Burma Christian Diaspora in Indianapolis: Celebrating Our Stories, Embracing Our Challenges
Registration is still open for the 2026 Our Story, Our Faith (OSOF) Conference: Burma Christian Diaspora in Indianapolis: Celebrating Our Stories, Embracing Our Challenges, taking place August 7–8, 2026 in Indianapolis, IN, and online.
📍Dates: August 7–8, 2026
📍In-Person Location: Falam Baptist Church of Indiana in Indianapolis, IN
📍Virtual Attendance: Airmeet
Meet the Plenary Speakers
What does it mean to follow Christ while carrying the stories of migration, displacement, resilience, and hope?
This August, join us for two days of worship, learning, and meaningful conversation. Our plenary speakers bring decades of experience in theology, ministry, law, history, and mental health to help us reflect on the common journeys of the diaspora and faithfully engage the challenges facing our communities today.
August 7 · 10:30 AM Eastern Time
“Scripture and the Scattered Church: Biblical Theology of Migration and God’s Faithfulness”
Dr. Pum Za Mang
Associate Professor of World Christianity, Myanmar Institute of Theology
Pum Za Mang, educated at Luther Seminary (Ph.D.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.A), is associate professor of world Christianity at Myanmar Institute of Theology. He is presently a visiting scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.
His writings have appeared in Asia Journal of Theology, Christianity Today, Church History, Journal of Church and State, Church History and Religious Culture, International Review of Mission, International Bulletin of Mission Research, International Journal of Public Theology, Studies in World Christianity, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, and Theology Today, among other journals.
August 7 · 1:15 PM Eastern Time
“Social History of Refugee Resettlement”
Rev. Dr. Hrang Hlei
Congregational Care Pastor, Indiana Chin Baptist Church
Rev. Hrang Hlei, PhD came to the US in 2006 as a seminary student, and currently serves as the Congregational Care Pastor at Indiana Chin Baptist Church, Indiana. He also holds a leadership role as Associate General Secretary for Chin Baptist Churches, USA, which connects over a hundred local congregations across the country. He did his doctoral research among the Chin immigrant churches and published it as The Formation of Chin Immigrant Congregations in the United States: Discovering Their Ecclesiological Identities. Rev. Hlei is passionate about helping and nurturing immigrant churches in God’s calling to preach the gospel and make disciples here in the US and beyond. He is an ordained minister of American Baptist Churches, USA, and in his free time he enjoys watching historical documentary movies.
August 8 · 9:00 AM Eastern Time
“Refugee Resettlement: History and Laws that Our Community Needs to Know”
Lun Kham Pieper
Attorney at Law, Registered Domestic Relations Mediator
Lun Kham Pieper is an Indiana attorney, mediator, and founder of the Law Office of Lun Kham Pieper, LLC. Licensed since 2009, she focuses her practice on immigration, family law, and criminal defense, and serves as a registered domestic mediator.
Prior to opening her firm, Lun worked as a consultant to the United Nations on complex international criminal investigations and human rights documentation. Her public service experience includes serving as a Deputy Prosecutor and Director of Burmese Outreach in Marion County, Indiana, and as a staff attorney for the Indiana Supreme Court. She also worked in Thailand with an intergovernmental organization, gaining additional experience in international law and human rights.
Drawing on her diverse legal and public service background, Lun brings a unique perspective on immigration, refugee issues, community engagement, and access to justice.
August 7 · 2:00 PM Eastern Time
“Trauma, Alcoholism, and Healing in the Diaspora”
Tansy Kadoe, LMFT
Licensed Therapist; Doctoral Candidate in Marriage and Family Therapy, Fuller Theological Seminary
Tansy Kadoe, LAMFT was born and raised in Burma and immigrated to the United States in 1993, following the pro-democracy uprisings of 1988 that disrupted education and intensified civil conflict. She belongs to the Karen ethnic group, one of the largest minority communities in Burma, and remains deeply connected to her people through church, counseling, and storytelling ministries. She and her husband were part of the group that started the Arizona Karen Baptist Church, which now has more than 400 members. Beyond her local community, she has worked closely with the network of 133 Karen Baptist churches across the United States.
Professionally, Tansy initially trained in business, earning an undergraduate degree in finance and economics and an MBA in business leadership. At age forty, motivated by the suffering and needs of resettled Burmese refugees, she pursued a second career in counseling. She earned her Master of Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2016 and has practiced as a licensed therapist in Phoenix since then. She is now pursuing a Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller, focusing on developing models of lay counseling and peer counseling within ethnic churches.
💻 Planning to attend online?
Virtual tickets are $5 or less per person, and fee waivers are available upon request—we want this gathering to be accessible to all. Groups get discounts, so invite your friends and colleagues!
🎟️ In-Person Group Registration Discounts
Register as a group to access 10%–25% off the regular price of $60 per ticket. All you need is your group members’ email addresses to reserve their spots—each group member must confirm their registration by filling out their information!
In-person tickets include 2 lunches and 1 dinner.
The Our Stories Our Faith Conferences are organized by:
Asian American Christian History Institute, Fuller Theological Seminary
Asian Ministries, American Baptist Home Mission Societies
Center for Asian American Christianity, Princeton Theological Seminary
Epic Movement, A Cru Ministry