NEW YORK (RNS) — Five times a day, the sanctuary of Hosanna City of Refuge Church in Queens, New York, turns into a space for Islamic prayer.This small house church has welcomed more than 150 migrants since 2007. Given the growing number of them who are Muslim migrants from West Africa, the church’s pastor, the Rev. Phillip Falayi, has invited them to perform their five daily prayers in the church’s sanctuary — which is also his basement.
For the pastor, catering to the migrants’ physical and spiritual needs is equally important.
“They are Muslim. Our intention is to assist them, not convert them. Just because I’m a pastor and you live in my house doesn’t mean you have to do what I’m doing in terms of faith,” he said.
This Pentecostal congregation of 30 people, Nigeria Americans for the most part, gathers for services in the basement of Falayi’s house twice per week, on Sunday and on Tuesday for Bible study. At night, the basement houses up to 20 people, who usually stay in the church’s shelter for two months.
As New York’s migrant crisis has worsened — in 18 months, 140,000 migrants have arrived in the city — the church has partnered with some of the city’s overloaded shelters to take in the people the shelters can no longer house.
Falayi, a Nigerian immigrant and the son of ministers who regularly housed people in need, believes his church’s calling is to serve migrants and unhoused …
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For the pastor, catering to the migrants’ physical and spiritual needs is equally important.
“They are Muslim. Our intention is to assist them, not convert them. Just because I’m a pastor and you live in my house doesn’t mean you have to do what I’m doing in terms of faith,” he said.
This Pentecostal congregation of 30 people, Nigeria Americans for the most part, gathers for services in the basement of Falayi’s house twice per week, on Sunday and on Tuesday for Bible study. At night, the basement houses up to 20 people, who usually stay in the church’s shelter for two months.
As New York’s migrant crisis has worsened — in 18 months, 140,000 migrants have arrived in the city — the church has partnered with some of the city’s overloaded shelters to take in the people the shelters can no longer house.
Falayi, a Nigerian immigrant and the son of ministers who regularly housed people in need, believes his church’s calling is to serve migrants and unhoused …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]