Church finding its mission in helping new residents

By:John Patten
   Perhaps because the Christian Community Chapel, established last year on Route 206, doesn’t have a church structure, it’s more inviting to people moving into the area.
   Perhaps it’s because of the regular events and activities undertaken by the nearly 300 members of the congregation, such as last month’s series of festivals for immigrants and ex-pats from around the world. The group held festivals for the area’s population of Costa Ricans, Indians and Filipinos, concluding with an international weekend open to everyone on Aug. 24.
   "August is ‘Mission Month’ for our church," explained Jordan Nash, 16, daughter of Pastor Stephen Nash. She said the group supports several missions outside of the United States, but is also interested in helping people from those countries looking to find a community for their religious needs.
   Typical of the group’s energetic members is Glenda Cumba, a native of the Philippines who moved to the U.S. about seven years ago. She moved last year from Roselle to Raritan, and discovered the church while attending a seminar at Zarephath.
   Ms. Cumba said New Jersey is becoming home to a large number of Filipinos, and many are exploring different religious groups while here.
   "The Philippines are very Catholic," she said. "But we also just like getting together … we’re very sociable"
   Nearly 200 Filipinos from across Central Jersey attended the Aug. 17 event featuring Filipino food and music, and Jordan noted about 10 subsequently joined the group.
   At each of the programs last month, visitors were able to learn about the congregation’s external missions — a church and shelter in Costa Rica; work with a children’s shelter in Alaska; a school in Jamaica; and support for several endeavors undertaken in India by an evangelist known as "Azariah," who stopped by the Aug. 17 event.
   The missions are organized by Gwen Ramsey, who calls Pastor Nash her "shepherd" and works vigorously to recruit support for the projects. For the past three years, Ms. Ramsey also has been spending about two weeks working at the missions in India, helping to build a shelter for widows.
   "Mission Month" may be over, but the group is still working on ways to invite others to join it. The group held an outdoor service last night in remembrance of the Sept. 11 attacks, and members are busy planning a Carribean Night festival for October.