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Team Talk
YOUR prayers are requested for Dawn, who is concerned for members of her family.
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Becoming a Christian
There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God
Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong. Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free. Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit. Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen
Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International
’ talk‘ Team talk TEAM TALK Hats in new work of public art tell of a painful history
Sarah Olowofoyeku gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters
THE figures of two men wearing hats have been unveiled as the latest piece of art on the fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square. While the hats may seem an unimportant detail, they tell an integral part of the story behind the sculpture.
Designed by Malawian-born Samson Kambalu, professor of fine art at Oxford University, Antelope restages a photograph of black Baptist preacher the Rev John Chilembwe standing outside his church in a village in his native Malawi beside white British missionary John Chorley in 1914.
A year later, John Chilembwe staged an uprising against the British and became one of the first Africans in the 20th century to fight against colonial injustices. While it wasn’t until 1964 that Malawi gained independence, it was his actions that inspired people to take action in the People were intervening years. In both the photograph and the sculpture, the Baptist treated as preacher is wearing a hat. An unremarkable detail, except second-class that in doing so he was in breach of the colonial rule that forbade Africans to wear hats in front of white people. citizens Such a rule seems frankly ridiculous in a 21st-century UK context, and it may be a shock to some people that such a rule could exist anywhere. For me, it’s a painful reminder that not so long ago, people who looked like me were treated as second-class citizens. I find it hard to understand how Britons believed it was right to colonise other countries and to abuse and mistreat the people who lived there. But it’s unsurprising that some of those sentiments do linger and, while I’m allowed to wear hats wherever I like, racism is still an issue today.
Although the link between Christianity and colonialism must not be ignored, it is encouraging to see that it was John Chilembwe’s faith in God that gave him courage to stand up against injustice and work towards gaining his people’s freedom. I’m glad that this statue has gone up in Trafalgar Square and that more people will learn about this figure in history. It’s important that the past is not hidden and that such stories are told to help ensure that amends are made and unjust history does not repeat itself.
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