It was March 15, 1981. It was the anniversary of the Chang Pharm family's coming from Vietnam to make their home in the United States. The celebration was taking place with their extended family in America, Trinity Church. One year before, on March 23rd, Chang and his wife and children and relatives arrived in Knoxville, a total family of twelve.
It all started two years before when Azalea Grissom called her pastor. The pastor went over to her home to find that she was watching a news documentary of the "Boat People" from Vietnam. Hundreds were fleeing Vietnam in small boats. Some, who were rescued, somehow were making it to refugee camps, and were now waiting for someone through a refugee service to bring them to a new home. Many of them were being placed with Christian families in the United States. Mrs. Grissom asked her pastor, "Would you work with me to bring a family to our community?"
Within six weeks some strong leaders organized to sponsor a family. Carolyn Fuller, a new member of the church, found her voice, calling for the church's help. The social concerns committee, led by Gail Vanderver and Beverly Reed, worked with the family life committee to create a Trinity Refuge Committee. When the members of the Pharm family arrived, a fully furnished four bedroom home was ready for them. The children were placed in public schools. Some men of the Church made sure all the adults of the Pharm family had income producing jobs. Within three months, the members of the Pharm family were enrolled in a Confirmation Class for Church Membership, led by the pastor and an interpreter.
One year after their arrival, twelve members of the Pharm family were baptized and became full members of Trinity United Methodist Church. Chang, the leader of the family stood at the altar of the Church and said, "We appreciate all you have done for the Pharm family. When we arrived here we had no home. We had left all we had when we fled the Communists. But when we arrived you had a beautiful home for us. We had no income, but within a week after we arrived you had jobs for us. We had no place to train our children, but you put our children in school and provided transportation for them. We had no family here to support us in a strange land, but you became our family. We have been so pleased how you loved us from the very beginning. We did not understand your faith, but you prepared a class every Wednesday night to teach us from the Word of God, and today we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and been baptized and joined this family. Thank you for teaching us the Word of God. Thank you for the special freedom you have in America to teach the Word of God. Please pray for other members of our family who have lost their freedom in Vietnam."
A leading member said, "Pastor Curt, you know that I have not always agreed with you in your bringing in so many new people. It has made many of us who have a long history in this church very uncomfortable. But what we are experiencing today, I truly affirm. I am so proud today to be a member of this Church whose people have truly discovered what being a disciple of Jesus Christ is all about."
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