Simon and Miriam Desborough have been serving with a church in the East Midlands for a year, reaching out with the gospel to people from North Africa on a local council estate.
The church stands as the sole gospel witness, surrounded by ten mosques. It is a true melting pot of people groups and cultures, but Islam is unquestionably the dominant religion on the estate. The African people groups within the community were quite insular, a product of past fear and the racism they first experienced when they were placed in the East Midlands. However, as we built relationships over time, they softened and warmed to us.
Effective partnership worked!
Alongside our own individual cross-cultural outreach to the community, it was a joy to partner with the local church and help equip them for the work of evangelism on the estate. We were encouraged by the fact that they had already laid a foundation of relationship with members of the community, especially with those in positions of prominence. Consequently, the church was well regarded by many of the people. Female members of the church ran a women’s ‘craft and chatter’ group and attended a local women’s group. The male members of the church visited the cafés on the estate to converse and socialise with the men. Alongside a short term AIM team and individuals from nearby churches, the church held a summer outreach week to bless and serve the community. This week included cross-cultural training for the team, a children’s holiday camp on the weekdays, and a huge Saturday picnic in the local park.
Could AIM help your church?
Diaspora ministry is a unique cross-cultural frontier where knowledge of the worldviews of different African countries and people groups is important, but also understanding their migration journey and how they are currently responding to living in a context that is not their own. The people groups on our estate, for example, travelled to the UK through parts of Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Portugal and many more countries. All the while, they are picking up other experiences which shape their diaspora culture. We praise God that his glorious gospel transcends culture and that he is calling local churches to build bridges with the African diaspora in our neighbourhoods to proclaim his wonderful salvation. Perhaps the Lord is calling your church to the same work?
For more information visit: https://borderlessafrica.org/
