CHANGING LONDONWINTER 2020 THE MAGAZINE OF LONDON

AND ITS CITY MISSION

PLUS MAKING DISCIPLES GOD’S CALLING ACCEPTING HELP

UNCOVERING THE CLASS ISSUETHE GOSPEL ON LONDON’S ESTATES

CONTENTS

CHANGING LONDONWINTER 2020 THE MAGAZINE OF LONDON

AND ITS CITY MISSION

ABOUTTogether with London’s churches, we show God’s love in practical ways and continuously look for opportunities to share the life-changing message of Jesus with the least reached of our capital – those living in poverty, on the margins of society or from other religions. We partner with and train churches, to reach out more effectively to the least reached around them and to welcome those who decide to follow Jesus into a loving church family. For over 180 years, the gospel has been at the heart of all we do, because London needs Jesus.

We depend almost entirely on contributions from individuals and churches to run these ministries. Visit lcm.org.uk to find out more about our work.

WHY ARE SO FEW POSTMEN SAVED?Four per cent of the British population works in transport, deliveries and storage. Yet only one per cent of practising Christians – those who read the Bible, pray and go to church more than once a month or more – works in this sector.

Again, a staggering 81 per cent of practising Christians holds a university degree, compared to 44 per cent of the general population.

Many people from a working class background are proud of their heritage, and at the same time feel that as a group they have been unfairly overlooked and neglected, even by the church.

Why do people who do not conform to middle class values and behaviours find themselves squeezed to the edge of church life, or unable to find that there’s nowhere they can call home?

This issue explores how London City Missionaries are working to invite working class people into the kingdom of God, the special challenges they encounter, and how the gospel speaks into the lives of people – especially those living in London’s inner-city estates.

It is both a challenge and an inspiration to present the gospel in a way that brings people of every walk of life into the family of God that resonates with their own culture and has the power to transform lives and communities.

CONTACTLondon City MissionNasmith House175 Tower Bridge RoadLondon SE1 2AH

T 020 7407 7585E enquiries@lcm.org.ukW www.lcm.org.uk

londoncm londoncm

CHIEF EXECUTIVEGraham Miller

Unsigned articles written by the editorial team. Because of the sensitive nature of some of our work, and in order to retain confidentiality, pseudonyms are often given to people mentioned, and photographs do not necessarily depict people in the articles which they accompany. LCM publishes Changing London in accordance with its statement of faith, but views may be explored in which there is divergence of opinion or understanding. Vol 184, No 1679

KENWYN PIERCEEditor editor@lcm.org.uk

OUR MISSION

04 WHY WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT CLASS A monocultural church won’t do

20 WHAT KIND OF LEADERS DOES THE CHURCH NEED? Leading beyond cultural blind spots

WHAT WE DO

06 WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME Pies, darts and Jesus

08 STEPPING INTO A NEW WORLD Seeing the church from the outside

10 GOOD NEWS FOR LONDON'S ESTATES Working class evangelism in Vauxhall

12 GOOD AUTHORITY What if the system is against you?

14 BODY AND SOUL Power and truth in the gym

16 MAKING DISCIPLES Beyond Bible studies

18 THE BOY DONE GOOD? Challenging success culture

24 WORD ON THE STREETS Snapshots from eight missionaries

28 A CHANCE ENCOUNTER God’s calling to Webber Street

34 FORSAKEN Mike Parker finds a family

GET INVOLVED

30 EQUIPPED FOR MISSION Evangelism training opportunities

32 SHARING, RECEIVING Responding to offers of help

There’s few things more British than the class system, and nothing more British than awkwardness in talking about class. Two-thirds of us refuse to be categorised into a particular class. Instead, from the security guard to the managing director, most of us position ourselves as somewhere in the middle.Yet for all the discomfort, it definitely matters, and it needs to be talked about – in church and out of church.

— At school, white boys receiving free school meals perform markedly worse than children of any other group.

— The difference in life expectancy between 60 year-old males in families living in the most and least disadvantaged fifth neighbourhoods increased from 4.1 years in 2001 to 5.0 years in 2015.

— A 2015 YouGov survey of 7,000 adults found that 62 per cent of regular church-goers were middle class and 38 per cent working class. The same survey found that twice as many married working class men had never attended church compared to middle class men (17 per cent compared to 9 per cent).

THE CHURCH SHOULD BE A MULTICULTURAL EXPRESSION OF ALL PEOPLES WORSHIPPING AND SERVING GOD AS ONE. SO WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE THAT ONE SET OF CULTURAL VALUES IS SO DOMINANT IN LONDON’S CHURCHES?

WHY WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT CLASS

The early church clearly got the point about an entirely new community, and struggled with it from the beginning. Small communities made up of unthinkable combinations of Jews and Greeks, slave and free, men and women who gathered to worship, teach and eat together in remembrance of Jesus Christ.

Almost every letter Paul penned to these communities deals with the practical complexities of such diverse groups of people sharing in fellowship.

Today, when the church invites working class people into Kingdom of God, do we also expect them to abandon their own backgrounds and become culturally middle-class?

One London City Missionary describes belonging to a church in which he was the only adult who did not hold at least an undergraduate degree as an awkward and alienating experience.

Some people working class people even feel unable to approach their middle class church leader with pastoral issues.

That is why it is significant that London City Missionaries are typically not from middle class backgrounds: one significant cultural barrier to sharing the gospel is cleared.

And for all these reasons, London City Mission is investing in such projects as the two-year Pioneer Programme, designed as intensive discipleship and evangelism training for people who would not otherwise be able to access this kind of training.

MUCH OF THE TRADITIONAL WORKING CLASS IN INNER LONDON FEELS SQUEEZED FROM BOTH SIDES

The language of class appeared at around the same time as London City Mission was established in 1835 as a way to describe how a rapidly urbanising society was divided into industry labourers, managers and owners.

DYING BREEDMuch of the traditional working class in inner London feels squeezed from both sides. Their jobs are increasingly poorly-paid and insecure, and they are priced out of their own homes and communities by incoming young professionals driving up property prices.

