A Neglected Field: The Bronx

Bill Echols
East Orange, New Jersey

"The field is the world . . ." (Matthew 13:38).

Jesus commanded His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. This obligation still rests upon God's people. We must see that every person has an opportunity to hear the gospel of Christ. Perhaps the gospel is going to more places today
than ever before, yet there are many fields we have neglected. More correctly, there are many areas of the one field, the world, which we have not reached. We hope to bring some of these areas to the attention of the readers of this paper. A series of short articles describing different areas is planned to arouse in the hearts of Christians a desire to take the gospel to the lost.

Although we may look upon nearly all New York City as a neglected field, we want to call attention to only one of its five boroughs. The other four have at least one church of Christ meeting within their boundaries, but the Bronx does not.

The Bronx is the only New York City borough that is on the mainland. Its 54.4 square miles provide homes for 1,424,815 people. This is greater than the population of Arizona, Alaska, Delaware, D. C., Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, or Wyoming. We would get very excited if any of these states were without a church, but here is an area with more people that does not have a church meeting in it.

Primarily a residential area, the Bronx has almost every national and racial group in the world represented within its population. It is the home of Fordham University, the Bronx Zoo, Edgar Ellen Poe's Cottage, the New York Hall of Fame, and perhaps best known of all, the New York Yankees. Someone needs to go now to the Bronx for the cause of Christ. Will you??

A poet wrote his disdain for the these words:

The Bronx
No Thonx.

We hope this attitude will not continue in the hearts of Christians. If you know of anyone living in the Bronx or elsewhere who is interested in starting a church in that part of the greatest city in the country, write me today.

Truth Magazine VIII: 5, p. 1a February 1964