South Asian Forum of the Evangelical Alliance Newsletter
Issue 20: October 2017
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
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Because Jesus said so An Interview with Rochelle Zecher I was 19 when the World Trade Center towers fell. I remember well how the entire country stopped and for just a moment seemed to be frozen in fear. I remember watching President Bush announce that we should all carry on with business as usual lest we allow the Muslims to win. So we moved on and carried out our day to day lives mostly like nothing had ever happened. Except it had, and we were suddenly afraid of certain people in a way I had never experienced before. The city I have lived in my entire life is only 10 minutes away from a large mosque. For the first time I was afraid of the people who went there. We all were. I remember wondering if they hated us and were they planning to hurt us again. I had worked for Muslim men and had really liked them. The manager at our favourite restaurant was Muslim and one of my favourite people. But, suddenly, I was now afraid. Then one day in 2014 God decided that it was time to challenge that fear. Would I trust Him? A Muslim family moved into the empty house right next door. Not only were they Muslim, but they were from Iraq. I remember stepping out that day and welcoming them into our quiet neighborhood and then running home to call my Gujrati friend who was the first foreigner I had ever met. I was afraid of many things. My main fear was that my lack of understanding of their culture would cause me to offend. Another was that they were the “bad people” we had heard so much about in the news. My friend told me just to be a friend, because she was sure they were as afraid as I was.
As I began to spend time getting to know my new neighbors I realised how much help they needed. They had been in my country for a year and still had not learned a lot of the skills I took for granted. They didn’t yet speak enough English to have their water turned on, or the electricity. They needed help getting the kids all set for school and then the kids needed help with homework because it was hard enough for the kids who actually spoke English. So I began to help. It has been my honour for the last four years to spend time with not only this family, but many others. They have become my friends and some of them are like family to me. Najat is one of my favourite women on this planet. She has kids my age and has just decided that I am hers. Everytime I see her at a family event, she yells from across the room,
”Rah-Shell I luff you!” I adore her. Last year, Najat’s son, Omar, was trying to get a new job and he asked my husband and I for help. As my husband and Omar were talking about interviews, Najat sat down beside me with a very serious look on her face. “Rochelle, I need a Bible.” She wanted one in Arabic and English. I told her that I would absolutely order a Bible for her. I told her that I was surprised she wanted a Bible. At that point she interrupted her son and said something to him in Arabic. “My mom says,” he said with a smile on his face, “That she wants to read the Bible to find out what makes you who you are.” A while ago a friend of mine asked me why I chose to help these people. The best answer I had was, “Because Jesus said so.” In Matthew 25, Jesus is teaching his disciples telling them that when you take care of strangers [foreigners] you are taking care of Jesus Himself. That is all the reason I need. My friends are made in the image of Jesus. I help them because Jesus said so.
Deliver us from evil By Maqsood Kamil My father Kamil was born into a peasant family. His father was a practicing exorcist, well known in his community for the gift of discerning spiritual unrest such as curses spoken by enemies. It was not considered a particularly unusual thing but one that carried a certain amount of attention, maybe with a mixture of awe and fear. For young Kamil this was just a way of life. He often saw manifestations of evil and had observed many dramatic
SAF profiles its work, partners and resources in the quarterly Newsletter and on our website saf.eauk.org exorcisms. When his father died, Kamil had an unusual and frightening experience, becoming powerfully possessed by a strong and controlling evil spirit. He was tortured night and day physically and mentally beyond anything that he had ever experienced before. This went on for many months. Knowing that other exorcists were around, he went from place to place desperately seeking help and some kind of relief. No one could help him; everyone was afraid of him. After all, this was the son of the man who had shown authority over the evil spirits and yet here was a stronger more evil spirit prevailing.
In a chance encounter Kamil met Babu Basant Lall, a local evangelist. Instead of asking for money or any recompense for his advice Babu Basant Lall simply told Kamil to pray in the name of Jesus and the evil spirit would leave him. Kamil went to his home and, having nothing left to lose, prayed in the name of Jesus. For the first time in months he had a perfect peaceful night of sleep. In the morning Kamil woke up an entirely different person. He had never known this kind of freedom. He knew that after all of those months of torture he was now completely free. He literally leapt for joy, jumping in the air, shouting and proclaiming that Jesus was the only truth and that all else was false.
