In 1986, a family of nine stepped off a plane in the United States with little more than hope and the memory of a homeland they had fled. They came from Southeast Asia through a refugee camp in Thailand. Their religious background was Buddhist and animist. Christianity was not part of their story.
At least, not yet.
Their arrival in Nashville came during a season when local churches were wrestling with how to respond to an influx of refugees. In the late 1980s, as families from across Asia were resettled in Middle Tennessee, a handful of believers felt compelled to act. Among them were David and Sandy Wood, who worked with a refugee resettlement nonprofit and partnered with Belmont Baptist Church. Pastor Al, serving at Lighthouse, shared a growing conviction rooted in Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations.”
Several refugee families were sponsored through local churches. They received housing, transportation, and support. Many attended church for a time. But some eventually drifted back to their former religious practices. The pattern was discouraging.
At one point, Sandy considered stepping away from sponsorship altogether. It seemed as though the effort might not be bearing lasting fruit.
Still, she sensed God urging her to sponsor just one more family.
“We were the last family she agreed to sponsor,” she recalls. “She was discouraged. But God told her, ‘Just do one more.’”
When Hom’s family arrived in Nashville in 1986, none of the children had a personal relationship with Christ. One older sister had heard the gospel in a refugee camp in Thailand, but faith had not yet taken root in the family.
They were placed at Lighthouse, where a Lao mission church had begun forming. Two years later, at nine years old, one of the daughters professed faith in Christ. In time, her parents and siblings followed. In their family of nine, eight came to faith in Christ.
The generational impact has been remarkable.
Today, members of that once-refugee family serve in ministry across multiple contexts. One brother pastors at LifePoint Church’s Bangkok campus. Another serves as a worship leader in a Korean-Thai congregation. A sister leads worship at a church in Murfreesboro. David and his wife, Hom, both graduates of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, planted International Community Church (ICC). Together, Hom’s siblings represent decades of faithful ministry.
“We’re the first generation of believers in our family,” she says. “And now the gospel has gone out through us.”
Her story is not simply personal testimony; it is also a window into the challenges and opportunities facing ethnic and multicultural churches in Tennessee today.
For nearly two decades, she served in national Lao church leadership, including eight years as president of a network spanning 50 states. She has seen the strength of immigrant congregations—their resilience, devotion, and cultural unity. But she has also witnessed a recurring struggle: churches turning inward.
“Many ethnic churches focus on preserving culture,” she explains. “But if we lose sight of the Great Commission, we eventually stop multiplying.”
She has watched congregations plateau and, in some cases, close their doors. Without a long-term vision that extends 15 or 20 years into the future, churches can become nearsighted—focused primarily on maintaining current membership rather than sending disciples outward.
“We see it close up,” she says. “But we don’t always see far ahead.”
That conviction shaped her approach when she and her husband began exploring partnership with LifePoint Church years ago. During an early meeting with church leadership, she noticed that every staff member in the room was white. At the same time, the church expressed a desire to become more diverse.
Her response was direct.
“If you want a diverse church, you have to start with your leadership,” she told them. “Your leadership reflects your congregation.”
The conversation was not accusatory. It was honest. And it proved catalytic. Over the next several years, LifePoint diversified its leadership team and expanded its global engagement. The church now includes leaders from multiple ethnic backgrounds and has developed international partnerships, including campuses overseas.
After LifePoint heard our story—our journey from refugees to believers, our heart for the nations, and the vision God had placed in us to plant a church for all peoples—they were fully on board to partner with us. They recognized that our calling aligned deeply with their mission to reach the nations for Christ. LifePoint was instrumental in planting International Community Church. Their faithfulness to the Great Commission and their willingness to invest in diverse leadership made ICC possible. What began as a conversation about diversity became a shared commitment to kingdom expansion.
“Vision starts with leadership,” she says. “If leadership doesn’t change, the church won’t change.”
The birth of International Community Church grew out of similar convictions. After years of serving within a traditional Lao church structure, she and her husband sensed that they could not fully live out their calling in that setting. Despite sincere efforts to broaden the congregation’s focus, the vision remained largely monocultural.
So they stepped out.
ICC was planted with a deliberate name and mission: a church for all nations. Today, the congregation represents five languages. While many members share Asian heritage, they come from multiple countries and backgrounds. Services are conducted in English, with translation available for older generations.
Their commitment has not been driven by financial security. For more than 20 years, both have served without salary. They stepped away from a paid-off building and established structure to pursue what they believed was obedience to Christ.
“We could have stayed comfortable,” she says. “But we believe God called us to reach beyond our own people group.”
That conviction feels increasingly urgent. Tennessee is becoming an international hub. Demographic shifts are reshaping neighborhoods and school systems. Refugee and immigrant communities continue to grow. Yet many churches are unprepared for this new reality.
Some congregations have facilities and financial resources but limited cross-cultural engagement. Others have cultural access and evangelistic passion but lack institutional support.
“There are churches sitting on resources with no vision,” she says. “And there are churches with vision and no resources. We need to bring those together.”
Recently, ICC learned that its current ministry partnership contract would not be renewed. After years of fruitful ministry and numerous baptisms, the decision was unexpected. Yet rather than interpreting the change as defeat, she sees it as redirection.
“Maybe God is moving us to a new place, a bigger challenge,” she reflects. “We trust that He will provide.”
Her prayer is simple but strategic: partnership with churches that share a Great Commission DNA. Churches willing to invest in diverse leadership. Churches prepared not only to welcome the nations but to empower them.
The story that began with one discouraged sponsor willing to say yes one more time continues to unfold. A single refugee family was welcomed. Nine came to Christ. Multiple churches have been strengthened. Leaders have been raised up and sent out.
“We’re not preserving culture,” she says. “We’re building the kingdom.”
For the Nashville Baptist Association, the question is not whether the nations are coming. They already are. The question is whether local churches will see far enough ahead—and act boldly enough—to meet the moment.
Please contact me if you want to partner with this church:
Brett Boesch
Nashville Baptist Association
nashvillebaptists.com
[email protected]
