Songs and Praise from the Philadelphia Evangelical Church return to ‘Trànsits’
The Museu de la Música de Barcelona and the Oficina de Asuntos Religiosos (OAR) are organising the second edition of the ‘Trànsits: Spiritual Music’ programme as part of L’Auditori’s ‘Rebirths’ season. On 13 December 2025, music from the Philadelphia Evangelical Church brings the year to a close with a conversation and public worship service featuring Christmas music at Temple de la Mina.
This session is part of the ‘Nadal(s). Christian Celebrations in Barcelona’ activity series.
A STORY OF ROOTS AND COMMUNITY
The movement that gave rise to the Philadelphia Evangelical Church began with the North American Pentecostal mission of the Assemblies of God and, notably, with French pastor Clément Le Cossec. In the early 1950s, he preached to Spanish Gitano seasonal workers during the French grape harvest. When they returned home, they shared the message with their families, launching an evangelical movement that spread quickly through Gitano community networks across Spain, often in secret. Despite initial resistance—due to the traditional connection to Catholicism—the 1980s saw mass conversions. Thousands of families embraced this Pentecostal spirituality, which resonated deeply with their expressive, community-based culture. You can read the article on the OAR Blog ‘L’Església Evangèlica de Filadèlfia.’
The movement spread quickly as it provided an alternative to Catholicism, which—as Mariví Cortés noted in last year’s conversation—often displayed prejudice and class barriers toward the Gitano community. Moreover, the deeply emotional and passionate way Gitano people expressed their faith was at odds with the more formal, regulated Catholic liturgy. As activist Mariví Cortés explained: ‘Passion is part of how we feel. The religiosity of the Gitano community is intense, alive and open to diverse traditions, as long as they allow faith to be expressed freely and emotionally.’
THE CHURCH: A KEY COMMUNITY INSTITUTION
The Philadelphia Evangelical Church has the largest Gitano membership in Spain and is one of the country’s most important evangelical institutions. In Barcelona, the Philadelphia Evangelical Church currently has more than ten places of worship. These spaces function as vital community centres where needs, concerns and issues emerge that often don’t reach official channels. Their ability to bring people together and their strong bonds with Gitano families make them a strategic actor for building bridges between the administration, social organisations and a community that has historically suffered racism and exclusion.
These churches have become not only places of worship and gathering for the Gitano community, but also spaces of resistance against acculturation and discrimination. In Barcelona, the Philadelphia Church in La Mina has become a vital hub for communities in the municipality of Sant Adrià de Besòs.
DEEPLY EMOTIONAL WORSHIP
The Philadelphia Evangelical Church traces its roots to Martin Luther’s 16th-century Protestant reforms, but has distinctive characteristics shaped by its Pentecostal theology, which sees the Holy Ghost as a presence that manifests physically and performs miracles through the body, alongside elements drawn from Gitano culture. The church follows the principle of ‘God alone, grace alone, scripture alone.’ It rejects hierarchical and priestly structures, believing that baptism should take place when someone is mature enough to understand its significance. Worship is guided solely by the Bible, with no image veneration. Inner inspiration is central, leading to largely spontaneous sermons with minimal preparation.
The result is worship that is vibrant, spontaneous and deeply communal. Biblical tradition intertwines with elements of Gitano culture, such as emotional expressiveness and freedom of expression in worship.
MUSIC AS A SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE
Worship in the Philadelphia Evangelical Church is distinctly festive, blending Gitano culture’s rich musical tradition with Pentecostalism’s emphasis on praise and worship and Protestantism’s centrality of singing. This fusion creates spontaneous, participatory services where music is essential. During worship, which has no fixed structure, songs known as praises are performed, each serving different purposes. The Ministry of Music is based on Ephesians 5:18-19 and categorises praises into different subtypes. For example, there are festive praises that invite participation with interjections like ‘Glory to God!’ or ‘Hallelujah! ‘, reflective praises for communication with God, which are calmer and performed by a soloist and choir, and teaching praises containing doctrinal or moral content. Music, therefore, occupies a central place in worship: not merely as accompaniment, but as the primary vehicle of devotion and worship itself.
For the Philadelphia community, music is a divine gift, a means of emotional expression and a tool for strengthening romanipen (Gitano identity). The influence of this spirituality has transcended religious boundaries and left its mark on Spanish popular music, including rumba and pop.
INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:
CONVERSATION with members of the choir of the Philadelphia Evangelical Church of the Temple de la Mina. Moderated by: Beza Oliver Martínez. Free admission but places are limited.
- Date: Saturday 13 December
- Venue: Philadelphia Church of the Temple de la Mina (Llevant, 23, 08930 Sant Adrià de Besòs)
- Time: 5.30 pm
OPEN SERVICE with a repertoire of songs and music representative of Christmas from the Philadelphia evangelical community, with the community of the Philadelphia Evangelical Church of the Temple de la Mina. Capacity is limited. Admission is free, but prior booking is required. REGISTRATION HERE.
- Date: Saturday 13 December
- Venue: Philadelphia Church of the Temple de la Mina (Llevant, 23, 08930 Sant Adrià de Besòs)
- Time: 6.30 pm
THE ‘TRÀNSITS, SPIRITUAL MUSIC’ SERIES
Humanity’s religious, liturgical and spiritual practices have kept close ties with music and sound throughout history. This has created a wide variety of musical forms that connect communities with the transcendent. The ‘Trànsits, the spiritual music’ series, organised by the Museu de la Música de Barcelona and the Oficina de Asuntos Religiosos (OAR), explores the connections between music and the spiritual practices of Barcelona’s diverse religious communities through a programme of conversations and concerts. The series opts for a plural and intercultural vision that aims to show the historical tie between music, spirituality and cultural and religious practices specifically from the different communities living in the city.
THE ‘NADAL(S). CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS OF BARCELONA’ PROGRAMME
Barcelona City Council, through the Oficina de Asuntos Religiosos, organises ‘Nadal(s). Christian Celebrations of Barcelona’, a free programme of activities celebrating the diverse ways of understanding and experiencing Christmas in the city, encompasses both the theological diversity of different Christian traditions and their cultural, familial and communal expressions. The initiative combines reflection, public engagement and music through diverse activities. These include a round table with representatives from various Christian communities, a concert of traditional Andean music from Apurímac (Peru) and a public worship service by the Philadelphia Evangelical Church organised with the Museu de la Música as part of Trànsits, the Music of the Spirit series. The programme also features dance and music performances by the Georgian Orthodox community and a family storytelling session at the Santa Llúcia Fair, exploring how different cultures and religions celebrate the year’s end.