Pelham Parkway, Bronx

     The North American Mission Board has a church planting map. The blue dots signify a spot for a potential church plant. The red dots are current church plants or missions. This map includes most of the Bronx and part of Upper Manhattan. Out of the 3 red dots, there is a mission for West-Africans, an outreach for Middle Easterners, and a Hispanic English-speaking church. 

     Becky and I feel that its time the Bronx gets some more love. In these last few months we have sold our house, sold some cars, quit our jobs, and moved from Burleson, TX to Owasso, OK and then to Brooklyn, NY. However, we are not unpacking all the boxes yet. We're looking to make one more move. After prayer and spending time in the Bronx we feel that we've found our target neighborhood. It is diverse, it is very walk-able, it is packed with people, and its lack of churches (of any kind) and gospel witness is staggering. Lord willing, we plan on moving to the Pelham Parkway area to plant our lives and a church. Please pray that we will find an apartment in this particular neighborhood.

     

We've been reading through some of the statistics for Pelham Parkway. 

2010 Population (within a 1 mile radius) = 119,162  

2015 Population (within a 1 mile radius) = 124,162

2020 Estmiated Population (within a 1 mile radius) = 130,609

Race and Ethnicity (2015)

White Alone 35.0% 

Black Alone 25.1% 

American Indian Alone 1.0% 

Asian Alone 10.9% 

Pacific Islander Alone 0.1% 

Some Other Race Alone 22.5% 

Two or More Races 5.4% 

Hispanic Origin (Any Race) 48.9%

 

     Did I mention its packed full of people? There are 125,000+ people within ONE MILE. We have had a few in-depth conversations about the neighborhood with some long time residents and the information has been very telling. Nearly all of the residents that we have spoken to talked about 3 things: the Bronx Zoo is great and its next door, the neighborhood's diversity, and the convenience of the 2 Train. 

     We have been warned not to go to the zoo on Wednesdays because its free. We heard that its very busy and overcrowded, even for New York's standards.

     The statistics show "White" as the highest population of race/ethnicity, but "White" can include Albanians, Iranians, Italians and so on. "Black" can also refer to many different cultures as well. West Africans, Caribbean Islanders, and African American can be labeled "Black" but could be coming from very different backgrounds. The mixture of cultures was a big reason why we felt God was leading us here in the first place. Honestly, walking down White Plains Road is like walking through the center of the world.

     People also talked about how convenient the subway system is in the neighborhood. The Pelham Parkway station connects residents to the rest of the city with both, the 2 train and the 5 train. I think Becky and I have already met all 125,000 people on the 2 train during rush hour last week. But we were too packed in the train car to move our mouths and say "Hi".

     So far we have met only one person in Pelham Parkway that attends church on a regular basis, but her church is in a different neighborhood. There is not a church on every corner here. Actually, we have yet to find any church in this neighborhood of any kind. There are some parts of the city where a strong gospel presence is seen and felt, but there are so many more parts of NYC that seem spiritually dark. That is why we are here. That is what we are after. To be a light. 

     "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven". -Matthew 5:14-16