Wichita Church Reaches Internationals
Wichita, Kan. March 10, 2011—According to the 2000 census, foreign-born people account for approximately 8% of the general population in the greater Wichita area. While some Americans may view this percentage as minuscule, First Baptist Church of Wichita (FBC) does not take this growing number lightly.
Located in the heart of downtown Wichita, FBC has reached out to several international groups in an unconventional way. Their mission is to simply spread the Gospel to as many people in their community as possible. They accomplish this by hosting four different churches in their building. Each church meets the needs of a specific people group or culture: Arabic, Chinese, Lao-Thai, & Spanish-Speaking.
The Lao-Thai Fellowship, which has been in existence for more than 20 years, has approximately 50 members comprised primarily of refugees, their children, and their grandchildren.
“One of the challenges is that we have three generations,” interim admits, “The older generation left Laos as refugees, their children are in between. Then there is a youth group who doesn’t want anything to do with the Lao-Thai culture. They are Americans.”
Unlike the other three churches that meet at FBC, Lao-Thai Fellowship is the only church that speaks three separate languages during the service: Laotian, Thai, and English. O’neil is of Indian decent but was raised in Thailand where her parents were missionaries. Consequently, she speaks fluent Thai and has first-hand knowledge of the culture.
Other challenges are rooted in different religious beliefs. Many of the attendees have Buddhist backgrounds and in some cases still practice Buddhism.
O’neil says, “My prayer for them is that the Lord would remove any idols in the members’ lives.”
Despite these barriers, O’neil believes that this ministry is fruitful. On the first Sunday of every month the congregation have a potluck after service, complete with Laotian, Thai, and American dishes. Lao-Thai Fellowship has become a place where Lao and Thai people can come speak to others in their own language and experience a bit of home right here in the U.S.
Christina Siriwardena is a student at Dallas Theological Seminary where she is pursuing her Masters in Media and Communication. She is currently an intern at Christian Press and a copyeditor for her church. When she’s not writing, she devotes her time to mentoring teenage girls. She resides in Kansas with her husband and two dogs.