Immediately he felt compelled to demolish all the idols that had been dedicated to the evil spirits. There was no doubt whatsoever where true power and deliverance came from. He committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ and was baptised. Suddenly everything took a turn for the worst. The devil attacked. His animals died, and all of the crops in his fields suddenly failed. His mother and brothers believed this was a punishment from God for abandoning the religion of his father and all the ancestors before him. They did their very best to counsel him to return to prevent more punishment that might even take the lives and livelihoods of the entire extended family. But Kamil could not be persuaded by anyone. He determined to hold on to the freedom from the clutches of any evil spirit. His newfound joy and salvation in Christ Kamil was so great that he declared; “Only my animals are dead, but even if my two sons were to die, I will not revert.”
Soon after this declaration the Lord sent an angel who told him in a dream that his troubles were over. Kamil learned to read and developed a passion for the Bible. He became an elder and shared the gospel with his family members, all of whom came to Christ. Much of his time was spent helping
missionaries and pastors in other villages. helping to bring much needed education to the villages. He started a dairy business that is now run by Christians in his village. This has helped them not only to get out of bonded labor but also to live a comfortable and prosperous life. Despite all his loss he dedicated one of his sons at birth to serve the Lord. I am that child. My father passed away on 27 February 2013, but his mission and legacy lives on.
Rev. Dr. Maqsood Kamil is vice principal of Gujranwala Theological Seminary in Pakistan, an international missionary and a distance student studying for a PhD at Oxford Centre for Mission Studies
From beggar pastor to people’s champion ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.’ Proverbs 31: 8-9 (NIV) The beggar pastor
Even among church leaders in India, Pastor Elisha is known as ‘the beggar pastor’. After Pastor Elisha’s family and community cast him out because of his disabilities caused by leprosy he survived by begging. Now his begging days are long gone.
Pastor Elisha has devoted his life to championing the rights of people affected by leprosy but Elisha says the prejudice surrounding leprosy and the taunts still hurt. Even recently, despite receiving heartfelt thanks from thousands of leprosyaffected people for helping them claim disability benefits, pensions, wheelchairs, food ration cards, decent housing and fighting for their children to attend school, he was upset he could not shake off ‘the beggar pastor’ nickname from other pastors. To challenge their prejudice he invited 64 pastors to the leprosy colony where he lives. Amazingly 54 attended and they shared food and fellowship. When the pastors found out what he had helped achieve in the colony their perception changed and the nickname was dropped. Elisha, 61, explained he had a very happy childhood until he was seven years old when his parents died. His grandma took him and his sister in. Soon after he noticed white, numb patches on his body. His grandma took him to alternative healers hoping to cure him. He was subjected to rituals such as drinking cows’ urine and painful injections. It was so traumatic that when a travelling circus came to his area he ran away with them. Over the years, leprosy ravished Elisha’s
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body resulting in him losing his fingers. Nerve damage meant he could no longer lift his feet off the ground and at this point he was thrown out of the circus. Disowned
Elisha returned to his family only to discover that his grandmother had died and his sister, on seeing his disabilities, disowned him. A villager took pity on him, telling him about a leprosy hospital where he received treatment. Elisha said it was around this time that he heard Bible stories of Jesus’ love for people with leprosy and he accepted Jesus into his life. He said it was the complete healing and acceptance people affected by leprosy received when Jesus touched them that inspired him. “After I left the hospital compound I used my experience to teach others about the needs of people with leprosy and dedicated my life to helping them. I started to take leprosyaffected groups to their local government office to speak out on their behalf.”
Elisha moved to the leprosy colony where he still lives, with his children and grandchildren, in 1979. He met his wife Jyothi, whose family had thrown her out when she developed leprosy, soon after he arrived. He is the pastor for the community.
country-level issues for people affected by leprosy.”
