For Christians, love transcends any language barrier.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
NEW YORK — I didn’t understand the words as the North Bronx Church of Christ sang in Twi, the native dialect of the Ghanaian immigrant congregation.
But the tune was the same as “At the Cross,” making the lyrics easy to translate in my mind.
“At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by faith I received my sight. And now I am happy all the day!”
Audrey Jackson, The Christian Chronicle’s associate editor, and I visited North Bronx on a reporting trip focused on the diversity of New York City congregations.
More coverage from New York
• Upper West Side Story: Manhattan church counts members from five continents
• This diverse Long Island congregation is full of conversion stories
• United Nations of Faith: Read all the stories
On our short walk from the subway station, we passed families enjoying the pre-dusk breeze and drug dealers plying their trade under a darkening sky.
My pace quickened as we got closer to the church building.
Welcome,” minister Paul Oppong said after meeting us at the door. “In our language, we say, ‘Akwaaba.’ Thank you for visiting us.”
He introduced us to church leaders, including George Asiedubah, Emmanuel Gyamfi, Frank Adjei and Alfred Koomson. We enjoyed saying hello, too, to Seth Kofi Amankwah, who works with the church’s media team.
Later, after Audrey went outside to take a few pictures, she had to ring a buzzer to come back inside. Security is crucial in this neighborhood.
This column appears in the October print edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Photo by Audrey Jackson
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 