This feeds into a belief among the working class that they are victims of a system that is fundamentally against them, that people in power and authority – teachers, police, government – are out to trip them up.

As a hierarchical institution, the church is often caught up in this general suspicion – exacerbated by the fact that, no matter the actual make-up of the congregation, the dominant culture in churches is almost always middle-class. Churches tend to politeness, teaching by rational explanation, and conformity.

None of these cultural values is bad, but equally none of them goes to the heart of a community living under the lordship of Jesus Christ – sharing in love, grace and mutual submission.

OUR MISSION

4 5

It’s early evening, getting dark and starting to rain. I pass a road where blue tape appeared briefly a few months back. Numerous buses drive past me with commuters staring out. I arrive at the 60s built, single story, flat roof church dwarfed by high rises.

I walk in and hear activity: it’s an after-school club for boys run by Mission Associate Viv Campbell. I turn and walk into the main hall. It’s more a sports hall than a church, but this is where church is, and where Men’s Pie Night happens once a month.

MARK DULLAWAY FINDS HOT PIES, GOOD COMPANY AND AN OPENNESS TO THE GOSPEL AS HE VOLUNTEERS AT THE MONTHLY MEN'S PIE NIGHT IN BATTERSEA, SOUTH LONDON Missionary Martin Street and I set up by

sweeping the floor, putting out tables and tidying away toys from a creche. Martin has already been to the local Asda to purchase pies, frozen veg and frozen roast potatoes.

Pudding, which is yet more pies, has real custard, decent stuff, not the cheap ‘just add water’ variety. We put out the table tennis and pool tables, darts and the music system. Hang on, this is supposed to be a church?

Men from the estate start to arrive, and male volunteers too. There are plenty of helpers chatting to the guys. These aren’t necessarily gospel conversations. But through Pie Night, men have started to attend our Thanksgiving Service, also some come to the annual Revive Christian weekend, and to the church itself. It seems to be a place of friendship and safety where people feel they belong, before they believe.

One man has recently become a believer. He was a publican, a big fella, but had fallen on hard times. He has recently accepted Christ as Saviour. As he tells me his story I

Where everybodyknows your nameWhere everybodyknows your name

feel like hugging him, but I’m not sure he is ready for such displays of emotion.

Another man is currently attending a weekly Bible Study evening and seems keen to want to continue to do so. Others perhaps – for now at least – come for the free food and the company.

These are all guys who perhaps wouldn’t normally be found in a church. The evening is fun and relaxed, and reminds me of a Christian version of the old TV show Cheers where ‘people wants to go to a place where everyone knows their name’.

One of the strengths of Men’s Pie Night is nothing is hurried. It also goes on rather late. I’m normally the first one out the door, just before 10pm, and we haven’t as yet served the pudding. I have no idea what time it ends. I hurry to Clapham Junction and get a late train home.

The church is called The Bridge, and Pie Night helps fulfil the name.

IT SEEMS TO BE A PLACE OF FRIENDSHIP AND SAFETY WHERE PEOPLE FEEL THEY BELONG, BEFORE THEY BELIEVE

WHAT W

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Before Will Thorburn joined London City Mission, he worked in a care home, looking after alcoholic men with early onset dementia. One of the residents, Billy, liked to put on a bet. But whenever he went to the bookies, he’d end up in the pub next door, and would come back causing problems.

To get around that, Will was tasked with going down to the bookmakers and put his line on for him.

It was a whole new environment, Will says. ‘All I had to do was go up to the counter and present his line, but I was totally out of my depth. The sights and sounds and smells, and the whole concept of the place were completely alien.

‘As you step through the door you enter a different world. The rules are not explained anywhere, yet everyone else seems to know and understand them, and way you are expected to behave are different to anywhere else.’

This reflects how people may feel coming into a church for the first time, Will says. There’s all sorts of ways of behaving, customs and codes that you've got to get used to. ‘I’m acclimatised to it, but for many people stepping into church is a totally new culture, and it's not easy for us to remember that.’

APPRECIATING HOW ALIEN CHURCH CULTURE IS TO MANY PEOPLE IS KEY TO PRESERVING THEIR DIGNITY AND RESPECT

STEPPING INTO A NEW WORLD

PRESSING QUESTIONSWhen Will first became a Christian, he had no previous experience of church, and he joined a church that was wise enough not to put high expectations on him, and gave him freedom to could ask questions that they’d never expect.

For example, as a huge Star Trek fan, it felt natural to ask his pastor about alien life. The way he answered was spiritual gold, Will says.

First, the pastor did not dismiss the question or shoot him down. Over a cup of coffee, he carefully explained that it was not really a question he could answer, but that whenever he had a question he turned to the Bible. He went on to say that the Bible doesn’t address the issue of life on other planets, but that it speaks of God as the creator and lord of this world.

‘It was a very wise and dignified answer,’ says Will. ‘I reflect on it now as I am in a position to be responding to people’s questions.’

CHURCH LIFEWill’s missionary work is centred around Donnington Evangelical Church in north London, where they put effort into welcoming people from all walks of life and acknowledge that people are different and have different needs.

‘If people don’t understand, or if they disagree, they will sometimes ask a question in the middle of a service, and that’s ok. They are not treated disrespectfully, and the response is not dismissive.’

Working class people know what life is, says Will. ‘It may be that their experience of life is quite gritty and that affects the way they behave. It’s direct and to the point. People are not inhibited about saying what they are thinking.

‘I don’t usually respond straight away, because I feel I need to stay closely to what

I have prepared. But I make sure I listen well and promise to address the question later on. Then I make sure I keep that promise.

‘They are still part of God’s plan and purpose. God doesn’t say that only certain people can come to me.

‘It’s partly about respecting a person’s dignity, self-worth and pride. That’s important, because if you can’t respect yourself as made in the image of God, you’ll find it difficult to respect and love God as creator.’

