Two pictures of East End Islam

The best way to get to know a community is to spend time experiencing it.  Living it.  Breathing it.  Enjoying it.  Dreaming the best for it.  At City to City last year in New York they called these experiences “cultural moments”.  A cultural moment is any time you spend getting to know and understand the community you are hoping to church plant in.  They told us to try to have thousands of those moments, by meeting people, going to shows, walking the streets, before you try plant a church that you hope will be relevant for the area.  I would just like to share two of my moments this past week in Newham, London. Both specifically about Islam.

Open but very closed!

The building right next to where our church plant meets is a community centre called the Flanders Centre.  Every Friday lunchtime as I am nipping out for a bite, the Flanders centre is flooded with hundreds of Muslim men for prayers.  It’s always a  fun experience walking past, having the occasional brief chat with them as they go in or are handing out leaflets.  This week though was a little different.

In London at the moment we are experiencing fantastically hot weather.  So as I left last Friday to go home the fire escape doors were open to the Flanders Centre to let fresh air in.  So I could see what was going on in the hall.  More than just see, I could hear.  I could hear a man singing.  Well I soon realised he wasn't just  singing.  He was actually preaching.  His singing was interspersed with talking, in what I assume was Arabic.  You see, the singing was him actually quoting the Quran.  I stood there and watched for a few minutes not understand a word of what was spoken but at the same time learning plenty about this culture on my doorstep.

I was amazed by the level of Quran knowledge the preacher had (he could probably recite the whole book).  I was impressed by the number of men in the congregation.  Yes, I know women are not allowed but still how many churches do I know in Newham with more than 50 men? The Islam this guy was preaching was obviously attractive to them.  However, I think the overwhelming feeling I came away with was how closed this meeting was, even with open doors. 

I couldn't understand what was being taught.  I have never been invited in.  Never even greeted with a smile I walk by.  For a faith that is supposed to reach outsiders it didn't seem that interested in anyone who isn’t like them.

As I started to walk away I thought, “They may not be interested in stepping closer to me to share Islam  but I need to take steps closer to them in order to share Jesus.”

"To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law." 1Corinthians 9:20 

Closed but very open!

Yesterday we dedicated a little boy into our church family and afterwards we went to the park for a picnic.  I had to take my son home for a quick nap before we went to the park.  When he and I finally got there, none of the people were where we said we would meet.  I knew they would still be around but because it was so hot I decided to take a break in the shade before I started looking for them.  So I sat down with Gabriel.

About 20 meters away was a group of young Muslim girls aged around twentyish.  All but one of them ran off to look at the fountain.  To my surprise the last one walked right up to me dressed in a full hijab.  Covering everything but her face.  She had a very warm smile. The first thing she said to me was, “Hello, you have a really cute son.  Do you mind if I sit with you both for a while?” 

You have to pause and understand the enormity of this question.  Muslim women usually are not allowed to talk to men, especially one their own, even in a public park.  What was I going to say? “No at all, please do” I replied.

She sat down and glowing with smiles at my son, who was looking grumpy but cute as ever.  It didn’t take long for her to break him down and eventually her smile caused him to beam back.  She openly talked about her new found interest in babies.  She is getting married in a month and was fascinated by marriage and children.  We talked about the joys of marriage, parenthood and in laws.  Waiting to have children or having them straight away. 

I congratulated her on the coming marriage and said “Marriage and children are a wonderful blessing from God!”  So that started her asking about my faith.  We must have talked for about 10 minutes before her friends and mine both turned up around the same time.  So we said goodbye. 

As I was walking away she shouted back.  “Don’t forget you sons football!”  As I turned around she had pulled up her hijab to even cover her smile.  But I could still see that she was smiling.

A very different experience from the first.  The face of Islam we often see in the west is closed and distant but that doesn't mean all Muslims are cold and distant.  This girl was born and grew up in the Newham.  She is a second generation British Muslim.  She grew up without fear of British people or Christians.  If the first experience left me feeling pushed away this one was the exact opposite.  

