C2 Leadership Institute Testimonies
Elysia Adi
Indonesian Christian Church
Young Emerging Leaders Program Cohort '16
"I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this program. This experience was a exercise turned into a reality. Not only have I grown as a child of God but also I learned how to be a better student, speaker and business leader."
2021 Young Adult Cohort
Lauren Korczakowski
FACE Intern
"So through C2 I learned many valuable skills and lessons that I will definitely take with me to all my other future endeavors. I'm really grateful for having the opportunity to learn how to shine my light. Whether it be through research, advocacy, programming, and/or community outreach, I'm very grateful for the opportunity that C2 has given me and working at FACE throughout my internship experience."
Lavinia Taukolo
Harris UMC Intern
"My C2 experience has been so amazing. Through our weekly gatherings and applying what I've learned into the project and the ministry that I am doing, C2 challenged me to make the necessary connections for my project to go out and to be bold. And the impact that it had on my Ministry is that it went beyond the four walls of our Sanctuary. It was no longer contained within the church but extended out to our broader Community."
2020 Pastors Cohort
Rev. Mandy McDow
Los Angeles First UMC
"The C2 Cohort has shifted my pastoral focus from relying on our internal resources to exploring external resources. Pastors have been trained to shepherd our flocks, but C2 has encouraged me to talk with people in different industries about the best ways to care for, provide, and nurture my congregation. Rather than seeing politics and institutions as “other,” we have been invited to unite our concerns, so that we can work for the sake of creating the Beloved Community together."
Victor Cyrus-Franklin
Inglewood First UMC
"C2 guided me to build a concrete vision for my congregation to re-engage our community in the 21st century. With the wisdom and networks gained from C2, the church can truly fulfill the Gospel's mandate to lift up "the least of these."
Rev. Wonseok Yuh
Harris UMC
"The C2 Leadership Institute program brought us the tools, the know-how, and the relationships to access resources that can help more quickly meet the current needs of our communities. There are more resources than we could account for that are more readily accessible! The willingness of others to support or partner may be higher than we assume individually and as a community."
Click below for more Testimonies From our 2020 Fellows
2018 Cohort
Billy Taing
API Rise
I was always hesitant to share about my past because of the feeling of guilt and shame and I still do, but now I share my story to educate and empower others. Through C2 Leadership Institute training, I learned owning my story and sharing stories of my struggle is an asset not a burden. That was crucial for me to understand becuase how can I lead if I am constantly weighing myself down. I now understand that what I consider my weakness and failures are actually tools I can use to move and empower my community. Through my journey with FACE C2 Leadership Institute, I also learned about connecting with people, building and maintaining relationships, using data as factual means to state a point, learning the process of grant writing and how important it is for the success of a non-profit organization, use what's been working, and don't reinvent the wheel There's more but for the convenience of time, I will stop there. This journey has given me so much in the 9 short weeks. My life has been enriched 10 folds. It has truly been a life changing experience that I will build upon the rest of my life.
2016 Young Emerging Leaders Cohort
Kevin Kang
Shalom Church of Southern California
Entering the program, I did not know what to expect. Who knew I would learn so much and even find my calling as a pastor? During my time at the C2 Leadership Program, I have learned to be more confident in myself, which will essentially help me broaden the limited opportunities of my church. I can now know my relevance and can own up to my role as a pastor and serve my community through prayer and by also walking alongside my community, empowering people and being interactive beyond the basic stereotype roles of a pastor.