CENTRAL COAST BAPTIST ASSOCIATION Reaching the Least Reached

What is an unreached people Where do UPGs live? What are the largest unreached and an unengaged people people groups in the Bay Area? group? It will be a surprise to some people that some large, very Nobody knows for certain yet A people group is unreached unreached people groups live in the which the largest UPGs are in the Bay when the number of evangelical United States, and even within the Area, but we do know which of them Christians is less than 2% of its geography of the Central Coast are the largest in the world. We also population (UPG). It is further called Baptist Association. They represent know some of them that are certainly unengaged (UUPG) when there is no various regions of the world such as here in large numbers, mostly in Santa church planting methodology China, India and the Middle East. Clara, Alameda, San Francisco, San consistent with evangelical faith and They are adherents of world religions Mateo and Contra Costa counties. practice under way. “A people group such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, There are more UPGs here than there is not engaged when it has been Sikhism and Jainism. can ever be paid missionaries to work merely adopted, is the object of among them. It will take ordinary focused prayer, or is part of an Christians who are willing to pray and advocacy strategy.” (IMB) work in extraordinary ways so that Today there are 6,430 unreached people from every nation, tribe, and people groups around the world. language has access to the gospel, and Approximately 3,161 of those groups can have churches planted among are not only unreached, but they are them. Read about them in these pages. unengaged.

SOUTH ASIANS 1,020,508). Some from this group live and hold daily morning and evening in the South Bay. The Bay Area hosts services, as well as events from 3:00 According to the 2010 Census, the third largest Panjabi speaking p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sundays. over 117,000 Asian Indians live in Santa Clara County, 72,000 in Urdu-Speaking Muslims Alameda County, 22,000 in Contra Urdu is the official language Costa County, 13,000 in San Mateo of Pakistan, and is also spoken by County, and 9,700 in San Francisco. many Iranians. Additionally it is one Most speak Hindi, Urdu and of the official language of five states English, as well as some other in India. In the South Bay there are regional dialects, and they also have also thousands of Urdu speaking diverse religious and cultural Iranians who are mostly Shiite practices. Outlined here are a few of Muslim and many thousands more the South Asian groups that are the from Pakistan who are Sunni least reached for Christ. Muslims. In 2000 there were over 4,300 Urdu speakers in the Bay Area, Punjabi Sikhs but that number is arguably much Santa Clara County has the population in the U.S. Sikhism is a higher now. There are over 50 third highest Sikh population in the mosques in the Bay Area, most of United States. Sikhs are mostly from major world religion. It originated in the Punjab region of India and draws which are ethnically and linguistically the Indian State of Punjab where they diverse. For example, the Islamic work as contractors, industrial from Bhakti Hinduism and Islamic Sufism. There are Sikh gurdwaras Center of Concord is a worship place entrepreneurs, physicians, and for many Pakistanis who speak Urdu. engineers. One of the least reached (temples) all over the Bay Area, but peoples from the Punjab are the largest is Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Ramgarhia Sikh (Indian population of San Jose. They host radio programs SOUTH ASIAN GROUPS