AS YOU STEP THROUGH THE DOOR YOU ENTER A DIFFERENT WORLD. THE RULES ARE NOT EXPLAINED ANYWHERE

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LCM Missionary Kevin Croft is delivering a talk to the Friday Lunch Club in Vauxhall, based on the book of James and addressing the destructiveness of words spoken in anger. ‘Listening is something we’ve grown bad at,’ he says, citing improbable storylines from East Enders and the Houses of Parliament. ‘When we’re angry we don’t even care what the other person thinks.’

He lands on Jesus’ instruction not to let the sun go down on your anger. Besides from a few semi-constructive heckles, the group listens appreciatively.

THE LCM TEAM WORKING ON THE VAUXHALL GARDENS ESTATE IS

CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR APPROPRIATE WAYS TO SHARE THE GOSPEL

LONDON’S ESTATES

WHO NEEDS JESUS?Later, Kevin explains that the biggest obstacle to evangelism is that most of the traditional working class think they don’t need Jesus. Church is there for baptisms, weddings and funerals, but otherwise has little bearing on life. That’s why he and the rest of the team tackle practical issues directly as they present the gospel.

It’s about knowing your community well enough to share the gospel in the way they can understand, he says.

PRACTICAL FAITHFor example, finances are a massive issue on the estate. ‘People are struggling. The whole language of debts being written off is attractive because it’s a such a pressing reality for many people.’

The team is responding with practical things such as debt and money management advice, but there’s also the opportunity to start talking about a bigger debt that cannot possibly be written off. It’s using what they know and understand as a way to the gospel.

That’s paired with a longstanding commitment to walking alongside people in chaotic lifestyles.

Kathy McLoughlin is confident that she wouldn’t be seen in church on a Sunday morning in a million years.

‘You really get all types here,’ she says, waving her cigarette at the surrounding Vauxhall Gardens Estate. ‘In my block of flats there’s rumbling music that goes on through the day and the night. It affects my sleep and really annoys me.

‘It was rough back in the day. There used to be stabbings, drugs, but there’s not so much of it now. It’s changed in lots of ways, but you’ve still got to take the rough with the smooth.

‘I have a love–hate feeling for the place, you know, and there’s more to it than meets the eye.

When my luck was down, my neighbours were there for me. They took me under their wing when no-else would. They gave me stuff, lent me money until I was back on my feet.’

‘When you say something that’s counter-cultural or challenging, one of the typical coping mechanisms on the estate is to deliver an angry sweary outburst then to disappear,’ Kevin says.

‘And then some time later they will come back, and we start over.

‘We’re not sugar coating our message: We're saying very directly, “You need Jesus. We’re not waiving on this. Let us explain why”. Slowly, but surely that’s starting to gain some credibility.

‘They don’t necessarily believe what we’re saying. But they will give us a hearing because we’re here and we keep banging on about it.’

SIX MEMOS FOR SHARING THE GOSPEL ON ESTATES

1

2

3

4

5

6

Be prepared to do life together

Take time to understand how the community sees itself

Learn how to link the gospel with people’s lived experience

Appreciate straight talk, even when it’s hurtful

Expect people to walk away and come back multiple times

Trust in the transforming power of the gospel

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SHANE GOODYEAR REVEALS A SAVIOUR WHO USES POWER NOT TO OPPRESS, BUT TO GIVE FREEDOM

All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Many people on estates don't trust authority. They see authority figures as out to get them, as people who wish to burden them and make their lives harder.

They see figures of authority – the police, the council, or the legal system – as corrupt and only looking out for themselves and as people who are not willing to listen to them. (Brexit is the prime example of this at the moment, as most people from estates voted leave.)

EASE YOUR BURDENSWith this in mind, showing how Jesus uses his authority is very applicable to people on council estates.

The context of Matthew 11:27–30 is that all authority is that the Father has given all authority to Jesus who reveals this to whomever he wishes.

This authority however is different from the authority the people of Galilee at the time were living under.

The people are living under oppressive religious authority of a corrupt priestly system and an oppressive government, the Romans.

JESUS OFFERS HIS AUTHORITY TO GIVE REST FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WEARY AND CARRYING HEAVY BURDENS

Jesus offers his authority to give rest for people who are weary and carrying heavy burdens. He uses his authority to teach in a humble and gentle way and the way he applies his teaching to those he gives rest is in a light and easy way, so much so people would want to obey Jesus and come to him for rest.

So showing people from estates that Jesus will be an authority in their lives, but a very different authority to what they have experienced really resonates with them.

Because at the end of the day – as human beings we long for good leaders. He leads us well and will give us peace. Ultimately, whether we know it or not, we all long for the God of the universe – who is revealed in Jesus Christ.

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LONDON CITY MISSION’S BODY AND SOUL GYM IN BERMONDSEY HAS CREATED A SPIRIT-FILLED SPACE WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FREE TO BE THEMSELVES, SAYS TIM FIELDERWe advertise as ‘Free gym training sessions and Bible study’. Young guys come through the door and they get a Bible study, talk about the gospel and are prayed for on day one.

The beauty is that they’re coming into an environment where the Holy Spirit is present. The atmosphere is different to what they’re expecting.

The gym is good on a lot of levels, because you can encourage people, and it can also humble people.

In the gym boys will be put in a situation where they would normally be put down. If you are lifting a weight and can’t manage it, their expectation is that other people would mock them.

But here, we help them and support them, and they take note that we’ve seen them vulnerable, but have not mocked them.

At Body and Soul they can relax a little from the pressure of trying to impress others. You can come alongside them, like the father figure.

CONVERSATION STARTERAfter the workout we’ve got these cards that are just conversation starters, and you just take one: “Have ever been to a funeral?” or, “What’s something you’ve never told anyone?”

If you asked somebody those questions out of the blue, it would be a bit weird, but the cards do the heavy lifting in opening up meaningful conversations. It works well.

Sometimes we ask deep questions they might never have considered before in their lives.

We invite them, if they want to, to write a prayer on the prayer wall as well. The idea is that it’s habitual. We hope they will come in between three and five times a week. But it doesn’t always work like that.

What young guys need is someone who is constant in their life. Someone who can rebuke and challenge them, but not leave them.

