Updated in 2024
In the fall of 1980, St. Matthew’s, Tacoma, sponsored a Cambodian (Khmer) refugee family. The family was one of many from Cambodia who had fled to refugee camps on the Thai border due to the genocide reign of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge, and relocated to the United States through humanitarian agencies and sponsors. That family began bringing relatives to church, who in turn brought friends, thus beginning the chain of one-to-one evangelism that continues to this day.
By 1982, thirty percent of St. Matthew’s congregation was Cambodian. In 1985, due to lack of sanctuary space, they began separate services, with a joint coffee hour between the services. The Cambodian services were in Khmer and with Cambodian leadership. On May 31, 1985, the Cambodian group was accepted as a developing congregation by the Diocese of Olympia under the name “Holy Family of Jesus.” The Rt. Rev. David Cochran, retired bishop of Alaska, served as priest. Then in 1987, the Rev. Kevin Allen, trained in the Khmer language, was contracted to serve as vicar, with Bishop Cochran’s assistance, for three years. The long-term goal was to train and assist leadership within the Cambodian congregation to raise up a member who would become an ordained priest.
In 1986, the two congregations were running out of room at St. Matthews, and Holy Family of Jesus (HFJ) faced an ongoing challenge with transportation. HFJ’s members lived about eight miles from the church, which necessitated two round trips each Sunday morning, utilizing the two large vans which had been purchased through a United Thank Offering grant. At the time, the majority of HFJ members lived in Salishan, an 855 unit public housing development in East Tacoma which was home to approximately 1,500 Cambodians. So in May 1986, through the support and leadership of Bishop David Cochran, the decision was made to seek their own church home. Later in 1986, the Diocese strategically purchased one and a half acres of prime land, one half block from Salishan. Plans were then developed to build a multi-use facility, with a 300 seat sanctuary, that would meet the needs of the growing community and provide badly needed meeting space. The plans also included a day care, and a caretaker’s apartment. There was significant community support for the church facility plan, as demonstrated during Holy Week 1988, when many non-church people joined HFJ members in work parties to clear the site. The groundbreaking was held on May 18, 1988. While the new facility was being built, Holy Family of Jesus, with 64 families on the active roll, outgrew the space at St. Matthew’s, and moved to Christ Church, Tacoma. Holy Family of Jesus held its first worship in their new building on April 1, 1990 and it was dedicated on May 16, 1990 by Bishop Vincent W. Warner. They now had a church home of their own.
From 1990 to 2000, the focus of Holy Family of Jesus (HFJ) was to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God to Cambodian (Khmer) individuals in East Tacoma by providing social, cultural and linguistic services to Cambodian individuals and groups. In addition to its own programs, such as Homework Connection begun in 1993 to provide an after-school ‘safe haven’ and supportive environment for developing academic and life skills for SE Asian youth and the SE Asian Diets Food Bank begun in 1995, HFJ also provided space to numerous community agencies, organizations and groups. Activities and programs included Cambodian classical dance, Khmer language classes, Girl Scouts and other youth programs, ESL and other educational programs for adults/families, a WSU Extension computer lab and modern Cambodian band practice.
Over time, HFJ’s ministry has evolved into a bilingual, even bicultural, one. A multi-year grant received from Trinity Church, Wall Street, NY in 1999, made it possible for HFJ to develop a youth and family ministry program that focused on spiritual life formation; Sunday Christian education; and youth leadership development. The youth component expanded to include a Friday Night Youth Group which became the place to be on Friday nights for many SE Asians teens. Each week, 50+ teens would gather for “Bible, basketball and break dance.” Holy Family of Jesus also continues to more broadly serve the refugee community, and culturally diverse East Tacoma, by making its facilities available for use by other groups. These included the San Felipe Ministry and Hispanic Outreach, a Moldovan Baptist congregation, and a Samoan/Tokelu Seventh Day Adventist Church. In August 2001, HFJ and the Salishan/Eastside Lutheran Mission (SELM) began a partnership in ministry. SELM began to hold worship services and share office space at HFJ through 2019. In 2003, the Indochinese Cultural & Service Center (ICSC) also moved in and uses HFJ’s facilities as it provides services to the SE Asian community during the week including their senior meal-site program – the Indochinese Cultural & Service Center was taken over by The Korean Women’s Association (KWA) and continued their senior meal-site program till COVID-19.
In 1996, HFJ, with the guidance and support of the Diocese, established Holy Family of Jesus Community Services (HFJCS), a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, to assume responsibility for, and further develop, the church’s educational and service programs.
On March 28, 1998, The Rev. Samuel S.H. Lee was ordained, becoming the first Cambodian priest in The Episcopal Church and retired in July, 2019. Rong By, a Khmer Evangelical Christian who resettled in the US through the Episcopal Relief & Development fund, has taken part in Holy Family of Jesus development/evolvement since his resettlement in 1985, continues on his leadership role of the congregation. The Rev. Rong By was ordained on June 30, 2020, becoming the second Cambodian priest in The Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. This milestone was a turning point for the congregation as they had their own priests who would be able to blend the Cambodian and American cultures in their growth as an Episcopal congregation.
Note: Both The Rev. Samuel S.H. Lee and The Rev. Rong By, at the same time, went through the Cambodian Leadership Training Program specifically designed to raise up Cambodian priests by The Rt. Rev. David R. Cochran. The Program was taught and mentored by The Rt. Rev. David R. Chochran, The Rev. David Alkins, The Rev. Peter Stanton, and The Rev. James Blundell, 1991-1996.
Today Holy Family of Jesus is a growing congregation. Initially, most Cambodian refugees lived in Hilltop or East Tacoma. Now they live all over Pierce County, with some church members coming from south King and Thurston counties to attend Sunday worship services.
Just as with the congregation’s name, Holy Family of Jesus really is a family of Jesus with the new generation of members – most of whom have grown up in the church – stepping into roles of ministry and leadership as the congregation moves forward into the future.
Yet, while the congregation looks forward, it will never forget Bishop David Cochran and his beloved wife, Mary, who were so instrumental in the lives of the Cambodian refugees in Tacoma and in the development of Holy Family of Jesus. Notedly, HFJ is known by many Cambodian adults as “Grandma Mary’s church,” due to the profound impact she and her husband had on their community. And that impact is felt every day as the congregation reaches out: “To accomplish what God has called us to do – to embrace all people to Him.”
Clergy
1981-1987 David R. Cochran
1987-1990 Kevin B. Allen
1992-1993 Elizabeth A. Seeger
1998-2019 Samuel S. H. Lee
2020-Present Rong By