Before we can reach out to all ethnicities in SC, we must know where they are in our communities. Most communities have ethnic restaurants, and many have specific markets and grocery stores that cater to specific language and cultural groups. There are parks and other recreational areas where ethnic groups tend to gather. Places of worship exist for different religious services and people gather there. If there is a university or college in our communities, there may be international students there.  

By being aware of these realities in our daily lives we can discover where our ethnic neighbors live, work, shop, worship and even play. As we discover these points of contact and we make a concerted effort to visit some of these places to prayer walk or even meet some of our ethnic neighbors, it could easily move from a place of contact to a place of engagement. You can begin by searching “ethnic restaurants” in your area on Google.  Make a list of the ones near you and visit them. If you want to go deeper look at peoplegroups.info, which is a Diaspora Missions site with information on ethnic people groups living in North America.   

What is your next step?

• Drive around your community with your eyes open specifically to see if you can identify places of interest where different ethnic peoples may go and gather. 
• Search ethnic restaurants, stores, and houses of worship in your area on Google. 
• Try eating lunch or dinner at a new ethnic restaurant.  Ask about the people who work there with genuine interest in learning about their lives and cultures.