We want to bring good news, not just good advice. These young guys, the only men that they’ve had in their lives are people that tell them what to do or what not to do, like police or teachers. We can help

them realise who they are, not just what they should do.

One of the studies looks at Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. It begins by showing that Jesus knew that God had put all things into his hands.

So we can say, this guy has incredible power: he could smash everyone if he chose to. But what does he use that power for?

He’s the perfect man. He doesn’t try to prove himself, he shows his power by serving other and washing their feet. If you want to prove that you are strong, the way you do it is by how you treat those who are weaker than you.

And we see that in the way boys go from mocking each other to helping them. Just by understanding that the culture in Body and Soul is different. They fall into line with what they are seeing. It happens naturally.

WE WANT TO BRING GOOD NEWS, NOT JUST GOOD ADVICE

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.

WHAT YOUNG GUYS NEED IS SOMEONE WHO IS CONSTANT IN THEIR LIFE. SOMEONE WHO CAN REBUKE AND CHALLENGE THEM, BUT NOT LEAVE THEM

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FOR MARÍNA RUSSELL, LEADING PEOPLE FROM POORER COMMUNITIES IN DISCIPLESHIP IS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP For many people I spend time with, discipleship is about building relationships, prayer and listening and responding to their needs. The long-term aim is always to bring people into a closer relationship with God.

English may not be a first language – and you'd be surprised how many people struggle with reading and writing – so I tend not to lead with a Bible study approach.

I often wonder, if you’ve just done a week at school, or if school was not your thing, where would you be emotionally with another study.

Instead, the starting point is friendship, bringing people into a circle of supportive friends. Often conversations at ‘Little Lambs’, our parents’ and toddlers’ group leads to other things: encouraging, teaching and praying for one another. That, I find, is a less intrusive way to walk alongside people.

LISTENING AND RESPONDINGMy approach to discipleship is to meet with small groups of women. Some are new Christians and they may invite friends, or sometimes people invite themselves.

Recently I started taking a group of three women through the Catechism. All have made a confession of faith.

We’d start with asking ‘how was your week?’ There would often be so much to talk and pray about, and so many things to debunk that we’d not get around to the content of the course.

It happened quite a few times, and I sensed the women were feeling bad that the burdens they’d brought with them got in the way of doing the course.

Once it was apparent that there was a lot of pain to work through, I sat down with them and talked about it, and we agreed together to do the Trauma Healing course and come back to the Catechism later.

You could feel relief and see it in their faces. All the women struggled with trust issues

and found it really beneficial. Once we had dealt with those things they were ready to listen and discuss and move forwards.

Especially today, people have kicked God to one side, and one of the

consequences is that they are isolated. In tough times all they can see is their own pain.

It’s not possible to just say to people who are in pain, ‘Jesus

loves you!’ because their question is: how can he love me when I’m going through all of this?

Now we’ve finished the Catechism and we are looking at the book of Judges, tracking the sermons of our church.

One woman would never pray publicly. She prayed on her own, but never in front of others. Now she’s able to do that.

EXPERIENCEWhere abstract study is intimidating, practical experience and action is all the more valuable.

A study-led approach might lead from the Bible to application. We start at another place, going from lived experience to see how it is reflected in the Bible.

Inspired by the film The War Room, I bought a notebook and started writing down all my prayers, then I highlighted with a green pen every time prayers were answered.

What surprised me was how quickly prayers were answered. It Reminds my soul that he is answering prayers. Now most of the book is covered in green ink.

I took it to the group and now we write down our prayers together. That really

engaged them. It’s a journey I have been on, and now am taking them

with me.That speaks so powerfully.

Now we’ve been through that and seen together how God is at work in our lives.

THE STARTING POINT IS FRIENDSHIP, BRINGING PEOPLE INTO A CIRCLE OF SUPPORTIVE FRIENDS

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We love a self-made man story. Especially among working class men, there’s a glorification of self-sufficiency and success through hard work and effort, summed up in the phrase ‘The boy done good’.

That can be a problem if you've not done well in life, says missionary Steve Dunn, who works from St Paul’s Harold Hill reaching out to white working class men.

At the weekly coffee mornings there’s one man has suffered anxiety all his adult life. He had a junior job in Fleet Street working on photography and he got overwhelmed. The pressure of the deadlines got to him at age 18 in a way that he's never been able to work since.

Steve gave him a Bible and he really appreciated the Daily Bread Bible study notes.

THE BOY DONE GOOD?

For quite a while this man had bronchial problems which meant that he was not able to come in the mornings, so Steve visited him in his home. He was really eager to get his own Bible, to open it and to read it together.

Together they looked at Genesis 6, the story of God’s rescue of Noah. It covers quite a few foundational issues – a first salvation story and how those who believe in the power of God are saved, and the means of salvation in the Ark. He absorbs all the references and was sure to look into them later.

Because of his anxiety, there’s a big pull for him to put pressure on himself and focus on what he “should” do, says Steve. So feeling compelled to come to church, for example brings out negative reactions.

‘My task is to bring him to a point where he understands the grace of the

gospel. My message to him is: “you are anxious, Come to the God of peace and freedom. Experience the care of fatherhood.”

It’s emphasising not his lack, but instead God’s sufficiency.’

QUICK RESULTS‘I don’t have a secret formula. The work is hard and slow and we don’t see many quick results.

‘I want to go wherever I am received. I am really looking for those serious seekers, while being loving towards all the people I encounter.

‘God has kept me. I’ve met with him and somehow he drives me on irrespective of results, however fast or slow progress appears to be. At the end of the day, I need to be on fire in a way that the response does not put it out.

‘If that sounds too good to be true, it’s not me, it’s entirely the work of God.’

A VERY STRONG VALUE AMONG WORKING CLASS MEN IS SELF-SUFFICIENCY, THE ABILITY TO PULL YOURSELF UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS AND MAKE SOMETHING OF YOUR LIFE AGAINST THE ODDS, SAYS STEVE DUNN

MY TASK IS TO BRING HIM TO A POINT WHERE HE UNDERSTANDS THE GRACE OF THE GOSPEL

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DR DUNCAN FORBES CHALLENGES THE CHURCH TO RETHINK LEADERSHIP IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A CHURCH CULTURE THAT GIVES LIFE TO PEOPLE OF EVERY CLASS AND CULTURE

In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.

