Nashville Zomi group receives church status, celebrates growth in special dedicatory service

On the afternoon of January 28, 2022, members of the Nashville Zomi Church, along with friends and Kentucky-Tennessee Conference (KYTN) officials, rejoiced in a special dedicatory service as the company transitioned to a church. More than 200 people joined the celebration.

The Nashville Zomi Church started meeting on January 4, 2014, at the house of current Nashville Zomi Church Treasurer, Lam Dal. The church started with only five members but doubled their numbers within one year.

“We grew up with a Seventh-day Adventist background,” Dal said. “[When we came to the United States], we wanted to continue going to church, but the worship style is very different, and we did not understand English very well at that time. [So], we saw the need to focus on the Zomi community.”

In 2016, they briefly joined with the Atlanta Zomi Group, visiting each other often. However, since the groups were in two different conferences they could not properly combine as one. Thus, in 2017 the group stayed in Nashville and integrated with the local Karen group.

Three years later, in January 25 of 2020, KYTN officially recognized the group as the Karen-Zomi Company. At this point, the two groups were still meeting at the same place but worked separately due to a difference in dialects. The Karen Company was led by pastor Eh Moe Chirk and the Zomi Company was led by elder Pau Sian Tuang.

In September of 2021, KYTN recognized the Nashville Zomi Company as a church. During this time, they were under the leadership of pastor Pau Suan Khai, who continues to be the pastor today. Currently, the Nashville Zomi Church has 53 baptized members and average 65 people in attendance each Sabbath.

“Our mission has always been to spread the Three Angels’ Message to the Zomi community in Nashville,” said Bsniang Hau, Nashville Zomi Church elder. “There are about 2,000 Zomi people in this area, and we want to be able to connect with them.”

The dedicatory service included four baptisms, a special song from the Zomi Bowling Green Church choir, and a church history presentation by Hau. KYTN administration was also present and had a special prayer for the church’s journey ahead.