An East Austin church is evolving to match the way Austin worships.
Vox Veniae, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church, began as part of the Austin Chinese Church for Asian Americans and Asian immigrants to worship. But it has since grown into a very diverse environment. It now has worshipers come to its Sunday service that are white, Latino and African American.
Nestled into a space off of East 12th Street, the center features volunteer baristas who brew gourmet coffee, a community space featuring local art shows, yoga classes and coworking space for freelancers. It was featured in the New York Times this past week.
“I think people who came from different backgrounds found it to be a welcoming environment,” Reverend Gideon Tsang, who started the church in 2006, tells KUT News.
Tsang looks to bring even more diversity into the church – not just ethnic diversity, but also socio-economic and generational diversity as well.
Tsang was disturbed by what he calls the “Walmart-ization” of churches a uniform feel at churches across the country. He says he wanted to take in the specific artistic and independent feel of Austin into Vox Veniae.
“God’s story is being told in the context of Austin,” he says.
