Planting Faith, Sharing Hope: From New Beginnings to Global Impact
A Difficult Start
One day in 2007, shortly after they arrived in Aurora as refugees from Burma, Pastor Manar Chai found his wife, Hlu Naing, standing in the doorway, looking out and crying. “Why are you crying?” he asked. “We finally made it to this great nation.” She replied softly, “I’m happy, but I miss our country and our home.”
“Those first months were very, very hard,” he says. “The snow started. We had no car, not even a bicycle. We walked 20 minutes through the cold to the supermarket. We didn’t have many friends here. And sometimes it was so hard we thought, ‘Just send me back to Burma.’”
The Gift of Welcome
Like many refugee stories in Chicagoland, this one includes a faithful World Relief volunteer. Harry, then and his wife Pattie, then in their mid-70s, met Manar Chai and Hlu Naing during those early months and became close friends.
“Harry was like my godfather in the U.S.,” says Pastor Manar Chai. “He helped us out with so many things at the beginning, even if I called him late at night. He even got his church to come together and help us get our first car – a Honda Acura. I still remember it, very nice car.”
Building a Church, Building Community
Encouraged to continue his calling, Pastor Manar Chai went on to help lead two Burmese churches and in 2010 founded Immanuel Myanmar Church (IMC). Over the next decade, the congregation grew to about 20 families while sharing space with other churches in the Wheaton area.
The church has long welcomed newly arrived refugee families, offering friendship, connection, and practical support. Pastor Manar Chai also opens his backyard as a shared garden so members can grow produce for traditional Burmese cooking.
Every Sunday, Pastor Manar Chai teaches Scripture and meets with families for encouragement and guidance. “Our members are healthy,” he says with quiet pride. “No big problems. No young people using drugs or alcohol. God is amazing; He is with us.”
A Miracle Along the Way
In December 2021, the congregation purchased its own building—something Pastor Manar Chai calls a miracle.
“I remember when I first came in 2007, I could spend $100 dollars and get more groceries than I could carry home. But now I spend $100 and it’s only two bags of groceries. But even in this environment, God is amazing, and God is with us. Our church has a lot of refugees. We don’t have business people or rich people in our church, or people who know how to do all the paperwork. When the families in our church give, they can’t afford a lot. So, when I think about it, it’s humanly impossible that a church like ours can have a building. But God is with us.”
Faith That Reaches Beyond Borders
Today, Pastor Manar Chai travels to more than 30 states preaching in Burmese churches and serves in a national network of Myanmar congregations. “My hope,” he explains, “is that people receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. Or if they already believe, that they learn more about Christian life from the Bible. Only God can change hearts, but I pray and teach so they know the Word of God.”
He also maintains a daily online ministry, sharing devotionals, testimonies, and short sermons with followers across Burma, Malaysia, the U.S. and other countries. Many write to share how his messages have brought hope and transformation.
From Arrival to Impact
From a tearful doorway in Aurora to a growing ministry reaching across continents, Pastor Manar Chai’s story reflects the faithful impact of immigrant churches—and the power of welcome along the way.
