They are striving to change the character of New York, one soul at a time.
By the end of this year, their membership will include about one in every 10 New Yorkers. They are the Pentecostals, and they are taking in some of the city's most troubled and needy and pointing them -- and their neighborhoods -- in whole new directions.
David Gonzalez spent a year with members of a small storefront Pentecostal church in Harlem. His fascinating report takes you into the homes, and the lives, of church leaders and followers, giving you a rare behind-the-scenes look at the issues, the challenges and the faith of the world's fastest-growing form of Christianity.
A Sliver of a Storefront, a Faith on the Rise
On most nights when the neighborhood winds down to rest, the fluorescent lights
inside the room flicker to life, and the spartan, whitewashed space rattles under a sonic barrage of prayers, yelps and tambourines. (January 14, 2007)
Building a Church, and Paying Off a Sacred Debt
Pastor Florian's ministry reflects the startling intimacy that has been
Pentecostalism’s essence since it began a century ago: what matters the most — even for a leader of souls — is a transforming personal encounter with God. (January 15, 2007)
A Church’s Challenge: Holding on to Its Young
As Pentecostalism advances across the world, it is also suffering its own
slow leak: young people who are falling away from the faith. Against that backdrop, Ark of Salvation is an unusual success. (January 16, 2007)
A Bilingual Multimedia Story
Step inside the Ark of Salvation, a storefront church in Harlem that shakes with the fervor of Pentecostalism. Hear about members’ lives and beliefs, and experience their fiercely emotional style of worship. Vea esta
presentación interactiva bilingüe en la Web.