It was a helpful reminder to me not to judge a person by their hijab.  In many ways we were exact opposites.  She a Muslim girl, me a western Christian man.  But behind that veil was a person who was interested in similar things to me, who was scared of the same things as me, we may be different... but maybe not as much as first appears. 

As I walked away I thought, “I can relate to Muslims for Jesus.  Because behind every hijab there is a person not too different to me.” 

Final thought

"Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility!" Ephesians 2:13-14  

Remember as Christians we do not need to be afraid of other cultures no matter how different they seem.  We have a perfect Saviour who stepped into our fallen human world.  No matter how far away any culture any appear from your own it is no comparison to how different Jesus was to this world.

Jesus didn't worry about being effected by us...


Jesus loved us and sacrificed the comforts of His home in Heaven to step into our shoes to bring us a Gospel of reconciliation... 


Reconciliation that not only bridges the gap between us and others but bridges the impossible gap between us and God! 

Here is the run down of the Five-A-Side tournament I took some guys to the other day.  It's early days hoping to take twice as many next time!

City Gate Church Retain the Newham 5s Title

In a competitive Newham Community 5s on Monday December 13^th, City Gate Church won the last match of the tournament to clinch the Cup for a second time. A close 2-1 victory over early favourites Cliff Walk Church brought the trophy home.

The 5-a-side games were very high scoring at the Academy in Loughton with some tremendous goals being scored. The football followed a talk given by local footballer and West Ham Physio Seyi Oni. Seyi shared how his love of football is entwined with his Christian faith and how he had walked away from Church during his teenage years, but is so much happier now he is back with God first and then football in his life.

The Newham Community Sports Team is a branch of World Sport Ministries and stage regular sporting events in Newham, usually played with Christian Spirit and values! For more details please contact newham@worldsportministries.com . Sports quizzes and golf days are other events regularly staged.

Results

1^st. City Gate Church 12 points (scored 19, against 12)

2^nd. Cliff Walk Baptist Church 10 points (scored 19, against 9)

3^rd. Bonny Downs Green 10 points (scored 20, against 16)

4^th. Bonny Downs Orange 3 points (scored 13, against 34)

Jesus wins at the World Cup - part 2

England are playing the USA on their opening World Cup game next week and I predict a 2-1 victory to England!  It'll be a tough game but I think we have what it takes (even without Beckham).  But seriously whoever wins our church is hoping to see a victory in building bridges and reaching our local community.  A few months ago I posted a blog about a World Cup Family Funday we were praying to run.    I'm happy to say that all the money, help and almost all the volunteers we needed to run the day have been provided.  God has brought us help though More Than Gold, the Mustard Seed Foundation, Transform Newham, and even Barclay's bank.  Even our promotion of the even has been really blessed.  The other day we had free advertising on BBC News. No one knows how they heard about it but we're glad they did.  

"Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you!" 2Thessalonians 3:1

They think it's all over... Well it isn't yet!  There is still a loads more to do.  Please pray with us:

• Praise God - for all the answers to prayer and miracles so far.
• Leaflet distribution - please pray we get the rest of the leaflets out.
• 1000 people - please pray in faith with us that we can reach 1000 people through the day.
• More teams - pray that we get more teams for the five-a-side tournament.
• Table talkers - For the people who will be sitting round the tables at the BBQ meeting and greeting people and talking about life and faith.
• Volunteers - please pray the final volunteers are found.
• Safety - please pray for our team of security so that the whole day goes without any issues.
• All the rest - All the little things that need to get sorted by the day that are too numerous to mention.
• God's glory - that He would be put first in everything on the day!

Thank you for joining with us!

BenAboutLondon

Are we SALT... or good for nothing?

This has been a crazy busy Saturday. As Em and I and an army of local people prepare an evening of theatre and storytelling in our local park.  It's not a church activity in any way other than we're helping to organise it.  Emelie is the director and I'm a dogs-body and actor for the event.  It may not be "Church" but I strongly believe it is what we as the Church should be doing.