I grew up in poverty and have lived on an estate most of my life. Having spent considerable time in both white majority and black majority churches, it appears to me that there is a dominant culture in Christianity that is white middle class, and most leadership training perpetuates this.

I believe there’s two areas for the whole church to work on: giving priority to character over giftedness in our leaders, and developing leaders who can love beyond their own cultural experiences and blind spots.

NOT YOUR SORT!While many different ethnicities and classes live and work together in London, not many work together on church leadership teams. The multi-ethnic teams that do exist tend to be mono-class, and the multi-class teams tend to be mono-ethnic.

In multi-cultural London, this sends the message to many future converts and leaders: ‘we’re not looking for your sort!’

The Book of James says clearly, ‘if you show partiality, you commit sin’. But we show favouritism to young professionals, who are given a lot of respect and encouraged to use their voice and lead ministries. At the same time, vocal minorities are treated with suspicion, and are rarely encouraged to lead and disciple people from the dominant culture. Instead they are mainly used for optics such as photo opportunities (that aren’t fooling sub-dominant groups).

Oftentimes the preaching speaks only to the leaders’ own culture, rather than the experiences of people.

I remember a time I heard a preacher say that people in prison couldn’t really make moral judgments about others. I was so glad my mate who’d just got out of prison was late to church that day.

Many times I’ve heard preachers water down and reinterpret Jesus’ imperatives to give to the poor, as merely an analogy to explain justification by faith.

Such blind spots are frustrating when you’ve grown up in poverty, and realise that your Christian brothers don’t always understand the realities of poverty and how much the Bible addresses it.

The message communicated through this well-meaning, but myopic preaching is, ‘if you’re not from the dominant culture, this is not really the religion for you.’

A lot of leaders aren’t aware of this, and many think they’re good cross-cultural communicators, but

I’ve found that sub-dominant groups in churches don’t tend to tell the pastor they feel alienated. Those who have

done so, usually learn their lesson!When I’m a visiting speaker, it’s common for a

working class person to come up to me and share how they struggle with their church culture.

We need to develop leaders who work well in multi-class and multi-ethnic teams. How? Let’s look at training.

We need to recognise our present system perpetuates the problem. Our present training structures are pre-disposed to

equipping more of the dominant culture, whilst excluding sub-dominant cultures we badly need. Our resources are written from a white middle class perspective, and we teach them in majority white middle class settings. People who are then promoted into leadership positions tend to be those who fit the mould best.

RESOURCES FROM THE MARGINS It’s not enough to be equipped with some tips on how to not offend – we need to experience being in the minority, so that we can understand what it feels like to not be in control and to submit to others not like us. For our blind spots to be exposed, we need our eyes opened to the things Jesus said we’ve whitewashed over.

Practically, that means being trained by people who have different experiences to us, so that we know what it

WHAT KIND OF LEADERS DOES THE CHURCH NEED?

WE NEED TO EXPERIENCE BEING IN THE MINORITY, SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO NOT BE IN CONTROL AND TO SUBMIT TO OTHERS NOT LIKE US

OUR MISSION

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is like to sit under someone who looks and acts differently to us; and so we learn how God can use teachers from other backgrounds to spot things in the Bible we glossed over.

Today’s training needs to equip us for being cross-cultural missionaries, and avoiding ethnocentrism. Such training also includes how to communicate biblical truths to all different types of cultures. For example, on the Urban Ministry Program preaching course, we list all the different cultures in our neighbourhood, and consider how the selected Bible passage speaks to them.

Recently I had to do this myself. I saw that while many Christians interpret Ephesians 2 as reassuring them of their individual peace with God, for the Ephesian Jews and Gentiles, and for the many foreigners and lower class people on London’s estates, there is the message of us all being brought together into one new people.

This process helps us craft a message that speaks to everyone, and communicates that Christ died for all kinds of people.

GIFTED AND TALENTEDA second major area is an unhealthy focus on ability.We get excited when we see someone using their gifts well, and rightly so. But sadly, we’ve elevated this above character. We put people in positions of power when their character isn’t ready for it.

GODLINESS, NOT BRILLIANCEOne of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in training people is to spend more time teaching people techniques than holiness. It’s so dangerous because it actually teaches people how to cover up their sinfulness with their giftedness. Here’s some things we can do to help develop character more.

LOCAL CHURCH TRAININGIt’s in the local church that you really find out someone’s character. Some people look good when they’re at a college, or serving at a charity from 9 to 5, but in their local church, you’ll really see their character.

It’s in the local church, where they’re not paid to serve, where they have to serve people they don’t like, where they can’t do their serving in a neat timetable, but instead sometimes in the early hours of the morning when someone needs help – it’s here where you see their character.

LEARN TO REPENTI keep making the same mistake of thinking that knowledge acquisition will make people better. I’ve made this mistake as a trainer, a pastor, and a parent.

But being well-educated hasn’t stopped dictators and tyrants in both the political and church scene! If the gospel message is ‘Repent and Believe’, then surely we want leaders who are trained well in repenting and believing.

All our character problems have unbelief at their core. We don’t trust that Jesus is everything that he says he is, or that he will do everything he’s said he will, so out of unbelief we sin and hurt people.

When people confront us, we get defensive, because we don’t trust Jesus enough to turn from our sin to him. It hasn’t been drilled into us leaders that we need to be daily repenting, and turning to Christ, and to do this publicly where necessary.

Back to ministry in a multi-ethnic and multi-class city, us leaders need to be mentored to trust in Christ’s imputed righteousness so much that we can turn away from the sin of trusting in whatever is to our cultural credit (Phil 3:3–11).

This way, sub-dominant groups will get used to hearing us say, ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong, I must have hurt you, and that’s wrong,’ instead of hearing us defend ourselves, and telling sub-dominant groups that they are the ones with a chip on their shoulder.

