South Asian Forum of the Evangelical Alliance Newsletter
Issue 19: June 2015
S outh As i a n F orum of the
Evangelical Alliance
connecting, uniting, representing
The South Asian Forum (SAF) is a grouping within the Evangelical Alliance, it was set up to provide a place for South Asian Christians in the UK to encourage, support and equip each other for mission, and to represent their concerns to government, media and the wider Church. With the support of both individual members and church members totalling more than 20,000 people, SAF is steadily growing. Visit saf.eauk.org to get involved in supporting this wonderful
ministry by becoming a member of SAF. Once you become a member, you will receive idea, the Alliance’s bi-monthly magazine, as well as regular newsletters from SAF detailing our progress. If you are already a member of the Evangelical Alliance you can add SAF to your Alliance membership at no extra cost. In this instance please send an email to saf@eauk.org
What makes a healthy church?
Interview with Kuldip Rajo
SAF’s gathering for leaders of Asian churches and fellowships, Wolverhampton, 2 April “A great deal depends on the quality of the leaders,” said Steve Uppal in his opening talk. He pointed to the vibrant life of the early Church in Acts 2, the careful leadership in the face of challenges in 1 Corinthians 3, and the qualities of a leader and disciple in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The 35 leaders who came were encouraged: “It’s good to know that we are not the only ones going through problems – others face similar issues,” said one. “My experience was valued” and “I made friends and learned about SAF,” said others. The day was divided into short, interactive sessions, looking at key questions and challenges. In the first session on mission, the participants shared their own experience in small groups and then brought questions to a panel. Jagdish Singh and Kuldip Rajo gave helpful answers from their wide experience. Finance and buildings are another huge challenge for many. What size do you need to be to have your own building? What help is available for obtaining buildings? How do you motivate your congregation to be generous? John Mall and Som Dass answered these and other questions with wisdom and insight. Persecution affects all of us, directly or indirectly. Imtiaz Ashraf brought up to date news of the suffering Church in Pakistan and led a time of prayer. For some, unity is the biggest challenge. The groups shared legitimate challenges – culture, language, the lack of recognition for some by mainstream churches – and those that come from our sinful natures: pride, competition, unresolved conflicts, politics and more. Joseph Chandrasekaran, Som Dass and Kuldip Rajo again gave wise and helpful guidance. The day finished with biblical exhortation from Johnson Paul and a time of prayer led by Octavia Williams. Feedback for the day was uniformly positive, with all leaders that attended appreciating the panel sessions, which gave room for all to participate, and a “variety of ideas and reflections”. The good news is that there are two more days like this one, in London on 26 September and Bolton on 10 October.
What is your background and how did you become a Christian? I’ve never had problems with the existence of God, which I guess can be put down to my upbringing. But as a teenager, the big questions of life literally began to haunt me. Why am I here? What happens when you die? How do you qualify for heaven, if it exists? In my search, I asked these questions at home to my devout and very lovely Sikh mum, and to my friends who were Christians. In a nutshell, what I was told at home was that if I live a good life and receive the Sikh initiation, then maybe I will escape the cycle of reincarnation. These ifs and maybes continued to leave me disturbed. But then I heard that by accepting Jesus I can be forgiven, and should I die I would go to be with God forever, this seemed right in my heart and my faith in Jesus began. At one Sunday service the offer to receive Jesus was made and I knew I wanted to accept him as my Lord and saviour. When I did, I knew that something had happened to me, but I could not at that time understand that the Holy Spirit had come in and filled me with an incredible peace and joy. Many challenges, trials and struggles lay ahead for many years, but He has faithfully and patiently continued His work in me. What do you currently do? After a number of years in banking with HSBC, I joined what was called Southampton Asian Christian Outreach in 1989 as one of the ministers. I’m still a there now. The focus of the work has been and remains outreach to people of other faiths. In 2006 we changed our name to Southampton Lighthouse International Church when we purchased our current building, and became the only place of Christian worship in a small area of the city that is home to people of over 30 nationalities, five mosques, four Sikh temples and one relative big Hindu temple. I also help the teams that lead the work of Naujavan and Daughters of the King. What is your passion? My heart is to try to walk with the Lord each day and see that desire birthed, grow and deepen in all those He has called me to serve.
London: https://healthychurcheslondon.eventbrite.co.uk
Why are you a member of SAF?
Bolton: https://healthychurchesbolton.eventbrite.co.uk
We are a small local work in a city that is tucked away from all the main hubs of Asian populations in the UK and recognise