Linguistic Sanctuary

This article of “ An Unexpected Linguistic Sanctuary”  by Emily Belz described the many different languages in New York City’s evangelical churches.  Researchers have documented 700 different languages in the NYC’s churches. 

In any given Sunday in NYC, a Guatemalan church will worship in their Mayan language; South Indian Orthodox in Queens chants liturgies in Syriac, a first century descendant of Aramaic; a Chinese church in Queens speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, Fujianese and Wenzhounese; a Liberians [ sub Africa Sahara]  church in Staten Island speak 17 languages; a Brooklyn church composes of Ukrainian, ethnic Koreans and other European nationalities preach in Russian, speak in Korean and lunch conversation in English and afterward, preach to the Russians in  Brooklyn.  This is God’s work. God has brought different nationalities into NYC for the church to spread the Gospel.

The church is the place where members speak 82% of the world’s languages as mother tongues.  The church help to preserve their identity as well as their culture. Using their particular language to spread the Gospel.

Acts 2: 7-12 the Holy Spirit enabled people around the world to hear the Gospel in their native tongue.  New York City evangelical churches is a foretaste of Revelation 7: 9 where all the people and languages praising God.  In one of parade in Brooklyn, church members carried flags of U.S., Mexico, Guatemala. There was one person carried a simple red flag that said in English, “Jesus is King.”