We waited for our shuttle and finally met our driver, "Joe." He changed lanes with authority and arrived at the hotel with flair. At an economy motel, our rooms were only 125 a night, such a deal. And crowded? The breakfast area had nine tables in a room 21x15. But, it's New York.
Our first visit was to an established Anglo congregation. The Anglo congregation was aging and declining. The ministry there was transitioning to a mosaic model with Anglo and Hindi. There is health in this move. The Gospel is proclaimed to people who do not know Christ and those who do find comfort in the fellowship that transcends ethnic barriers. There we talked with our guide.
Interestingly, there were parrots nesting on the electric poles in the neighborhood. Not native to the area, they had established themselves five years earlier and survived the winters. Now the various cities are trying to eradicated them.
Initially, it was the antithesis of West Texas. So many people in such a small place. The smells of the street included decaying fish of the markets that were closing for the day. I could not discern much more than that. There was no stock yard smell of West Texas.
Yet, there was a common denominator. Most of the churches were small. Many were declining and the question was, "What do we do?" To an outsider, in the city it seems that it would be easier to grow. There are so many people, why wouldn't there be growth? It isn't so automatic as one might think. In West Texas there are not so many people. Still, there are people who do not know Christ. There are people in whom the Spirit can work through the Word proclaimed, would we trust that.
Christ Assembly is an African Immigrant congregation. Many of their members experienced persecution in their home country because of their faith in Jesus. They have about 250 members. Their pastor is ordained in the LC-MS. They worship with song and dance. Their joy could not be missed. The freedom of the cross combined with their new found freedom to worship revealed a spirit unconstrained. When the offering was announced, a cheer went up in the congregation. There was a second cheer when a second offering was announced. I didn't notice if they had offering envelopes. Worship was scheduled from 11 to 1. We ended worship at 1:30.
Another plac
e we attended was a Messianic Synagogue. Connected with LC-MS and Apple of His Eye ministries, this group used PowerPoint, Yamikas and sang in Hebrew and English. Indeed, I did wear a Yakima. The goal of this ministry was to become more traditional in worship. (If you are thinking that PowerPoint is not traditional you may be correct. But it was not a problem. It simply was the easiest way to communicate the service to the congregants. I certainly appreciated it.) Such Jewish tradition would appeal to their target group, namely traditional Jews of whom there are many in the area. But their evangelism was more post modern by design.A post modern type of approach to communicating the Gospel takes patience. One does not tell someone what life is all about, at least not until a relationship is established and an acceptance into a community is realized. Until these two are in place, discussion of world view and doctrinal positions is not discussed. In other words, one new to the fellowship earns the right to ask about belief systems.
Parenthetically, there was a study released recently on how people connect with politicians. Belief systems or policies had little if anything at all to do with supporters embracing a candidate. It took a 10th of a second for many to decide for whom they would vote. Others attached simply on the basis of one issue. With such singular agreement the remaining pantheon of issues would be ascended to because of the one common issue.
It is in this post modern, establish relationship and community then we can talk about sin and God's solution to sin that was the context for evangelism and outreach for the Messianic Synagogue.
Following this service, held on Saturday, we were invited to eat with the congregation in fellowship. They served locks and bagels and onions. We discussed doctrine and world views. As brothers in Christ, we are in fellowship and community already. We follow the same Messiah.
On Sunday evening we visited an Anglo congregation that hosts a Bengali congregation. The non-Anglo service followed the traditional Lutheran worship structure, but everything was in Bengali. Traditional dress for men and women was the norm. And such generosity. Following this service, which includ
ed celebrating the Lord's Supper together, they served our group by setting a table and giving to us chicken sandwiches. How gracious. This congregation, by the way, is planting a second congregation in the area. Wow. There were about eighty in attendance at this particular service.The pastor of this congregation has his wife and daughter back in Bengal. For reason, into which I will not go, they cannot come to the USA and join in the ministry. But the pastor stays here to serve people from his country and language.
Finally, we visited with a man named Johnson. He is from India and he has a strong acumen for missions. With an earned Doctorate in missiology he knows the challenge and joy of working with multicultural groups who are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Each of the ministries we observed had the joy of God's grace in Christ. There was energy and intensity, intentionality and frustration, all together. What each did not lack was hope and confidence that the God who placed each of them in their new context, placed them deliberately to proclaim Jesus.
What a foreign context for ministry compared to the ministry in West Texas. Yet, with each of these congregations we are related in Christ. Humanly speaking we are related in not so distant a way as well, but our common confession gives us also a common future and a common goal, to connect people to Jesus.
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