O T H E R GROUPS

Marathi Jain Gujarathi Marathi is the official The Jains are a religious group Gujarati is the official language of the state of Maharashtra primarily originating from the state of language of the state of Gujarat in in Central India, which is the Gujarat in India, including Mumbai. Western India. The Gujarati people country’s second most populous state, Many Jains immigrated to the United began immigrating to the Bay area in as well as its wealthiest. Its largest city States starting in the 1970s either the 1950s and 60s when many joined is Mumbai, India’s financial capital. directly from India or from Eastern the hotel and motel industry while The largest concentration of Marathi Africa, where they had previously they studied on student visas. A speakers in the U.S., as well as the Bay immigrated. Estimates indicate that second wave of immigration emerged Area, is found in Santa Clara County 4,000 Jains live in the Bay Area based during the 1990s with the high tech followed by Alameda County. There on the number of families who have industry. In 2000, there was a total of are smaller concentrations of Marathi attended events at the Jain Center of 9,710 Gujaratis in the five-county area speakers present in San Mateo, Contra Northern California (JCNC) in of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Costa, and San Francisco counties. Milpitas. This is the only Jain temple Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara. Approximately 80% of Marathi are and community center in the Bay In 2008, a total of 14,940 lived in this Hindu. Area. area. This is a 54% population While there are at least 43 Rooted in the teachings of increase. According to a 2001 San Hindu worship and study centers in Mahavira, the 24th saint or Tirthankara Francisco Chronicle article, Gujaratis Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, in a succession of saints, Jainism is make up a third of the Indian San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties called Jain Dharma by its adherents. American population of the Bay Area. two prominent temples that the Mahavira proclaimed the teachings of At that time, this population primarily Marathi are known to attend are the Jainism in 599 B.C. Jains do not believe resided in Fremont and Newark. Sunnyvale Temple and Community in a God; rather, they believe that the Eighty-nine percent of Center and the Vedic Dharma Samaj world has always existed and will Gujaratis are Hindu, nine percent Fremont Temple. exist in a timeless manner. Core to the Muslim, one percent Jain, and the There are also two organizations that belief system of Jainism are these remaining one percent are Sikh, promote the connecting of persons pillars: nonviolence (ahimsa); Zoroastrian, Christian, Buddhist, or interested in Marathi culture from truthfulness (satya); non-stealing Animist. The Gujarati Cultural around the world: Maharashtra (satya); chastity (brahmacharya); and Association (or Samaj), based out of Mandal Bay Area and East Bay non-attachment (aparigraha). Jains Fremont, has offered cultural, social, Maharashtra Mandal. These mandals “emphasize the necessity of self-effort and educational programming to the sponsor cultural, religious, social, art, to move the soul towards divine Gujarati community in the Bay Area and theater events for the community. consciousness and liberation.” This since 1979. The India Community The Bay Area is also a center of core aspect of their belief system is the Center (ICC) of Milpitas “promotes Marathi literature with there being a teaching of karma. All Jains are Indian culture and values” by library hosted by the Maharashtra vegetarians. There is a strong providing similar programming to the Mandal Bay Area for its members. In emphasis amongst Jains to focus on Indian community. Some Gujarati- 2008 the World Marathi Literary Meet environmental and community specific programs are offered at ICC. was hosted in San Francisco by this activism as well as religious tolerance. organization. MUSLIM GROUPS IN THE BAY AREA

Afghans Both the Hui and the Uyghurs are Iranian-Americans are of Persian- The tri-city area of Fremont, present in the San Francisco Bay Area. speaking backgrounds. Newark, and Union City in Alameda They share both Chinese and Muslim Yemeni County is home to more than 40,000 identities. The number of Muslim The Republic of Yemen is first-generation Afghan immigrants Chinese in the Bay Area is unknown. located in Western Asia, occupying the and refugees. It is by far the largest Most are descended from Central southwestern to the southern end of concentration of Afghans in the Asian lineages of Islamic ancestry by the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the United States. In Fremont there is a way of the Silk Road. Concentrated in poorest countries in the Arab World three-block area known as Little Northwest China, they spread to other with an unemployment rate of Kabul. It consists of Afghan parts of Northern China. There are 65%. The majority of its population is restaurants, a Muslim bookstore and 1,000 Uyghur divided into tribal groups, especially several Afghan markets. Various living in the U.S. in the northern areas of the country language groups are represented with no known where 85% of local residents belong to here, including Pashtu, Dari, Urdu, Christians among various tribes. Religion in Yemen Farsi, and Hazaragi. The two primary them. There are a consists primarily of two religious languages are Pashto and Dari. Dari few Muslim groups; 53% of the Muslim population is very similar to Persian Farsi. Chinese restaurants located in San is Sunni and 45% is Shiite. Concord also has many Pashto Francisco, San Mateo and San Jose. Some Yemenis began speaking Afghans and a place of Muslim Chinese worship in the same immigrating to the U.S. after 1869 and worship. Almost all Afghans are mosques as other Bay Area Muslims. gained U.S. citizenship by fighting in Muslim. Iranians (Persians) World War I and World War II. They Some have been here a few There are around 45,000 worked in factories in the Midwest and decades, but many of the Afghans are Irani people living in the Bay Area, on farms in the San Joaquin Valley in new refugees who are illiterate even making it one of the largest Iranian California. In 1945, more emigrated to in their own language. Many live on communities in the United States. Over United States from Vietnam, where welfare while others struggle to pay 16,000 live in Santa Clara County, and many Yemenis had worked in the bills in low-paying jobs. Despite over 10,000 in both Alameda and warehouses, shops, and on the docks. the 30 years of war that devastated Contra Costa counties. Most are from When the quota system for their country, the people of The Islamic Republic of Iran, with immigration was eliminated in 1965, Afghanistan are proud to call some from Afghanistan. The Irani are a they could more easily gain visas to themselves Afghans. Afghanistan is subset of Persians, which broadly live in the U.S. and get jobs here, located geographically at the includes multiple people groups prompting an increase in the numbers crossroads of the Ancient Silk Road, a immigrating to North America from of Yemenis immigrants. former trade route, so a mixture of Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Although most Yemeni people groups is the result. These Tajikistan. Most Iranians in the United Americans are Muslim, there are also groups range from Pashtuns (the States are Muslims. The phrase Iranian some American Jews of Yemeni native Afghans), Tajiks originating in American is used interchangeably with ancestry, mostly whose parents or Tajikistan, Uzbeks from Uzbekistan, the phrase Persian-American. The terms ancestors came to the U.S. via Israel. A and Hazaras, who look more like the have been used interchangeably since significant Yemeni communities exist Mongolians to the east. classic times. There in Oakland and in San Francisco. Understanding the diversity of what is a tendency There is a Yemeni mosque and several it means to be Afghan, as well as among Iranian- Yemeni restaurants in San Francisco. knowing about their heritage and Americans to One news sources reported that In the beliefs, is essential to understanding categorize Bay Area, the Yemeni are mostly and effectively being Jesus to this themselves as young men, live mostly in the East Central Asian people. "Persian" rather than "Iranian", mainly Bay, and often manage or own family Muslim Chinese to disassociate themselves from the corner markets. It is estimated that The two largest Muslim modern Iranian regime and the 80% of liquor stores in Oakland are groups in China are the Hui and the negativity associated with it, and also owned by members of the Yemeni Uighurs. There are ten million Hui in to distinguish themselves as being of American Grocers Association. Few China, where they are recognized as Persian ethnicity, which is around 65% Yemeni enroll in college, instead one of the 56 people groups. of Iran's population. The majority of choosing to tend family owned shops. OTHER GROUPS