God is creating a new people for himself in London, made up of all the different ethnicities and classes, let’s pray for leaders and leadership training that helps us in this goal.

IN CHRIST JESUS

YOU WHO ONCE WERE

FAR OFF HAVE BEEN

BROUGHT NEAR BY

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.

FOR HE IS OUR PEACE;

IN HIS FLESH HE HAS

MADE BOTH GROUPS

INTO ONE AND HAS

BROKEN DOWN THE

DIVIDING WALL, THAT

IS, THE HOSTILITY

BETWEEN US.

DR DUNCAN FORBES FOUNDED URBAN MINISTRIES IN LONDON TO EQUIP CHRISTIANS WORKING ON ESTATES. The Urban Ministry Program trains others to make disciples who make disciples in the urban context.

urbanministries.org.uk

OUR MISSION

22 23

FROM MINISTRY AROUND LONDON

GOD’S TIMING ANDREW BARNETT, NORTH KENSINGTON I met a woman addicted to drugs in December 2018. Since then I have tried making contact with her, but to no avail. I have continued to pray for her since the time I first met her.

A while ago I was walking through the community with trainer Robert Prendergast and pioneer Raymond Gaisie when we saw her again.

She needed support and we were there at God’s timing to assist her, we ministered to her after her confession that she’s been calling out to God. I prayed for her and she said she will be attending church.

She has since given her life to Christ and is slowly growing as a new believer.

I have made connections with a good number of people, all at different places in their life’s journey. I can see God is working in and through me to show his love for those in the North Kensington, Ladbroke Grove Community.

TOO HARD JEVON WALKER, PRISON MINISTRY One day I was going to visit someone who was being monitored by the prison as someone who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide. During this visit, he shared with me some details about his case.

He told me he had recently started going to church with his girlfriend before his arrest. I asked him a little about how it was going. He said it was going ok but felt discouraged that he had ended up in prison. He talked about how it was too hard to be a Christian.

I encouraged him by explaining how God's grace is able to keep and sustain him and cover him when he falls. I used the analogy of a child learning to walk and falling down before being picked back up to keep walking.

He smiled and shook his head in disbelief as I used that analogy as he said he had just had a dream about a child throwing a ball and playing catch. For him he felt like it was confirmation God was speaking to him.

I shared with him about the free grace of God that not only saves us but helps us to get back up when we sin and keep walking, and how we are supposed to support one another in growing to be more like Christ. He said that he had never heard it explained that way before.

I got to pray with him and have continued to visit him since.

VISIONS OF A LIGHTANGEL TIEBAS, PAGET CENTREOne man I often meet on the streets is such a delightful person.

When I see him it’s a bit strange as he feels he must raise his voice and look straight into my eyes.

It’s similar to the weighing at a professional heavyweight boxers fight – they will get up so close and personal. If you are not expecting it, it can be a bit intimidating.

He has had issues with rejection but addresses me as ‘man of God who tries to serve God in this fallen world’.

He shared that he has had visions of a light which he attributes to the Lord, but the interpretations are not always helpful or in line with scripture. His views are so intense that one needs wisdom to be able to gently question why he attributes things to God or not.

He is struggling with many things, and the other day he opened up which helped me understand where he were coming from, which in turn enabled me to be more sensitive to him.

GROWN-UP CONVERSATIONS MARLENE BOTHA, ISLE OF DOGSToday I had a very grown-up conversation about the existence of God with a primary school-aged girl. Her father died this year after receiving permanent chemotherapy for the past six years.

Death has been a reality for her, so the conversation was very honest. She told me she believes in Mother Nature, but not in Father God, that she wants to play dodgeball in my Kid's club, but does not want to have to hear about God.

I used to visit her dad regularly. I’m not sure if I’ll see her Dad in heaven one day.

But I promised him I would look out for her when he’s gone. I also told him that it’s no good for me to get her to heaven and he’s not there!

I don’t know how I'm going to keep my promise, since access to her is difficult, but I know that God placed this little cute 18 month-old on my path eight or nine years ago, and that he has a purpose and a reason for her life. Who knew I’d be having this conversation now, and who knows what the future will bring?

WHAT W

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CRACKING QUESTIONSILYAS AYOUB, RIDLEY CENTRE It is always exciting to hear the cracking questions children can ask. Sometimes they seem unrelated, like a year six class that just keeps asking questions about the Trinity while it isn’t even the topic we’re learning about.

They just can’t let go until they get it. It is really encouraging to see their little brains working around some of these concepts.

FORGIVENESSOLLY SHERWOOD, HOUNSLOW I was praying with a man whom I have known for a few years now, and while praying he started to cough and feel sick. I then started to ask questions about his life and he revealed to me that he was abused as a child and had never told anyone.

We continued to pray and discuss and we spoke on the importance of forgiveness. After some time of praying and many tears he then verbalised that he forgives the person and he said he felt such a freedom from doing so.

I then gave him a Bible and we went our separate ways.

An hour or so later he rang me saying that one of the homeless lads in Hounslow saw him and randomly started reading the Bible to him.

This happened to be someone I’d given a Bible to a few days beforehand.

INCREASING OPENNESSNEIL GILLESPIE, STREET POPULATION TEAM We have built up a very good relationship with one of the men who has been attending our group in Pentonville Prison. As we have been looking at what faith in Jesus means, his openness has increased.

He has been very honest with us about his past, including being abused as a child. He understandably says he will never forgive. Our hope is we can gently help him on this journey to forgiveness and the freedom it brings.

He has never before received prayer in relation to his past. We were able to have a very significant prayer ministry time with him.

APPRECIATIONPATRICK KANGI, NUNHEAD Meeting the father of a little girl we prayed for healing last Christmas time got me thinking. The family trusted that God really answered our prayers.

I learnt that they gave a financial gift to the church over Christmas to show their appreciation. While talking with him at the school gate where his second daughter goes, he was pleased to have met me and thanked me. I had to repeatedly correct him by saying it was the Lord who healed and not me.

