Chinese and American Friendship Ministry Coordinator

About the US-China Catholic Association (USCCA) and this ministry

The US-China Catholic Association (USCCA) is a Catholic nonprofit that maintains fraternal relations between the Catholic communities in China and the U.S. It hosts conferences, study tours in China, speaking events, mission appeals in parishes across the country, educational programs, news and social media services, and member services.

In 2022 the USCCA launched the "Chinese and American Friendship Ministry" to promote outreach to and engagement with students from China who are studying on U.S. high school and university campuses. This set of programs includes the following:
1) Programming that creates opportunities for friendship and intercultural exchange on the campuses where Chinese international students study.
2) Programming that provides culturally relevant opportunities to explore Christian faith and the interchange between Christian faith and Chinese culture.
3) Programming that supports the work of teachers and campus ministers at high schools and universities where Chinese international students study.
4) Creating resources that support the above programming, including online resources.

Position description & responsibilities

The USCCA seeks full-time Area Coordinators to work on programming pertaining to items #1 friendship and intercultural exchange and #2 faith exploration. Possible locations for employment include:
• Los Angeles/Orange County, CA (2023)
• Berkeley, CA (2023)
• Seattle, WA (2024)
• Chicago, IL (2024)
• New York, NY (2024)
• Boston, MA (2024)
• Washington, DC (2024)

During the first year of employment, the Area Coordinator will develop programming at three university campuses. During the following year, programming might expand to a fourth site, if feasible. Responsibilities will also include some high school-level programming.

At each site, the Area Coordinator will work with local team members to run such friendship and cultural exchange activities as conversation circles, movie nights, cultural events (a Thanksgiving dinner, a Chinese New Year celebration), local hikes, or other outings. An important expectation of these "friendship activities" is that they create the opportunity for "meaning conversation."

For those students who are interested in more systematic faith exploration, the Area Coordinator will review those opportunities that are available through campus ministry, a nearby parish, or the local diocese. In some cases, the Area Coordinator may work with a local faith community to adapt an existing program or resource to the needs of Chinese international students. In addition, the Area Coordinator may run a "bridge session" or two to help interested students make meaningful sense of relevant faith programming.

As noted, the Area Coordinator will work with a local team, or in some cases, help to build out that team. Team members typically include students involved in the local campus ministry, members of the local Chinese Catholic community, other interested individuals, and Chinese international students themselves. To the extent possible, the Area Coordinator will empower such team members to take a leading role in planning and running activities at their site.

Desired qualifications
interest in and appreciation of the mission of the USCCA.
cross-cultural experience, ideally one involving Chinese language and culture
experience working with young adults in a high school, parish, and/or university setting
ability to organize programming for young adults in a university context
ability to collaborate with other team members, in cooperation with staff in other USCCA program areas, and under the direction of the executive director
general proficiency with computers and online technology, telecommunications apps such as Zoom, standard office applications such as MS Word, and the like

Key attractions
• Teamwork: Work with a highly motivated and talented team. Mutual consideration and respect are a must.
• Serve the Gospel: Devote your talent and time to living your faith and serving the Gospel.
• Opportunity to learn: Attend internal briefings; join sponsored talks and events; participate in USCCA book circles; attend USCCA conferences; attend conferences and events sponsored by partner organizations.
• International perspective: Work with partners around the country and around the world; this position is specifically dedicated to bridging understanding between cultures.
• Creativity: Develop creative programming under the support and supervision of the overall Program Coordinator and/or the USCCA Executive Director.

Employment details

Location:
Los Angeles - Orange County or Berkeley (2023); program will expand to other cities in 2024: Chicago, Seattle, Boston, New York, and/or Washington, D.C.
Training take place in Berkeley in June. Local program networking and institutional setup will take place in July. Normal program operations begin in mid-August.

Position begins:
June 2023, or as arranged by the parties.

Compensation:
Salaried position plus health benefits to be negotiated depending on experience.

Flexible schedule:
The CEI Local Program Coordinator schedules his/her own activities in collaboration with other team members and either the CEI Overall Coordinator and/or the Executive Director.

Vacation:
The CEI Local Program Coordinator may block out two weeks of vacation each year. Vacation time is accumulated on a prorated basis. Vacation does not roll over from year to year.

To apply: Submit an application letter and your resume; arrange for two letters of references.