Diversity at Second Baptist Church
In the origin of Second Baptist Church, there was the original Baptist church of St. Louis which was an inter-racial congregation founded by John Mason Peck, early Baptist pioneer missionary. Out of this inter-racial congregation came the First Baptist Church of St. Louis, an African American congregation, and Second Baptist Church of St. Louis, which has historically been largely comprised of people of European American descent.
We have also had, for many years, prominent African American members at Second Baptist Church, and also today members born in Africa. When you enter our congregation today, however, you will notice a definite ethnic diversity. In the Spring of 2008, members of Second Baptist Church began tutoring refugees from Burma (Myanmar) in south city. Many of these tribal refugees converted to Christianity by Baptist missionaries, Adoniram and Anne Judson, as early as 1827.
What you will discover now at Second Baptist Church is approximately forty active participants, infants, children, teens, young adults and older adults, who come by chartered bus from south city to worship and serve at Second Baptist Church. They have found in our midst a warm welcome.
Many of our members have become involved with this ministry helping these refugees find jobs, obtain assistance, and learn English. It has been a wonderful expression of local ministry. Our children’s ministry, our youth ministry, and our young adult ministry now all have large numbers of Karen and Karini participants.
We believe that for the families of our church who were here before the arrival of these refugees, this offers a wonderful opportunity for these children to learn to live with diversity. We believe their future world will be filled with much greater diversity than most adults have ever experienced.
Nearly all the Burmese refugees are learning English. As is usual with immigrants, the children and youth learn more quickly and often serve as interpreters for their parents. So, when you meet these adults in our church, they may be uncertain speaking English. Many of our members persevere and have established ways to communicate across the language barrier. In another year, enough of our immigrants will speak English that it likely will be much less of an obstacle to congregational care.
We have found these tribal people to be kind and gentle, and so eager to begin their lives in America, having escaped horrific persecution by the military government of Myanmar. Most of these families have lived in refugee camps along the Thai border for years before being placed in this country. They are all in America legally and will someday become full citizens of the USA.
If you want to be a part of a congregation with such ethnic diversity, we welcome you to Second Baptist Church!
Posted by Linda Novak on Dec 4, 2009 at 16:37:37 | Article Path: Home: About: Diversity at Second Baptist Church
