries which support struggling elementary schools in impoverished neighborhoods.
How to Help
Donations will go towards
Purchasing home surveillance for the elderly in Chinatown who need financial assistance ($159 per device)
Covering one year of mental health services for victims of violence (and their family members) (Cost TBD)
Connecting those imprisoned for crimes against our community to educational and career resources, as well as life coaches to provide a pathway out of a criminal lifestyle
Support struggling elementary schools