South Asian Forum of the Evangelical Alliance Newsletter
Issue 16: September 2014
The South Asian Forum (SAF) is a grouping within the Evangelical Alliance, 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
Audience with Steve Bell What is your background and how did you become a Christian? I was Nottingham born from an African Caribbean background, which made me naturally bicultural. So I grew up with an appreciation of the Bible from a non-western standpoint. I became a follower of Jesus as a result of a Christian midwife attending my mother for the birth of my younger brother Chris. This lady prayed with patients and left a New Testament. My decision for Christ came after I finally attended a local Christian youth group where half the members had been delivered by the midwife. My early life following Jesus was profoundly impacted by the supernatural and also the Revelation, which presented me with the grand overview of God’s purpose in human history. I first worked as a graphic artist, before becoming a Secondary School teacher. My school was in the poorest area of Nottingham’s inner-city. Pupils came largely from South Asian and West Indian families and it was the critical time of the race-riots in the late 70s. I was encouraged to be an early black head teacher but God had different leadership plans in mind for me. I won a scholarship to study theology in the Middle East so went to Egypt, where I remained for 10 years teaching English and learning to relate the gospel to Muslim people. How did you come to join Interserve? I first knew Interserve people in Egypt. When the secret police asked me to leave, I naturally came into the Interserve orbit in the UK. Interserve was started in 1852 through a series of tea parties by women who were concerned by the plight of Asian women who were cut off from education and health-care. Since then the fellowship has grown to 14 national offices and works in 40 countries across Asia and the Arab world. We also have a team of 37 people who serve these peoples in the UK. In a post-colonial world, the big question is: “What are mission agencies for now?” Interserve answers the question by adding to its role of placing people into cross-cultural ministry in conjunction with sending churches. We also work with local churches as an “apostolic facilitator”, which resources and supports Christians in cross-cultural mission, both in Britain and overseas. We also train Christians in witness to people of other faiths, as well as being a voice in the national conversation about
S outh As i a n F orum of the
Evangelical Alliance
connecting, uniting, representing
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
the ‘grace and truth response’ to people of other faiths. A strategic part of our work is the Kitab resource unit. This is a national supplier of materials for and about people of other faiths. Kitab has an important resource out next year. This is be the follow-on course from the Friendship First DVD course www.friendshipfirst.org The new resource is called Joining the Family and prepares churches to receive into fellowship, people from Muslim backgrounds. You can connect with Interserve via www.interserve.org. Why are you partnering with us on the Discovering Jesus through Asian eyes course? The reason is simple – it’s a unique resource coming, as it does, at a time when we badly need something that is contextual and attractively designed for use by people with a non-western worldview and with an allegiance to another faith – by that I mean Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Muslims. Alpha, and the like, has shown us that the “small group” experience does work. Discovering Jesus through Asian Eyes is relational and therefore a superb contribution that is already proving an effective tool for communicating the gospel. I am delighted Interserve’s Kitab resource unit www.kitab.org. uk is a national supplier. I also hope it will cross-fertilise with the groups that have already done the Friendship First for Muslims DVD course.
Engaging with Hindus: understanding their world, sharing good news Hindus are the world’s third largest religious community, with increasing influence on every aspect of life. But what is Hinduism? You may know Hindus well, but still find it difficult to explain what Hinduism is. That’s because it is so diverse. Scholars debate whether ‘Hinduism’ has any meaning. Is it an artificial term, constructed by Europeans? Or is there an underlying unity? It is more helpful to think of Hinduism as a way of life, held together through the strength of the family and the wider social structure of the community. So how do we engage with Hindus? This new book by Robin Thomson tries first to understand their world, with chapters such as Who is a Hindu? What do Hindus believe and practise? and What do Hindus think of Christians and Christianity? The second part suggests practical ways in which we can engage with Hindus to ‘share good news’, both as individuals and as churches. There are chapters on the basic approach, understanding Hindu questions and preparing for discussion.