Exton Community Baptist Church in Exton, Pa., has always been an interracial church, so it was only natural for them to open their doors to the new neighbors who started moving to the area in recent years.  Between the year 2000 and 2010, the Asian population in Chester County, Pa., grew by 127%.  Many of these new residents came from Christian families and needed a place to worship.

Since September of 2017, a group of Tamil Christians from South India, Sri Lanka and Singapore have gathered to worship God in the Exton Community Baptist Church sanctuary on the second Saturday of every month.  They worship in their own language, and have a pastor who leads them in that way.  But they have also been warmly welcomed by the existing members of the church, who are excited at the opportunity of mission right in their back yard.  Pastor Kadin Williams says, “The idea is not that we’re adding another user-group, but making the existing church more inclusive and open to a changed community.  It’s the same church, just with services offered in different languages.”  The groups worship together during Advent, Lent and Easter.  Church members share as they would with any fellow church member, helping with English as a Second Language and other special needs.

More recently, the church held a community prayer vigil in support of their immigrant and refugee neighbors.  Motivated by Scripture (Lev. 19:33-34, Deut. 27:19, Ezk. 47:22, Zech. 7:9-10, Matt. 25:35 and Heb. 13:2), their goal was to show support for those struggling to make a new life in a new land.  About 60 individuals from a number of local churches attended the April 14 event, praying for all of our neighbors with special emphasis on a recently deported family of three.

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it.  Heb 13:2