*CREATE is supported by funding from the European Union who will contribute more than £1.1 million, provided The Leprosy Mission England and Wales raises £390,000. For more information about the CREATE project and the work of the Leprosy Mission England and Wales visit www. leprosymission.org.uk or get in touch with Alisia O’Sullivan via 01733 516083 or alisiao@tlmew.org.uk
A Gathering Momentum The Scottish independence referendum, the European referendum and the 2017 General Election have exposed deep rifts in the United Kingdom. While differences have always existed these recent political events have shown an unusually deep bitterness in society which has been simmering below the surface.
Calls for unity have been many and varied but where might people look to begin to see what true unity looks like? In direct contrast to the political and societal fracturing we have witnessed a new movement of unity is being expressed across the United Kingdom: Christian unity. The CREATE project: empowering champions to speak up for leprosy-affected people in India
The new CREATE* project is all about empowering those affected by leprosy to rebuild their lives. Whether it is helping people affected by leprosy to access the rights and benefits they are entitled to or giving them training to do a skilled job as an alternative to begging, the project will help train champions like Elisha to speak out for leprosy-affected people and restore their dignity. This is the fullness of life that Jesus speaks of in John 10: 10 – “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. We are also called to help quash some of the myths about leprosy in a bid to reduce age-old stigma surrounding the disease and fight to repeal leprosy discriminatory laws that still exist in India. Elisha summed it up when he said: “As an individual I can influence and help bring services to my local community or even to my district. But with CREATE the opportunity is much greater to influence at state or even
Historically, churches all over the United Kingdom have provided a wide array of services, infrastructure and resources. They have served the elderly, provided shelter for the homeless, supported young people and provided skills development for the unemployed, parenting advice for families and more. They continue to do so today. So what could possibly have been wrong with these shining examples of faith in action? In the past, there was little to no coordination between churches, or strategic approach within them, and rarely were relationships or partnerships established with civic authorities, private-sector or even other third-sector providers.
But things have been changing. Over the last 15-20 years, in cities and towns all over our country and beyond, a fresh reformation of the church has been quietly emerging. Christian leaders from across all denominations and spheres of life in their town or city have been regularly meeting to pray and form close friendships. From this base
SAF profiles its work, partners and resources in the quarterly Newsletter and on our website saf.eauk.org of relational unity they are serving their towns and cities in a coordinated and strategic manner – and transformation is occurring! Edited by Roger Sutton, the director of Gather, a relational network which takes the message of Christian unity to churches, A Gathering Momentum is the story of that fresh reformation, a collection of accounts from across the UK of exciting unity movements – churches coming together in prayer and friendship to work for transformation in our communities.
The book also covers stories beyond the local church, of Christians in business, health, education, sports, charities and the arts, who are strategically collaborating to impact their communities. Sharing common purpose and relational unity, they are working together like never before to see spiritual, cultural and social change in the places they deeply love. Division and competition, empire building and duplication are becoming a thing of the past. This is a fresh missional perspective that challenges denominational thinking, selfish empire-building and small-minded parochial approaches. It is a grassroots movement of Christians on the ground, who see themselves as one body across an
area as friends together in God’s mission.
A Gathering Momentum is the story of this move of God, to capture its vitality, scope and vision, to help inspire us all towards the transformation of the places in which God has put us. ‘Jesus called us to be unified so the world would believe,’ says Roger. ‘The church needs to do this in order for its light to shine. We began to get a sense of this during the charismatic movement across denominations, but this is much more organised and it is everywhere. It is all around us. It involves people from all denominations and it is not just about spiritual expression but also cultural, leading to transformation.
‘The church is the largest voluntary force in any part of the country. Once that’s recognised, it’s a game changer. Society begins to see where churches have been effective in reaching their local areas. Individual churches won’t have the same impact because you have got to prove your work is sustainable and efficient.’ Gather pulled everything together on 6th-7th October in Westminster Central Hall, where around 1,000 delegates met, including leaders in business, the arts, education and politics.