On a warm Sunday in July 2023, while Grace Nepali Church met for the very first time at the Mt. Rock Worship Center (Mt. Rock BIC), church members from Ríos de Agua Viva – the Spanish-speaking congregation that also meets at Mt. Rock – slowly filed into the back of the room. With heads bowed and hands raised, they quietly prayed, interceding for this young congregation.
They didn’t share a language, but they shared the Holy Spirit.
Ríos de Agua Viva
A Changing Community
Pastor Brad Stutzman, who oversees ministry at the Mt. Rock Worship Center in Shippensburg, Pa., has seen his community’s ethnic makeup shift significantly, something shared by many rural American towns:
Their proximity to major highways attracted corporations like Walmart and Amazon to build e-commerce distribution centers, creating new jobs in the community. Employment opportunities drew new people into the area, bringing their foods and customs with them and transforming the town’s cultural landscape.
Pastor Brad Stutzman first planted Ríos de Agua Viva in 2003. Now, he oversees the ministry at the Mt. Rock Worship Center in Shippensburg.
While European and Hispanic groups have deep roots in the Shippensburg region, a growing number of Nepali and Bhutanese families have arrived over the past five years. “You walk into your local Walmart,” explains Pastor Brad, “and you might travel halfway into the store before you hear English being spoken.”
He sees this shift with the missional eye of a seasoned church planter: “God has brought the nations of the world to our community.”
Today, three culturally unique Brethren in Christ congregations call the Mt. Rock Worship Center home: Grace Nepali, Ríos de Agua Viva, and The Rock. While each exists as an independent congregation, they share more than a building.
Being united in purpose and mission, the five pastors who lead these groups – Brad Stutzman, Fernando Garcia, Deepa Pradhan, Tony Marker, and Ann-Margret Neilsen – are each passionate about bringing more people to Christ. As a result, they’ve created a one-of-a kind church structure to meet the dynamic changes in their community.
Pastors Tony and Brad pray over a congregant during a Sunday morning service at The Rock.
Independently Interconnected
While many may expect a multicultural church to feature bilingual worship songs and live sermon translation (a structure that works for many*), the Mt. Rock congregations have found that independence allows them to minister in culturally relevant ways. “Each culture focuses on what it can do and knows how to do,” says Pastor Fernando.
However, despite being independent congregations, leadership of the Mt. Rock churches is intrinsically linked. Pastor Brad provides varying levels of oversight to all three congregations but primarily leads Ríos (a Spanish-speaking congregation he planted in 2003) with assistance from Pastor Fernando. Pastor Tony heads up The Rock (English-speaking), and Pastor Deepa leads Grace Nepali, the newest of the three.
The Mt. Rock congregations are unified in their mission to reach the Shippensburg community for Christ. “No matter the culture, we are the light of the world,” says Pastor Deepa. “We share the good news.”
Pastor Deepa Pradhan leads the Grace Nepali congregation.
Once per quarter, members from all three congregations go into the community for evangelism. Following an intentional hour of prayer, they divide into mixed groups of three or more with people from each congregation in every group.
“It doesn’t matter if you speak Nepali, Spanish, or English. We’re versatile because there’s no language barrier,” laughs Pastor Tony.
The congregations also foster unity through their shared youth program. The aptly named Fuse Youth Group, led by Ann-Margret Neilsen, brings together teens from all three congregations for learning and fellowship each Wednesday.
“It gives them the opportunity to understand that people who come from different cultures can believe in and serve the same Lord,” she says. Fuse is also impacting the parents in the congregations who are getting to know each other better through their children.
Ann-Margert Neilsen leads the Fuse Youth Group which ministers to teens from all three Mt. Rock congregations.
A Reproducible Model
It hasn’t been simple; questions and challenges arise from unexpected places.
For example, when three congregations share a building, who’s in charge of it? If one group owns and the others rent, a power imbalance forms. “This is why we created the Mt. Rock Worship Center,” says Pastor Brad. “We’ve separated the ministries from the facility, so all three congregations are ‘renters.’” Each congregation contributes a percentage of their offerings, and they share equal decision-making power related to facility upkeep.
Wrestling through this challenge and others like it is worth the effort for the Mt. Rock congregations. As these different cultures join together, it’s clear that Jesus is Lord of all, even languages and cultures. “The language [you speak] is not that important,” says Pastor Deepa. “Jesus said we’re all in one body. That’s how I see the unity.”
Their unity births missional passion, driving them to bring even more people in their community to Christ. “I believe the bottom line is to always have a love for souls,” says Pastor Fernando, “and of course love for God. When we love God, we will also love any culture [or people group].”
Pastor Fernando Garcia serves with Ríos de Agua Viva, the Spanish-speaking congregation at Mt. Rock.
Across North America, cultures are colliding for the first time in communities like Shippensburg. The Church has a unique opportunity to become a place where these cultures can find unity in Christ.
“I don’t believe what’s happening at Mt. Rock is singular,” says Ann-Margret. “I believe that we’re all called to gather, know each other, and worship together. I think this is something that God’s going to continue doing.”
Bonus: 5 Lessons
The Mt. Rock pastors have learned a lot about connecting with believers from other cultures. Their advice to others seeking multicultural connections:
- Start by asking God for opportunities to meet people from other cultures.
- Prioritize relationships; leave your comfort zone and demonstrate you’re simply interested in fellowship.
- Ask how your congregation can help before offering a solution.
- Be generous and collaborative with your facility, time, and relationships.
- Don’t let a language barrier hinder praying for someone; Jesus transcends language.
*Our 2021 Annual Report featured Gateway Karis BIC Church in California who has adopted this format.
