In January 2002, the Mission Ministry Team and Session of the 400-member Ray-Thomas Memorial Presbyterian Church (RTM) gathered for a season of prayerful discernment for the church’s future direction. For reasons we could not explain save God’s inspiration, we felt called to immigrant ministry (see below for Scripture passages that came alive after this discernment!)  RTM is located in a predominantly Caucasian upper middle class suburban Atlanta community in which Sunday mornings remain the most segregated hour of the week. RTM was predominantly Caucasian. How were we to minister to immigrants?  We called the local presbyteries for ideas. No one had any suggestions. So we kept praying.

In June 2002, the Rev. Dr. Jim Choomack, the General Presbyter of Cherokee Presbytery, called RTM’s pastor, the Rev. Dr. Carrie Scott,  with the news that perhaps he discovered the next step. A Brazilian fellowship needed to find a new location. Would RTM be willing to serve as hosts for this group? Three days later, the Session of RTM voted YES.

In the beginning, a few leaders and members of the two groups tentatively visited each other’s worship services. In the autumn, RTM hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner for the two congregations - the first for many of the Brazilians. As we met around long tables, struggling to understand each other and making hand motions to communicate as we passed the food, we sensed a wonderful presence - the Spirit of God.

Communication remained difficult. But God reminded us of a language not dependent on words: music. We began a multicultural contemporary music worship service, then a multicultural Easter Musical, then a Christmas Musical, then more, led by a gifted Brazilian musician, Levi Carvalho.

As RTM and the Brazilian fellowship ate and sang our way to friendship, we felt led to the next step. In January 2004, fifty-five members of the Brazilian fellowship joined RTM.  Shortly thereafter, the first Brazilian elders were elected to serve on the RTM session, including Teo da Silva, the Brazilian lay pastor.

Meanwhile, just a few miles away, God was at work in a sister church. Bethany Korean Presbyterian Church initiated an English speaking ministry to reach out to multiethnic families as the first steps of their Spirit-led journey to multicultural ministry. Bethany felt led to relocate in order to expand their thriving ministry, but God blocked their efforts. In late August 2004, Rev. Choi contacted Dr. Scott - what would the members of RTM say if Bethany asked to relocate to RTM as two congregations under one roof, wedded together until such a time that the two could become one in multiethnic ministry?

Bethany and RTM spent eight months in prayer. When those discerning prayers began, some members from both churches pulled away - the changes were coming too quickly. Conflict rose. Not all were convinced this was God’s will. Some decried that the leaders of RTM were focusing too much on the future and not enough on the present membership. Others decried that the leaders of Bethany were robbing them of their identity. Both churches relied on prayer and Biblical study to help navigate the way. Many worried - was it possible that a time of prayer could do more damage than good? Each congregation feared that by sharing space, each would lose their identity. And power. And control. But God’s Spirit began to transform hearts and minds. Increasingly, as the designated time of discernment drew to an end, people began to voice, What identity matters if it is not an identity blessed by God? What power matters save the power of the Lord? Who is in control except God Almighty? In May 2005, the congregations voted overwhelming to proceed.

In September 2005, a celebration dinner heralded the signing of the covenant. In October 2005, the two churches joined together in a worship service that many proclaimed was like Pentecost. We sang together - the same tunes, but three languages. We read Scripture together - in three languages. We heard the Word proclaimed. We celebrated the Lord’s Supper. We looked around at the different faces, the different colors, with the different accents and the different styles, and we knew what we were seeing:  a foretaste of the Kingdom of God. After the worship celebration, some 800 people went through long lines so we could do what comes naturally to Presbyterians: we ate together. We ate Kim chi and Brazilian barbecue, American pinwheel sandwiches and Korean sushi. We bowed to each other. We hugged each other. We tried to speak each other’s languages. We knew we’d begun a journey that would be blessed if we let God teach us the universal language of love. Since then, evangelism has been accomplished largely by word of mouth.

RTM and Bethany are very different churches.    Our vision is to model true Christian unity in diversity such that what unites us is our faith in Christ rather than our worship styles, ethnicity, sub-cultures, traditions, or place on the PCUSA theological spectrum. We are committed to honoring the traditions of each group, ministering according to the language and cultural realities, as well as unite certain ministry emphases.

We are currently in the process of uniting our children’s ministry and sports ministry and enlarging our multiethnic music ministry.   These ministries are most able to serve as a starting place for our shared partnership as the participants tend to share a common language. Together we seek to model a new way of being community, so that the secular world gets a tangible glimpse of God’s all-embracing love. 

Today, barely five years after those initial prayers of discernment, the RTM Session is 45% non-Caucasian-American. Together, Bethany and RTM have ten Inquirers or Candidates for ministry, including Koreans, Brazilians and Caucasians.  Besides an ongoing Food Pantry, RTM sponsors a furniture and clothing ministry for people in transition.  We  sponsor a missionary in Brazil; a mission in Peru and a women’s shelter in Brazil. Bethany supports a  mission in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. We support each other’s efforts.

This journey has not been without pain and loss.  Sadly, not everyone wants to be part of a multiethnic church because they do not realize the blessings and joys inherent in it. This ministry requires tremendous spiritual maturity on the part of the members. We are flexible, endure rapid change, and sacrifice personal wants and needs today so that a strong church can be built for tomorrow. As we give of ourselves, we discover a greater faith - one that changes lives.  People ask the pastors, “How did you accomplish this?” We did not accomplish this. “Unless the Lord God builds the house, the laborers labor in vain.” Surely, this is the work of God.

From the Scripture..

Sometimes people ask RTM why we have opened our doors to immigrants. Given the debate in our country over immigration, some people wonder why God would lead us to this. The answer is that God has been leading us towards boundary-breaking love for generations.  Here are just some of the many passages in Scripture which teach us how we are to relate to the immigrants, aliens and foreigners among us. As we hear the Scripture, our response at RTM is to heed and rejoice in God's amazing love.

 Exodus 22:21
"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.

Exodus 23:9
"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.

 Leviticus 19:34
The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 10:18
He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

Zechariah 7:10
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'

Ephesians 2:19
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.