Matthew 28:19-20

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Short Hmong History

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The Word Hmong means "free". The Hmong were persecuted in China and slowly migrated southward over thousands of years to eventually settle in Laos. In both China and Laos, they settled in the most rugged terrain in order to be left alone.

The Hmong were eventually recruited by the CIA to fight in a secret war against the Pathet Lao and the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the United States left the Hmong to fend for themselves and many perished. As a result of persecution, many Hmong fled to refugee camps in Thailand and eventually settled in western nations. Today, there is large population of Hmong living within Santa Barbara County.

Traditional Hmong Religion

"The Hmong are traditionally "Animist" in their practice of religion. Many Hmong who have come to the United States have embraced Christianity, although most continue to practice some form of the Hmong faith tradition out of respect and homage to their living elders. A form of traditional religious practices that many Hmong in the United States continue to hold onto is Shamanism. Among the Hmong, Shamananism originated in Mongolia. Some Hmong in China, Laos and Thailand also still practice Shamanism.

The Hmong believe that the spiritual world continues to coexist with the physical world. The spiritual world is believed to be inhabited by a wide variety of spirits, many of which can influence the course of human life. The Hmong believe in spirit types include ancestral spirits, house spirits, spirits in nature, as well as evil spirits. Ancestral spirits include any deceased member of the family. Most Hmong believe that the ancestors with the strongest potential impact come from the father's side of the family. House spirits are believed to inhabit each corner of a Hmong house. Each part of the house is also believed to have its own spirit, including the stove, and the doors. The altar is assumed to be the place in the house where the ancestors return to. Spirits of nature include mountains, trees, streams, valleys, caves, ponds, and winds.

Almost all aspects of traditional Hmong life are thought to be affected by contact with supernatural beings. A person is thought to have been allotted time on earth by God. The Hmong believe that any given Hmong person receives papers to come to earth as part of a given family and clan. Many ritual ceremonies are performed by the Hmong for the purpose of fulfilling the will of the ancestors and natural spirits. If the ancestors are pleased, they will protect the believer's descendants from illness and natural disasters.

Shamanism is viewed as a way to to maintain communication between the Hmong and the spiritual world. Spirits of nature are believed to possibly cause physical and psychological harm to Hmong in the guise of illness, nightmares, and even death. Hmong shamans undergo rituals in order to figure out the causes of illnesses for the purpose of treating the effects. When performing rituals involving animal sacrifice, shamans communicate messages from evil spirits to the persons affected and vice versa. In sum, many Hmong are compelled to spiritual worship by fear stemming from health issues.

While there is no standarization in Hmong religious rituals and practices, Hmong rituals usually revolve around the practices that their ancestors passed onto them. Clan and lineage variations also are prevalent between and within individual clans as practices are traditional passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition.

Persons of Hmong origin also believe in life after death. With proper guidance from Hmong musical performers during the funeral rituals, Hmong believe that the souls of the deceased will come back to their ancestors for reincarnation, and that the new bodies of their relatives will come back as new members of Hmong families."

Source: Hmong Cultural Center, 2000

Our Focus

Many first generation Hmong are not English proficient so attending English only church services offered by the various other churches within the Lompoc area can be a formidable obstacle for them to overcome. As a result, our services are primarily held in the native language, Hmong, so as not to put up any unnecessary barriers between believers and the Word of God.

Since the Hmong are traditionally animists, our church seeks to reach those families for Christ. We want to reach out to many of the unchurched Hmong families who are living within Santa Barbara County to help and guide them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

We also want to ensure that those who have already accepted Jesus Christ as their savior will continue to grow spiritually through regular exposure to the Word of God, fellowship with other believers, and continual conversations with God through prayers.