He’s also told everyone his testimony of God's healing. One of his friends, a Muslim man, had watched us chatting at the school gate. The Friday before, the Muslim man’s children had come to the kids’ club for the first time.

So, then the opportunity opened up for me to explain about Christmas and how the Lord helped the family when we prayed for healing.

DO YOU PRAY?Our missionaries depend on the support of faithful people who are committed to praying regularly for them and their work.

Many of the stories here come from missionaries’ prayer letters and from our weekly email prayer updates. Join the growing number of people supporting us in prayer. lcm.org.uk/pray

WHAT W

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26 27

THE IMPRESSION LEFT BY A ONE-OFF ENCOUNTER YEARS AGO LED DAVID HARRIS TO VOLUNTEER AT THE WEBBER STREET DAY CENTRE IN WATERLOO.I was first confronted by a homelessness sixty years ago when I was working in Baker Street. I had got a job to get out, so I was in the office late.

The bell went downstairs and there was this homeless man asking for something.

I invited him in and immediately saw that

BEFRIENDINGSoon after I retired, in 2002, I met Harry Vallance from LCM in the Vine Coffee Bar to talk about voluntary work. As soon as he mentioned a breakfast for the homeless in Waterloo, my mind went straight back to this encounter, years before. I knew then that Webber Street was where I should come, and I’ve been here ever since.

I’ve met some lovely people among the guests – they really are treasures. You get to build up a fair amount of rapport with them.

I see my role as befriending them, encouraging them to keep coming, and to get to know the missionaries and find out what they could do to help you get a job or somewhere to live.

You get sad situations, such as one guy who had an infection on his leg and definitely needed to go to the hospital. But he wouldn’t go.

A missionary and I together arranged to meet him in the afternoon and take him. We said we’d sit with him if necessary. I thought he would lose his leg if he didn’t get to do something about it soon.

He didn’t turn up. In fact, I haven’t seen him for bit. But there again people come to us for a while and then move on. We often don’t see them again.

I would say it’s easier to talk about the Lord here than it is in almost any other situation I can think of.

You’d be surprised the number of Christians who do come in and you have some really good chats with them. You can share the word and encourage some of the things like that.

I think you’ve just got to be simple and clear with the gospel.

I just love doing anything they ask me to do here, but if I’m asked to preach that’s really one of my highlights. I always try and preach the gospel, because you never know if this may be the first or last time they ever hear it.

Whenever I can just talk about Jesus with people in a non-pressurising way I will.

Now it is like washing feet really. You’d have a good chat with them and to make them – you know that they’ve they come in from one situation, and they’re going leave in a slightly different place because you have talked with them that morning.

his feet were terrible – absolutely covered with cuts and sores. I got a bowl of warm water and I just washed his feet.

I then called a taxi and we went to one of the hostels they had in Baker street in those days, and they took him in.

As soon as they took him, it’s almost as if the Holy Spirit said, ‘Go! Disappear.’ So I left straight away. But that encounter had a very, very marked impression upon me. It was one of the most vivid experiences of my life. It had a profound effect upon me.

I'VE MET SOME LOVELY PEOPLE AMONG THE GUESTS – THEY REALLY ARE TREASURES

WHAT W

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28 29

EQUIPPED FOR ACTIONEQUIPPED FOR ACTION

PRACTICAL EVANGELISM

PRACTICAL EVANGELISM TRAINING DAYS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP PRACTICALLY EQUIP CHURCH LEADERS AND MEMBERS IN REACHING OUT TO THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

SHARING WITH MY MUSLIM NEIGHBOUR Saturday 14 March How do we begin to build relationships with our Muslim neighbours.

DIFFERENT CULTURES – ONE GOSPEL Saturday 2 May Learn how to share the gospel with Turks and Iranians in a sensitive and culturally-relevant way.

EVANGELISM USING THE CREATIVE ARTS Saturday 26 September Practical and creative ways to share the gospel using the arts.

BIBLE 1:1 Saturday 7 November Using the Bible evangelistically in one to one meetings.

TRAINING DAY

MUSLIM ENGAGEMENTTRAINING

Four Monday evenings or Wednesday evenings in February, East London, the Muslim Engagement Training Course grapples with the big questions to equip you to point your Muslim friends to the original teaching of Jesus.

PIONEER OPEN EVENING SUMMER SCHOOL

Monday 13 to Friday 17 July Looking to dip a toe into urban mission? Is God calling you to explore what this means for your church? Join us for the week or just for a day – it’s up to you. More details on all of these and more at lcm.org.uk/training

Tuesday 4 FebruaryAn evening to see whether the Pioneer training and mentoring in urban mission is for you or, if you’re a church leader, someone you may know.

GET INVOLVED

30 31

TOUGH MUDDER!!!??

ONLY GRACE, PRAYER,

DISCIPLINE AND LOADS OF

SPONSORS WILL GET ME

THROUGH THIS GRUELLING

AND CHALLENGING EVENT.

Deborah raised nearly £500

to support LCM.

CHALLENGESHARING,

SOMETIMES SHARING THE GOOD NEWS BEGINS WITH RECIEVING HELP, SAYS MARLENE BOTHAIn the last week, I’ve accepted help from Muslims, Hindus and Jews. Accepting help can be really important. Sometimes we need to be vulnerable to be effective. People need to be needed, and receiving from others can be the starting point for good relationships.

Fellow Missionary Carol McFarlane and I work on the Isle of Dogs where we have joined a women’s netball team. The group is 80 per cent Muslim. After one game, we packing up and getting ready to clear out loft space of Café Forever – there’s years of dust and clutter there – and one woman offered to help out for a couple of hours.

Once were inside, the traditional Muslim dress came off, and together we made great

YOURSELFRAISING MONEY TO HELP SPREAD THE GOSPEL IN LONDON CAN BE A REWARDING EXPERIENCEThere are many fun and exciting ways to raise money From organising a bake-a-cake sale to tea parties, from street choirs to Christmas carolling. Or if you feel up to the challenge you could organise skydives to mountain climbs, triathlons to marathons, from sponsored walks, runs to cycle rides…

We are ready to give you tips, help set up fundraising pages and give you the support and gear you need.

