Earlier this summer, Grace Chapel in Halifax, NS hosted a multi-lingual worship service for the four different congregations that use their building.
Grace Chapel.
Arabic Christian Church.
Rehoboth Ethiopian Church.
Fountain of Life Sudanese Church.
Shoukrey from the Arabic church led the call to worship.
Bayssa from the Ethiopian church preached the sermon.
Yaboub from the Sudanese church prayed.
Ross from Grace Chapel hosted and welcomed, connecting people and facilitating a sense of community.
Everyone felt at home as over 15 languages were spoken during the worship service.
There was a beautiful diversity of faces and languages and dress.
At the same time, the common thread of the love of Jesus held them all together.
Christ as the Cornerstone was clear.
It was the desire of the leaders of the four congregations (Ross, Shoukrey, Bayssa, and Yaboub) to join together in worship –
as a sign of Christian unity,
as practising the love they extend to one another,
as a foretaste of heaven.
As Shoukrey said, that joint church service was indeed a taste of heaven –
a clear and tangible picture of many nations and languages worshipping together and united as the body of God.
He says, “It’s a big reminder that we are one family. We are building trust with each other and we can feel the love, despite the lines that exist.”