New Roots Ministry

Really fun hanging out with some friends, as well as 4 ministry workers visiting directly from El Salvador. In this picture, we had coffee and food at Edit's and Salvador's La Luna Cafe. That's always a "hit," but even better as Edit and Salvador are originally from El Salvador. After visiting an African store owned by a Muslim friend, and then discussing our love for, and outreach to, people of other faiths, we had a good visit with Father Kristopher Cowles. Kristopher, an evangelical, charismatic, bilingual priest, who is in-tune with being impactful, especially among Hispanic youth and young adults, provided us with inspiring dialogue.

I've been doing a lot of learning about Islam during this past month of Ramadan. I went to a neighboring mosque---Islamic Center of Sioux Falls on E 6th St, which was the first mosque in SF, established in 1992. I went there for a Friday 1PM prayer service, then again at 7PM for a breaking-the-fast service. After 14 hours of fasting from all food and beverages, we enjoyed a very good meal together! In SF, there are presently 3 mosques/masjids, and as the Muslim population is growing, funds are being raised to have a 4th. I went to the Eid al-Fitr, which is the celebration at the end of Ramadan. There were a few thousand people together at the SF Convention Center.
I think the biggest growth is from the fact that SF is a fast-growing city, and naturally some of those moving in are Muslim. I also think more refugees and immigrants who have been coming to the US in the last few years are Muslim, compared to more Christian refugees and immigrants coming in the past 30 years.
MY EXPERIENCE AND VIEW: Muslim people have been kind to me as a guest, and they are thankful for my interest. I am learning that Islam is extremely works-oriented, making me more deeply appreciate my God, who extends unconditional grace and love to me, which then motivates me to live a life that thanks him and that is helpful to others; I don't have to, nor can I in any way, earn my way with God. Read this webpage to give you an idea of how people strive to earn and achieve their way with God in Islam: https://www.muslimaid.org/what-we-do/religious-dues/the-night-of-power-laylat-ul-qadr/. As well, if you want to compare the religions of Islam and Christianity by their doctrines, I wrote this paper, which may be helpful to you:http://sfnewroots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Comparison-Islam-and-Christianity-2026.pdf