PHILADELPHIA (BRN) – Philadelphia is a diverse city filled with people from every corner of the earth.
Walking down the streets you will likely hear several different languages, see different cultural expressions, smell a vast array of smells and see the faces of people from these far-off lands.
Oftentimes this comes with many religious differences both in their expression and in their religions themselves. Yet the closer I look, the more I can see the presence of Christ’s followers from all over the world celebrating union with Christ right here in Philadelphia in their culture and in their language.
In greater Philadelphia alone, we find that there are nearly 20 languages spoken in our BRN churches every Sunday. I have had the great honor of visiting some of these churches and experiencing worship in a new way repeatedly.
On my first trip to Philadelphia, I visited a Ukrainian church that blew me away. The entire service was in Ukrainian and there were translations available to both English and Russian. It is clear to see that this church was on fire for Christ and despite the war, they stood together and were thankful. The music was like a choir of angels…I did not understand a word they said, but I did not need to. Christ was magnified and that was obvious to me.
Visiting the two Filipino churches near me have made me feel so warm and welcomed into their community. They served great food and made sure to care deeply for their guests. Visiting the Vietnamese church gave me a sense of pure fun, they were exciting, and their worship reflected that. At the Cambodian church, we heard several people share their musical talents and felt the warm welcoming community surrounding us. At the Korean-based churches, we saw their deep passion for reaching students and seeing discipleship multiplied on our campuses.
In all of these and more, I have seen a beautiful picture of people honoring Christ Jesus through their own cultural customs and languages here in Philadelphia.
I have heard it said that “a church should look like its community” and, as we can see, our community is very diverse! It has been both encouraging and eye opening to explore these churches in Philadelphia. God is at work and yet there is so much more work to be done!
Every semester new students from both reached and unreached countries flood our campuses. What can we do to be there to welcome them? How can we love our new neighbor? Maybe its furniture giveaways? English conversation classes? Free meals? Friendship partners? It will take creativity to reach the nations in Philadelphia!
God is able, and to that I leave you with this thought: God has you in your community for a reason, even if it is short term. Open your eyes and see who is around you. Ask God to give you wisdom in sharing HIS love with the people He has placed around you and walk in that wisdom!
Do you want a practical and hands on way to serve the international students at Drexel University? I am looking for churches to partner with me as I host English conversation clubs. Partner churches will provide a few volunteers and the meals, one meal per quarter or year. If you would like more information about this partnership email Jctn23@protonmail.com.
