In the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York, Rev. Harvey von Harten has been serving St. Paul’s Lutheran Church since 1991 under challenging circumstances.

Once New York City's answer to Atlantic City, Coney Island has been hard-hit by urban renewal over the past 30 years. The population of Coney Island is now a high-density, low-income area, with immigrants from all over the world, especially West Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean, as well as countries of the former Soviet bloc. Pastor von Harten says that in his congregation of 50, there are at least seven different primary languages spoken in addition to English. Rev. von Harten adds that the diversity of the congregation has broken ethnic barriers, which makes the dynamic of the church fun and interesting.

Pastor von Harten first learned of Crossways International by mail and through word of mouth, but was drawn to use the materials after attending a Living Word Workshop in New Jersey. He is currently teaching the Tell-Tale Time-Line and See Through the Scriptures® in small groups or in one-on-one situations, as it is difficult to get people together for larger groups because of heavy work schedules.
Many in the congregation have poor reading skills and lack basic Biblical knowledge, but Pastor von Harten says that Crossways materials are helping equip people to participate with some level of understanding. Given the language difficulties, he adds that progress can be slow, but the visuals have been effective in getting the message across to the people.

Rev. von Harten has been given the task of teaching his parishioners how to fish, rather than giving them fish. The approach is starting to pay off. When asked why he stayed at St. Paul’s, one parishioner remarked, "For the first time, I understand what the Bible is saying."

Despite the numerous daily challenges he faces, Rev. von Harten is positive. He feels that the changes within himself as a result of teaching Crossways have been profound. Teaching Crossways materials, he says, has helped him to keep his methods and teaching simple, and to find biblical themes. But most important, he is helping people to read the Bible themselves, and learn what it means to follow Jesus.

For more on See Through the Scriptures®, click here.

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