About Accents
Many accents. Many journeys.One identity.
Accents is an intercultural ministry equipping immigrant and intercultural leaders, and the congregations that walk with them, across the United States.
Why "Accents"?
The name carries an idea of multiculturalism through union. Every immigrant culture carries its own accent, its own way of speaking, being, and existing, unmistakably its own. Accents is the meeting of many different accents, forming a single identity. It is not about erasing difference. It is about gathering it.
The idea took public shape at the 2023 Secret Sauce Conference in Atlanta, where Rafael Viana and Sam Kim first named it for a room full of pastors and denominational leaders. Their words became the title of a 39-page resource guide published through the Presbyterian Mission Agency, built around four concepts still at the center of Accents' work today: Ubuntu, Dure, Mi Casa es Su Casa, and Sawubona.
"We all have accents, and really, an accent is nothing to be ashamed of but to be proud of, because accents are beautiful."
Rev. Dr. Rafael Viana, Secret Sauce Conference, 2023
Why does Accents exist?
"My English is not strong enough. Will my ministry experience be valued?"
A concern voiced by many immigrant and intercultural pastors before finding Accents.
Accents exists because too many gifted immigrant and intercultural leaders serve without a network built for their reality, without a community that understands their language, their story, and their calling. Accents equips these leaders and helps the wider church discover more mutual, creative, and flourishing relationships across cultures, congregations, and communities.
Our story since 2018
Accents began in November 2018, when leaders from immigrant and established congregations recognized how much the church could gain by walking together rather than working in parallel. Since then, Accents has grown into a national network connecting leaders across ten states, always learning and adjusting its approach alongside the communities it serves.
Here's how that story has unfolded, year by year.
November 2018
Accents is founded
Leaders from immigrant and established congregations came together in Atlanta, choosing to walk alongside one another rather than work in parallel.
2022
First resource published
"Accents: Emphasis on Immigrant New Worshiping Communities" was published in partnership with the PC(USA), built around four concepts still at the center of Accents’ work today: Ubuntu, Dure, Mi Casa es Su Casa, and Sawubona.
Read the book
September 2022
National Coach Gathering
San Diego, CA
Accents was introduced publicly for the first time, at the 1001 New Worshiping Communities National Coach Gathering, inviting leaders to join the conversation happening in Atlanta.
May 2023
Secret Sauce Conference
Atlanta, GA
Leaders from across cultures and denominations gathered in Atlanta to build genuine partnership with immigrant communities.
October 2023
Polity, Benefits, and Mission Conference workshop
Saint Louis, MO
Accents led a workshop on healing, deepening, and improving the relationship between immigrant and established congregations within the PC(USA).
November 2023
Visit to San Diego and Riverside Presbytery
San Diego, CA
Accents visited the San Diego and Riverside Presbyteries to speak directly with local leaders about the relationship between immigrant and established churches.
April 2024
Inspire
Orange County, CA
A regional gathering brought immigrant and intercultural leaders together for shared learning and worship in multiple languages.
August 2024
Inspire
Cincinnati, OH
A second Inspire gathering carried the movement to a new region, connecting more leaders across the network.
November 2024
Inspire
New York, NY
A third Inspire gathering carried the movement to the East Coast, connecting immigrant and intercultural leaders in New York.
November 2025
Friends on the Journey launches in Chicago
Chicago, IL
Friends on the Journey launched as a new initiative focused on spiritual renewal, friendship, and pastoral care for immigrant and intercultural ministry leaders.
April 2026
Friends on the Journey
Zephyr Point, NV
Friends on the Journey held a gathering for peer accompaniment, rest, and encouragement among immigrant and intercultural leaders.
The story continues. Many more gatherings, partnerships, and chapters are still ahead, carried forward by the same calling that brought Accents together in November 2018.
What does Accents believe?
"God gathers peoples, languages, and stories without erasing their differences. Many members, one body."
1 Corinthians 12:12 · Revelation 7:9
- Depth
- Belonging
- Spiritual Unity
- Reconciled Diversity
- Mature Faith
How does Accents work?
Accents' work is guided by four connected pillars.
Connecting Leaders
Building networks of trust, empowerment, and shared learning among intercultural leaders.
Expanding Imagination
Creating educational experiences that deepen intercultural understanding and open new possibilities for the church.
Strengthening Partnerships
Helping churches, new worshiping communities, and councils build more authentic, collaborative relationships.
Cultivating Renewal
Making space for rest, encouragement, and spiritual renewal alongside the work of leadership.
Our relationship with the PC(USA)
Accents is a ministry connected to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) network. Accents gatherings have been funded by the PC(USA)'s 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement, and Friends on the Journey partners with NCDC Atlanta for registration and coordination. You do not need to be part of the PC(USA) to participate in Accents' programs.
Accents is, first and foremost, a ministry of support, though it also leads a broader movement of leaders and congregations choosing to walk this path together. Its co-founders come from distinct cultural backgrounds and traditions within the church, a plurality that reflects the same conviction the name itself carries: many accents, working as one.
What Accents is not
These commitments guard the tone of everything Accents does.
- 01
Not a ministry that speaks for immigrant leaders
Accents creates spaces where immigrant and intercultural leaders can speak in their own voices, tell their own stories, and help shape the future of the Church.
- 02
Not a bridge that expects only one side to cross
Accents does not exist simply to help immigrant communities adapt to established churches. We invite congregations, institutions, and leaders from every background to move toward one another with humility, openness, and a willingness to be changed.
- 03
Not a program that measures success only by attendance
Accents is committed to relationships that endure, leaders who flourish, communities that grow in mutuality, and a Church transformed by the gifts, wisdom, and leadership of people from many cultures.
- 04
Not a charity model in which established churches rescue immigrant communities
- 05
Not a top-down structure in which one culture, institution, or group controls the relationship
Get To Know Us
Meet the people behind this work.
Four co-founders, one shared calling. Get to know the leaders guiding Accents.