WILMINGTON (AP) -- Like the changing ethnicity of New Hanover County, the makeup and programs of local Christian churches here is expanding to meet diverse needs.

Bible studies and worship music can now be found in languages including Korean, Japanese, and Portuguese.

Congregants say the diverse offerings help them feel more at home.

In the past five years churches have expanded their outreach to include Asian and South American populations.

There were 924 Hispanic residents and 616 Asian or Pacific Islander residents in New Hanover County in the 1990 U-S census. Census figures for 2005 show more than 48-hundred Hispanic or Latino residents and nearly 19-hundred Asian residents.

Today, Wilmington has three Korean churches -- a Korean Presbyterian Church and two Baptist churches -- along with the Portuguese Speaking Fellowship, a Chinese Church and a Japanese Bible study.