By Robert Lemoine, Regional Reporter
BOSSIER CITY – A new church has been founded to meet the needs of immigrants from Myanmar.
A need has been met by First Baptist Church Bossier to serve spiritual food to immigrants from the country formerly known as Burma.
A Christian welcome by Ken Hansen, a member of First Bossier, has grown into a new church in North Louisiana: First Zo Baptist Mission.
About five years ago, Hanson noticed a group of people who visited his place of work on a regular basis. He began talking with them and soon discovered they were Christians.
He asked Sonny DePrang, another member of First Bossier who has been on at least 30 mission trips and served as interim and supply pastor for many churches, to reach out to them.
DePrang visited the home of Kham La Nang and his wife about five years ago to host worship services for about five people.
As the services continued, more people began coming. DePrang asked for permission to use a room at First Bossier to meet in.
Four years ago, permission was given to use a Sunday School classroom, which holds about 25 people. Only two years later, another room was needed.
First Zo Baptist Mission is now a member of the Northwest Baptist Association and receives assistance from it and the state convention.
The congregation of more than 100 now meets in the choir room of First Bossier and has reached a point where they are now contributing financially to Southern Baptist causes.
First Zo Baptist of Bossier City also has two Sunday School classes for Myanmar children.
“We’ve seen God keep the people in jobs,” DePrang said. “He continually opens doors for them to work as soon as they get their green cards. We appreciate Dr. Fred Lowery, Pastor of First Bossier, for being open-minded to this mission work.”
Kham La Nang, pastor of the Myanmar mission, helps others transition into the area. Their home country has many dialects throughout the land. The people here all came from the same area, so they share the same dialect.
La Nang came to America before the rest of his family. He was attending a seminar almost eleven years ago when he received word to not return home. Fearing for his safety, he stayed in the United States.
Five years later, his wife and family were able to join him here.
His son was in the seventh grade when they made the move; he graduated high school last year at the top of his class.
The First Zo Baptist Mission had its official opening ceremony the second Sunday in February. It is now its own church, even though it still meets in a building owned by another church.
Plans for their own building are not in the foreseeable future, the pastor said. Although the church is officially a church, the people like having “Mission” as part of the name.
First Zo Baptist Mission Church is located at 2810 East Texas Street in Bossier City, Louisiana.
Worship services take place at 7 a.m. every Sunday, and at 6 p.m. Saturday, when various work schedules of the congregation allows, the pastor explained.