By:  Sarah Brazle (New York City) 

Many people say that New York City is a diverse international city.  Everyone comes to NY from everywhere. Some employ the overused phrase of "melting pot."    

Have you ever heard someone say this?  Before coming to the city, I envisioned this overused statement to be true.  Everyone said it…from the preacher to the know-it-all neighbor boy.  Everyone knew that NYC was one great, big pot full of circulating culture and religion, all mixing together.  I thought that there would be little separation between cultures; everyone coming here to work hard and make a better life.  I assumed that if a house church were to be planted in a neighborhood, anyone who was interested would show up.  But hearing people talk about NYC when they haven’t experienced it and getting to know the real NYC by living here are two completely different things.

NYC is not a melted together in the sense that everyone is all jumbled happily together.  No, it is a city of multiple cultures and flavors; a place where many cultures come and without necessarily merging with other cultures.  The definition of diaspora, at least according to Webster’s Dictionary, is: a group of people who live outside the area in which they had lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived.  Although these different people-groups now live near to each other, they have stayed true to their roots, and in some cases, little to no merging has actually occurred. 

Last week we celebrated Easter.  My husband and I were given the unique opportunity to host church in our home.  Now, you must know that racism is prevalent in NYC. So many cultures crammed together in one place has to lead to some tension. NYC is full of immigrants, and other countries don’t pound equality into the heads of their citizens like the United States attempts to do.  So, many people come to the city with preconceived ideas about other races and cultures.  Besides the joy of being able to share the resurrection of Christ with believers and unbelievers, there was also much excitement that came from seeing so many cultures in one NYC apartment.  In our experience here, a lot of white races (Serbian, Albanian, Russian) don't associate very often with non-White cultures, but on Easter, racism was not an issue.  In our home we catered to Chinese, Albanian, Spanish, Black Europeans, Caucasian, and various "mixed raced." individuals. Although not all were believers, it was a beautiful thing to see that all people can be brought together to hear the story of the Resurrection. 

NYC is a collection of cultures and of people attempting to maintain their own way of life.  Each neighborhood has a unique feel to it, because they are all different, whether it is a strictly Albanian community or an Arabic community.  Our first prayer is that Christ will reach the hearts of the unreached, but another prayer would be to see unity between His people, all joined together in worship of His name.  

By: Sarah Brazle (New York City) 
 
     I love the way that God works through coffee. There is an undeniable sense of well-being that comes from slowly sipping down a good cup of steaming, hot coffee.  And not only is it a self-satisfying moment, where one can happily slurp away, but it is a gateway to some of the greatest conversations ever to be had. 

            Little did we know that coffee would play such an important role in our NYC ministry.  Albanians seem to really love two drinks: beer and a macchiato.  For the last eight months, my husband has been a regular customer in various Albanian coffee shops.  He often goes alone, ordering a macchiato, while bringing his Bible and expecting conversation.  At first, things moved very slowly.  A lot of the time, my husband would come home feeling like a failure, unsure of what he was supposed to do and unsure of how God would use him.  But, with time, these trips to the local coffee shops became more than just uncertainty and hopelessness. Yes, these seemingly normal coffee breaks became a way for the Gospel to be shared and the truth to be heard. 

            Do you remember the parting of the Red Sea? Well, this is a similar situation. God took a mundane cup of coffee and parted it, pushing the coffee to the side while opening up a path that brought my husband from being just another customer to a friend. Now, he is good friends with one of the waiters, "Loui", whom he has been sharing the Gospel with, and although "Loui" is a Muslim, he is listening and curious and asks my husband to explain Christianity. "Loui" is interested, but he is not ready to accept the Gospel as truth. However, he has been opening doors for us that we could have never opened ourselves. "Loui" has been introducing my husband to all of his Albanian friends and one of them is even a Christian!  This is exciting because it takes a lot of time to build friendships and break into this particular diaspora, but it is happening and we are so thankful! 

            A couple of days ago, my husband was visiting "Loui" at the shop when he and several other young Albanian men were invited to an older Albanian’s house for coffee. The older gentleman looked at my husband and said, “Even the Americano is invited!” 

            Coffee can be a great way to bring people together.  My husband rarely ever pays for a cup of coffee these days as his Albanian friends are always paying for him or serving him for free.  And it can also be a great way to start a conversation, to grow a friendship, and to share the love of Christ, even if it is a seemingly unlikely ministry tool. Getting invited into the home of an Albanian is a really big deal, because they are often exclusive and interact very little with other cultures in the city. We are stepping into their inside circle, becoming a regular part of their everyday life.  Here in the Bronx, God is parting coffee and bridging relationships, leading the lost to the found so that they may one day be found as well.  

By:  Kim Gasaway (Metro L.A.)

We have been blessed to get to know 2 new families in our gathering in the desert community outside of Los Angeles. They are both Latino and come with the challenges shared by many who grow up in Los Angeles;  drugs, gangs, jail time, large families and a lack of mentorship on how to live Godly lives. They sought out Jesus and they found him.

That is where the fun begins. After joining us where we gather, in The Studio, they began to realize the power of Jesus’ transformation in their life and how it could affect their friends and family.

"J" owns a barbershop. He shares his transformation story with men who come from the same street culture as he cuts their hair. He has 2 families ready to come discover the Word with us.

"E" is living with his long-term girlfriend. He's changing his life, so he asks -- if he could become an evangelist, would he need to marry his girlfriend? He has an expired green card and is out of work, but he loves Jesus. He wants to be obedient. We have begun the discussion about marriage. In the mean time he has a brother who he is helping to get out of addiction and soon plans to join our group as well. 

We hold out the Gospel of grace that transforms lives. This is not an attempt to attract already baptized believers, but rather we are reaching out to the struggling and those who need hope. The devil is a roaring lion that destroys people and families. Pray that we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us as we break through strongholds.

Ephesians 6:12    For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.