"You are the SALT of the earth. If SALT loses it's saltiness... it is good for nothing!" Matthew 5:13

One of our main objectives at Cafe Church is to be SALT to our community.  What does that mean though? We believe SALT - in the way Jesus meant it - was to be a preservative in the world.  It's our job as part of the family of God to be involved in the world and to add a positive influence in it, to stop things going off.

As Christians most of us believe this but we actually make it hard for each other to do it.  We fill our evenings and weekends with Bible studies, prayer meetings and "fellowship times", making actually involvement in the world such a tiring thought.  So we retreat into our safe Christian bubbles.

Why not do less at church and be involved more in the world around us?  Of course there are plenty of things we should keep well out of but there is so much we can get involved in.  Let's look around to find community activities and allow ourselves time to get stuck in.  Art, sports, parks, cafes there are all sorts of places we can find amazing opportunities to meet, support and bless local people.  We'll not only make new in roads for the gospel, we may even make our world just a little more beautiful and seem more "normal" to people.

How can you be SALT in your community?

How have you been SALT in your community?

Let me know.

Just off for a final dress rehearsal.

BenAboutLondon

Addition:  Some of performers came to visit Cafe Church the next day after the performance and more are wanting to visit next wee! Please pray for them.

Share Jesus, Kick a football!

Don't let your love for sport stop you telling people about your faith.  Instead you can use sport as a valuable tool to take the gospel to people who are hard to reach.  

Last weekend we held the Crossbar Challenge (quiz) at the Sports Pavilion where we meet for Cafe Church.  About 50 sports loving people (mainly guys turned up) and we had a great time.  The quiz had 6 rounds and was created by Christians In Sport.  Including lots of multimedia (including video clips, sound bites and amazing photographs) the production value of the quiz was outstanding. The highlight for me though was seeing guys who would never think about coming to church sitting next to guys from Cafe Church and having a great time.

At half-time I shared my testimony and you could have heard a pin drop.  I really felt God's help as I spoke and had a few gospel conversations afterwards.  On the response slips at least two people said they would like to talk more about having a relationship with Jesus!   Also, we've already had two people visit us at Cafe Church from the quiz.  All in all a great evening

So, if you love Jesus and enjoy sport let me encourage you, don't see them as opposing forces, instead you can use your passion for sport to bring people to Jesus!  In fact using sport as a tool for evangelism is one of the best ways of reaching young men, who are the people hardest to reach.

If you would like some help in setting up a sports related ministry contact World Sport Ministries.  WSM have been an invaluable support in setting up a Community Sports Team in Newham.  The Crossbar Challenge was the second sports outreach we have run as a CST but we have many more ideas in the pipe-line.  For example we are going to be running a Family Sports Fun-day on Saturday the 12th June.  During the event we're planning a free BBQ, a five-a-side football tournament and showing the England v USA World Cup game on a giant 16m2 LED TV.  But the main event will be testimonies being shared, bibles being handed out and people signing up for Alpha style courses.

Thank you for all your prayers for the Crossbar Challenge.  Please continue to pray for us as we plan future events.

And don't forget share Jesus, kick a football!

Ben 

Jesus wins at the 2010 World Cup!

Only 115 days, 7 hours and 29 minutes (ish) till England begin their winning world cup campaign (hopefully). But even if they don't win there are amazing opportunities to introduce people to Jesus through the World Cup.

A few months ago More Than Gold approached us about putting on a event for the World Cup.  The plan was that this event will showcase to other churches across the UK the potential there is for outreach during the 2012 Olympics.  We loved the idea and didn't need much persuading.  So Bonny Downs North (that's our church plant) will be teaming up with other local churches and a few other organizations to run a football festival the day England are planned to play their first game against the USA.

