May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to amplify the voices of AAPI communities across North Texas.

Right now, Collin County has one of the fastest-growing Asian American populations in Texas.

A Plano church has made efforts to accommodate the new families, many of who have moved to the area from California and beyond for job opportunities and better home prices after the pandemic. That includes a large number of Chinese families.

It's so significant that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has decided to create an all-new Mandarin-speaking congregation to meet the needs in the area. The new branch was officially named in the past month, a timely start for AAPI heritage month.

It’s a way for families to feel closer to home while living so far away from it.

"I think this is my family, this Chinese group is my family,” said Peter Wang, the president of the new congregation, also known as the Plano Fifth branch.

He and his wife immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan in 2016, staying close to their daughter while she went to college. He said he left a good job and started over his career at age 49, a sacrifice he made for his family.

"My journey to the United States was totally unexpected,” he said. "We are a family, we must be united together, no matter where we are."

While trying to start a new life in America, by chance and a prayer he was accepted into UT Dallas' Masters program for business analytics, which brought the family to Plano.

Peter Wang

But the adjustment wasn't easy.

"I had no friends, no family, no relatives here – until I found the Chinese group in the church. I was so excited,” Wang said.

The Wangs met many other families like the Lees, who have watched the Asian community grow around them after living 40 years in North Texas.

"As time goes by, they seem to increase,” said Richard Lee. "It's good to see the diversity.”

Many of the new church members are from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Families told NBC 5 that being able to hear their home language in their places of worship helps them feel even more welcomed in North Texas.

"It's very important to us, especially in my branch. There are many members, they cannot speak any English,” said Wang.

Peter Wang

This is the church's second unit in the entire state for Mandarin-speaking members. The other is in Houston.

But Collin County and surrounding areas like Richardson and Garland have steadily seen growth in Asian American communities. Church leaders knew they had to address the need for the nearly 90-member Mandarin-speaking congregation.

"I can relate to that. As a 19-year-old, I was called on a mission to South America knowing very little Spanish. I struggle to get along and it took several months to really understand the language," said Mark Moon, a church counselor and president. “There's no substitute for being able to speak the gospel in your native tongue."

Congregations of the 17-million-member Church are organized geographically, and members attend worship services near their homes. Each member belongs to a congregation depending on where they live with special accommodations based on language.

Church leaders expect the Mandarin-speaking congregation to grow in the years to come, just as the Spanish-speaking congregation has grown in the last 10 years.

“We have a very vibrant group with a tremendous amount of faith and energy,” says Jerry Martin, First Counselor in the Plano Texas Stake Presidency. “It is just outstanding to see them meet to worship the Savior. There was a lot of chatter in the chapel, and I consider it miraculous.”

Peter Wang

Moon often reflects on a verse that summarizes the importance of diversity.

“God did not people the earth without a vibrant orchestra of personalities only to favor the piccolos of the world,” he said.

It's that strength in diversity that brings people together.

"We can still speak our mother tongue, reading the scripture in Mandarin, we sing the hymns in Mandarin,” said Wang. "It's just like our family, just like in our hometown."

Wang will serve with two counselors – Eric Wang was called as the first counselor and Wei-Ming Wang was called as the second counselor.

The Mandarin-speaking Plano Fifth Branch meets on Sundays at 12:45 p.m. at 2401 Legacy Drive in Plano, TX. The Church also provides English Connect Classes free of charge for the community for anyone wanting to learn English on Saturdays at 10 a.m., even for those who are not a member of the church.

For more information please contact Peter Wang at peterlearning@gmail.com or 817-312-0510.