Japanese Russians Burmese Theravada Buddhists The San Francisco Bay Area is There are over 200,000 The San Francisco Bay Area is home to 36,465 Japanese, the majority Russians in the Bay Area, of whom home to 8,500 Burmese, and is widely of whom live in Santa Clara County. approximately 35,000 are Russian acknowledged as the largest Burmese Both San Francisco and San Jose have Jews. This population is the result of population in the United States. Over communities that are called several waves of immigration. Russian 100,000 now live in the U. S., a 500% Japantown. The Japanese started ships first arrived in the Bodega Bay in increase since the 2000 census. While immigrating here 150 years ago using 1812 and continued to arrive the new name for this Southeast Asian San Francisco as their entry point into throughout the nineteenth century. country is Myanmar, activists choose the U.S., most of whom were farm Another wave arrived in 1917 after to use the word Burma, which was the workers. After this influx of laborers, their Revolution, again after World name of their country before military the anti-Japanese movement started in War II, and more recently since rule. 1906 and the migration of Japanese Glasnost and the Soviet collapse. This There are eight main ethnic slowed down. The internment of the final wave of Russians produced the groups of Burmese, with many Japanese during World War II was yet largest number of Russian Jews. They subgroups. A number of these groups another thing that hindered their are represented in all Bay Area Jewish are represented in the Bay Area. Many migration. Despite this tumultuous organizations. are of Chinese descent. While some of history, there are landmarks that still As newcomers from the Soviet these ethnic groups are Christian, such exist today such as the Japanese Tea Union, they received a helping hand as the Karen and the Chin, most Garden and Japan town Peace Plaza in from the Bay Area Jewish community, Burmese practice Theravada San Francisco. The most practiced and in turn, Russian Jews are giving Buddhism. There are Burmese indigenous religion is Shinto, and back. Large numbers live in San Buddhist temples, monasteries and second is Buddhism, which is the Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. San meditation centers in Half Moon Bay, predominant religion that they Francisco’s Richmond district is home Fremont, San Jose, Walnut Creek, brought to the U.S. After arriving in to many Russian businesses. New Life Sebastapol, and Santa Rosa, but most the U.S. many early immigrants is the Bay Area's monthly Russian- of the Burmese live in Fremont and became Christians. Now Japanese are language journal for the Russian- Daly City. Many also live in San less than 0.50% evangelical across the Jewish émigré community. Francisco and San Jose. We also know U.S. There are two known Japanese that the University of San Francisco churches in the Bay Area. There is also maintains a special relationship with a sizable college student population of Burmese, some of whom are students. Japanese.

For more information about how you and your church can become involved with the people groups mentioned here, or other unreached or under reached peoples in the San Francisco Bay Area, please contact SeJ Won, Director of Ministries, RussianCentral Coast Jews Baptist Association. [email protected] (408) 748-3500

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