During the day:

• "World Sport Ministries" will be organizing a five-a-side football tournament. At the prize giving there will be a talk aimed at the youth.
• "On The Move" will be helping to organize a free BBQ for local people who turn up.  Each table at the BBQ will be hosted by a local church member to chat.
• XLP will be bringing the youth bus down.
• Local Churches will be helping to organize music and other fun activities like face painting.
• We'll be showing the England vs USA game on a big screen on the field with a presentation at half time.
• At the event we are hoping to hand out programmes that show the rest of the games scheduled for the World Cup with listings of the churches locally hosting other games.

The potential is awesome and we could have hundreds of people turning up. We are hoping all this will happen on the field outside Cafe Church.  Cafe Church will also be hosting smaller showings of some of the key games as a way to build bridges into the community.  We are also planning a Christianity 101 course as a follow up to the event.

Please pray for all the planning and dreams of this event.  There is still a long way to go in planning it but I think you'll agree it sounds awesome.

Jesus said, "In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over ninety-nine good people who don't need to." Luke 15:7

I'd love England to win but I'd gladly trade a World Cup victory for one person who accepts Jesus as a result of outreach during the event!

Have you got any plans for outreach during the World Cup?  If so please share your ideas.

Entrepreneurs, Prostitutes & Bouncers

It's funny how the thing I love most about living in East London is also my biggest challenge in planting a church.

Newham is the most diverse community in the UK. In my small patch alone we have people from Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Nigeria, Ghana, Pakistan, Jamaica, Iran and Lebanon to mention a few. It's not just cultural diversity its also diversity of interests, faith, wealth and political views. One of the first things I was taught to do when I became a missionary was to get to know the community. Well I am and to be honest the more I learn the more I need to learn.  I know that the gospel (correctly understood) is glue that can bind together people from any background. But how do you plant a truly diverse church?

At the moment in Cafe Church we have been following Paul (the original church planter) on his journey and trying to learn a few lessons.  Recently we looked at his ministry in Philippi.  The first person he converted there was a lady called Lydia who was a successful business woman.  In the gospel Lydia found all that money couldn't buy.  Paul then goes on to release a demon possessed fortune telling slave girl by the power of Jesus.  In the gospel that slave girl found freedom. Then, while in prison Paul saves a working class jailer.  In the gospel that Jailer found true security.  The same gospel crossed all their boundaries and answered all their deepest needs!

They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." Acts 16:31  

Can you imagine that first church meeting in Philippi?  That's the first century equivalent to have Dragon's Den's Deborah Meaden, an ex-prostitute and a local bouncer meeting together for worship.  The diversity of that first church was amazing and beautiful.  That's what I want in our church plant.  I want people to look in and see people of all colours, races and backgrounds that represent our local community.  Because that's what the true gospel looks like.

I'll be honest; we don't look like that now.  We are mainly white east-enders. The challenge we have now is how do a bunch of English people breakout and become relevant to a mixed community?  I have heard people say that you can't do it and you can't please everyone.  I can understand that logic but I can't agree with it when I meditate on the gospel.  In east London there are loads of new churches being planted that have no relation to their local communities.  I do not want our church to become like that.

I don't know what the answer is (although I have ideas) but I do know that:

• The gospel is what everyone is looking for
• The gospel is the same basic message for everyone
• Only the gospel can truly bring unity in diversity
• When real diversity is seen in a church the beauty and awesomeness of the gospel is seen

"It is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Isaiah 49:6

I don't want to limit the work of Jesus and make the gospel "too small a thing."


Please pray with me that before our church is too big we will be able to diversify.

If you have an ideas for me please let me know.

Church Planting Rule No.1 "Love your community to life!"

Many church plants start in certain communities for negative reasons.  High crime, low church attendance, poverty to name a few.   That's not necessarily a bad thing but there is a danger of falling into a trap of being depressing.  Instead of inspiring hope in a community we can affirm people’s negativity.  You can even attract some people by pointing out how bad a community is.  Many people in the community will agree and join in the discussion of how bad things are and who let it get that way.

