The unadorned, expanded three-storey house at 88-40 192nd Ave. in Hollis, Queens does not look like a house of worship, but the simple sign that hangs above the front door identifies it as just that. India Christian Assembly, the sign declares.

Inside, the low-ceilinged, spacious sanctuary has about 200 blue-cushioned, metal-framed chairs, a video projection system, and multiple microphones set up before an array of instruments. There are no paintings of Jesus, no stained glass windows, no crosses; only a podium, flanked by an American and an Indian flag.

When the congregation arrives for the morning service, however, the church takes on the atmosphere of worship, setting the tone for the two and half hour service that will follow. People begin speaking in tongues almost immediately, as others take their seats and greet one another in a friendly manner, seeming not to notice.

Men and women sit on separate sides of the room. Men, dressed predominantly in dark-colored suits, to the left, women, dressed in vivid greens, yellows and blues, to the right. The younger members of the congregation sit in two forward sections on either side, and children choose to sit with their fathers or mothers or move freely back and forth.

They have come to worship “the living God,” and to hear a message from their pastor, the Rev. Philip Benjamin Thomas.

Thomas preaches in English, but he drives home points and repeats phrases from time to time in Malayalam, the native language of many of the worshipers who come from the South Indian state of Kerala.

“Besides God and humans, someone else is in our presence,” Thomas begins, “the Bible calls him Satan.”

As Thomas speaks, he closes his eyes, stretches out both arms, pauses for emphasis, smiles benevolently to all corners of the room, and allows his voice to tremble ever so slightly at the end of important phrases, signaling the members of the congregation to punctuate his message for him.

“Praise the Lord!”
“Thank you, Jesus!”

Thomas speaks of the “challenge,” as he calls it, of leading a Christian life when Satan is “working against us every step of the way.” Comparing Satan to a crouching lion waiting to attack its prey, he uses the example of animal documentaries on TV to illuminate the image.

“They bite at the neck; at the throat,” he almost hisses, and then, raising his voice to a surprising crescendo, delivers the message home, “and after that, the lion sits back, knowing that the prey is done. He lets it bleed! If you are not careful, he will be waiting at your door!”

Christians must not become complacent in their faith, and that they must never let down their guard or take the grace of God for granted, for Satan, like God, “is always present among us,” he says.

“We are always under threat. We are blessed people to have God in our life. But please,” he implores with seeming urgency, “take your life carefully.”

As Thomas nears the end of his pre-sermon thoughts, a soft music begins to play along with him. First light notes on a piano, and then the gentle chords of a guitar grow stronger as he gathers himself, throws his head back, and delivers what will be his conclusion.

“The devil is a powerful enemy, as powerful as a crouching lion,” he practically growls, now hunched over the podium and gripping it on both sides, “if you give your life to God, he will give you the power to resist him.”
“Halleluiah,” the congregation answers, “praise the Lord!”