Proposal




	A Church Planting Proposal For A Hmong Church Plant In Eau Claire, Wisconsin This Plan Is Supported By WCMA, Inc. A Church Planting Organization Based in Madison, WI Landmark Christian Church Chippewa Falls, WI The following information will detail the vision for a Hmong church plant in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This plant came about through the vision of a group of 120 Hmong Christians who now worship with Landmark Christian Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Hmong POPULATION There is a strong Hmong population in Wisconsin. The population grew from 16,373 in 1990 to 33,791 persons in 2000, a 106% increase. Furthermore, The Hmong population in Wisconsin was 0.63% of the state's total population in 2000, compared to 0.33% in 1990. Hmong persons represent 32.9% of Wisconsin’s total Asian population of 102,823 persons. This is more than double the proportion of each of the next two largest Asian subgroups in Wisconsin: Asian Indian and Chinese. There is also a strong Hmong population in the greater Eau Claire area, which is comprised of three counties: Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Dunn, with a 3,200 Hmong living in that area. This is the third highest concentration of Hmong in one area of Wisconsin, with the only larger concentrations being in Milwaukee and Marathon Counties. Also, Eau Claire is central for the Hmong population of the Midwest, making Eau Claire a natural spot to plant a Hmong church with the desire of planting other churches throughout the Midwest. The Hmong population is in need of being reached for Christ as only 10% of the Hmong population are Christian. Yet the Hmong are in the age range where they were more easily reached with the Gospel: 57.1% of Wisconsin's Hmong population is under age 18 and in all, over 23,000 Hmong (more than two-thirds of the total) are under age 24. Other facts about the Hmong in Wisconsin include: More than 98% of Wisconsin’s Hmong population live in family households; and almost 70% of these family households are headed by married couples with children. The average family size for Hmong in Wisconsin is 6.4 persons, more than double the average family size for the total population (3.1). Births to teens are much more common among Hmong females than among the average Wisconsin female. In 2001, 13% of all Hmong births occurred to mothers 18-19 years old, while amongst the total population only 7% did. Another 10% of Hmong births occurred to mothers 15-17 years old. HISTORY OF THE HMONG MINISTRY IN EAU CLAIRE Our group of Hmong Christians began meeting in about 1987 with the Putnam Heights Christian Church in Eau Claire. Very early on one of our current key leaders, Chong Chang Her, became our preacher. He is a graduate of Iowa Christian College and continues to serve with us. After we left the Putnam Heights congregation, we met on our own for a short time, but had no facilities and did not do very well during that time, so we made arrangements to become part of Landmark Christian Church in Chippewa Falls in 1996. Since joining the Landmark, the congregation has stabilized and developed to the point that we are ready to establish our own congregation, strengthened our worship services, and gotten our youth very involved in the congregation, especially in worship leadership. We currently hold a Hmong worship service following the two morning worship services for the Landmark congregation. About two years ago, Danai Chowwiwat joined us from Thailand as he moved here to complete a Ph.D. Danai had previously lived in the United Stated while studying for a masters degree at Lincoln Christian Seminary. With his excellent communication skills and strong visionary leadership, he has helped us shape a direction for the future. He currently serves as our part-time pastor and as an elder at Landmark Christian Church. PLANS FOR A HMONG CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN EAU CLAIRE AND FUNDING NEEDS In order to effectively reach the Hmong population, we need to locate in our own facility and function as our own congregation. Toward that end, our Hmong group has already been able to purchase land in our area. That was done by raising $55,000 from among our members. Our next step is to build on that land. We are working with a Christian contractor in the area and have designed a building that will cost $300,000 to build, and we anticipate financing $200,000 from local banks. Therefore, we currently seek to raise $100,000 in order to move forward with our building plans. We hope you will be part of that effort. CONCLUDING MATTERS Thank you for reading this proposal and reviewing the other materials we have sent you. If you have any questions about our ministry and our future, we encourage you to contact those of us in leadership at Hmong Christian Church or the other church leaders listed below who know us and who are working with us on this project. Danai Chowwiwat Chong Chang Her Brad Crocker Ken Henes


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