I was challenged once when watching a Documentory series on BBC1 (I think it was called "The Estate we're in") some years ago about a woman who turned communities round from being crime-dens to being fantastic places to live.  This woman had sucessfully turned around one estate before and a camera crew was following her exploits as she moved into an new rundown estate to do the same.  She wasn't a Christian and was in fact a chain-smoking, hard skinned, battle axe.  She was incredibly stubborn and refused to focus on the negative.  Instead she used her stubborn streak to make the best of the positive things she saw in an area.

On the episode I saw, this lady was talking with a single mum who lived in fear in a tower block.  The mother said, "I was on the phone with my best friend earlier and she said she wanted to come and live near me.  I told her she was mad and no one should ever come to this hell hole."  The lady responded, "No, this is a great place to live and it's going to be even better.  Think about it you and I live here and we're lovely!"  The amazing thing is that lady turned that community around, with her single handed stubbornness to focus on the positive!   It was contagious and inspiring.

If she could do that without Jesus, think of the amazing potential we have in our church plants with Him!

"Little children, you are from God and have overcome, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."" 1John 4:4

Jesus loved this messed up world.  He didn't come down to it just to remind us how bad it is or how bad we are.  He came because he saw something that was beautiful and worth saving.    Even in the worst people and darkest situations the world has to offer, there are faint images of our Heavenly Father.  And to Jesus they are worth dying for.

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image..."" Genesis 1:26 

People are beautiful.  Communities are beautiful.  And every community should become more beautiful if a church is living and loving in it.

Let's be inspirational and stubbornly contagious with our positive attitudes towards the places where God has asked us to serve Him and love others.

Tough challenge but that's the gospel...

The Bread, Wine & Chiili?

Communion is an important part of church life.  It's the church communities chance to get back on track with each other, centred around Jesus and the gospel.  We've been missing communion at Cafe Church for a while because we didn't know exactly how we could it in a Cafe Church way, that wouldn't make visitors feel uncomfortable.

The Lord's Supper must be a really strange thing to outsiders but it really shouldn't be.  Everyone understands food.  Eating together is a really important part of family life in most (if not all) cultures.  The first Communion was part of a Passover meal and it's clear in 1Corinthians that it was still a meal later in the first century.

"When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk."  1Co 11:20-21

The solution that we came to was quite simple (but different).   Our communion is now part of a monthly bring and share meal.  So now on the first Sunday of every month everyone brings some food and we all enjoy fellowship with grub.  At the start of the meal we break a big fancy loaf and pray, reminding ourselves - and helping visitors understand - what Jesus did for us when His body was broken.  Instead of having a tiny morsel of bread we encourage people to take a massive chunk to eat with there meal.  This last Sunday my wife brought a big pot of chilli con carne, when people got up to eat they took their bread and then ate it with the chilli.

"In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."" 1Co 11:25

Then after the meal (see above quote) we then pour everyone a glass of wine (red grape juice) and remind ourselves - teach others - about the blood Jesus shed to bring about His new agreement by praying and drinking together.

Instead of making it a strange thing for non Christians to come into and watch from the outside, it's something you can easily invite them into. They may just come for the food but they hear the gospel.  But more than just hearing the gospel they get to see it in action, as the church family enjoy each others company and welcome people in.

Church meetings can often be mystical rituals to non Christians.  But I don't think they were originally meant to be.  Working in a church plant has been a great eye opener for me.  Everything we do has to be thought through carefully,  because we're primarily aiming at outsiders.  So before we do anything we have to ask these questions:

• Is it understandable?  
• Is it welcoming?  
• Is it gospel centred? 
• Is it Biblical?  
• Is it right?

Maybe we should be asking these kind of questions more often in our churches.  We can be so worried about making mistakes that we never try anything new.  I'd rather risk something new to see people saved, than keep things safe and not grow.

Remember, Jesus didn't die so that we wouldn't make any more mistakes.  He died for our mistakes!  So that if we love Him, even our mistakes wont separate us from Him!.  Let's not be afraid of making mistakes for the right reasons.

Yours in Jesus.

Ben