For more information please email us at enquiries@lcm.org.uk or call the Supporter Relations team on 020 7234 3583

ALTHOUGH I’M 72 I REALISED THIS IS GOD’S PLAN FOR ME. HE KNOWS MY WEAKNESSES AND FEARS, SO NO PROBLEM.

Brenda took part in LCM’s 2019

Sleepout in a park on a cold November night raising hundreds

of pounds for the Webber Street

day centre.

I’M GREATLY SADDENED BY

WHAT I’M SEEING EVERY DAY

IN LONDON AND MY HEART

WANTS TO BRING HOPE

TO THESE DESPERATELY

STRUGGLING PEOPLE.

Paul cycled from Brighton

to London raising

thousands for LCM.

headway with all the mess. Her youth and vitality made all the difference.

Isn’t that amazing?It’s not comfortable being in need –

no-one wants to be weak, but it can be a starting point for sharing the gospel.

And then a local Hindu lady just walked into the café and said she’d like to volunteer with us. Now she’s volunteering, helping me with computers.

For me, she is sent by God. I am investing in her because I feel God has sent her for a purpose.

As we were working together, she started to tell me all about her dad passing away, and how much it troubles her. We didn’t start with talking about religion, just talking about life.

I asked her if she believed in eternal life, and she talked to me a little bit about her Hindu beliefs and I spoke few words of the gospel.

The conversation moved on from there, and I didn’t force it. We’ll leave it unfinished for now and continue later. I know from experience that these things always come back.

I would suggest to people to work on building relationships, and as you continue developing conversations, there is always an entry point to the gospel somewhere.

RECEIVING

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LOSING PEOPLEAll his life Mike Parker has lost people who were precious to him. ‘If there’s a single word that summed up my life, it’s “forsaken”’.

On his eighteenth birthday he became father to twins. One of them passed at birth and the other he lost at the age of five.

He went to a priest to ask why is this happening, who replied that all he could offer was a prayer. Mike wanted answers, so he walked away and told him he’d not be seen again.

A downward spiral of being out of control with a mental health condition and addiction to drugs and alcohol got him shot once and stabbed on three occasions. A relationship breakdown in 2015 led to him becoming homeless and sleeping on the streets, in and out of hostels for a couple of years.

‘I was horrible. I didn’t care who I hurt, what I stole or what happened.’

At the same time he felt completely isolated, convinced that he was the only one who felt like this. He once boarded himself into his flat, went into the kitchen and took all his meds at once – three months worth of sleeping tablets. A neighbour, concerned about something he’d said the night before, jumped over the fence and caught him just in time.

He hated God and blamed him for everything.

WARMTHAnd then last year someone really, really close passed away. ‘She was kind of my first love, and it was devastating.’

His daughter tried to comfort him, saying that he shouldn’t worry because they’d meet again in heaven. Rather than accept the words with the kindness intended, he replied that he was not likely going to heaven, he was bound for hell.

She’d been going to Sunday school at the Bridge Church with her mother, and begged him to come along too.

When he eventually made it, he was overwhelmed by the welcome. ‘I’d known the pastor, Jason, for a while and when he saw me his face completely lit up.’

All of a sudden Mike wanted to know more and more, attending the weekday Soup and Scrolls group, led by LCM Missionary Martin Street, and reading story after story in the Bible.

One day someone in the group said that with God in your life, you are never alone. ‘It really struck me,’ he says. ‘At that point, I got emotional and upset.

‘But I had a feeling, it was like someone had gently put a reassuring hand on my back. And what that sensation was saying to me was, “It’s ok.” It was then that I knew for sure that faith in Jesus was for real.’

Coming through the double doors at the Bridge Church for the first time on

a Sunday morning, Mike Parker was nervous. ‘It felt like walking onto a

stage. But everyone was smiling, they were wearing normal clothes and I felt

a warm welcome. People came up and talked to me. It just felt really good’.

BORN AGAIN‘The church is always there for me. They’re not just friends, they’re brothers and sisters, I’ve gained a father as well and a brother in Jesus. It’s like being born again, literally like being born again.

‘Because of my condition, I’ve got the attention span of a gnat and I get really affected by things. But LCM Missionary Martin Street gives me portions of the Psalms, and they really help.

‘I got really down this weekend: things looked like they were falling apart. I phoned Martin and he was at my door in a flash. I thought it was the end of the world, but then we sat together, talked it through and he read a Psalm.

‘And we prayed and then I came to church. I got my daughter and we came to church.

‘Before you can love yourself, you need to love God and know his love, and then you can love others too. And I know that when Jesus returns, I will be reunited with people I’ve lost: children, family and friends. Jesus is the most loving, forgiving person I’ve ever met.

I’VE LOST A LOT OF PEOPLE, I’VE LOST MY BEST FRIEND TO CANCER, BUT INSTEAD OF TURNING TO DRINK OR DRUGS, I’VE COME TO JESUS. I DON’T EXPECT ANSWERS IN THE SAME WAY, BECAUSE NOW I HAVE FAMILY TO BE WITH

MIKE PARKER HAS FOUND A FAMILY IN CHRIST

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ARE YOU:AN LCM CHURCH REP?

COMMITTED TO MISSION IN YOUR AREA?

A CHURCH LEADER?

A FORMER LCM MISSIONARY?

PART OF YOUR CHURCH’S MISSION

COMMITTEE?

THROUGHOUT 2020 WE’LL BE TOURING THE UK FOR A SERIES OF

ONE-DAY EVENTS, CELEBRATING LONDON CITY MISSION’S 185TH

ANNIVERSARY YEAR AND ALL YOUR FAITHFUL SUPPORT.

IT’S YOUR CHANCE TO:

—Hear first-hand accounts of the gospel shared and lives changed

in London

—Explore ways to help you to increase mission impact where you are

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—Pick up all the latest LCM resources

VISIT WWW.LCM.ORG.UK/REGIONALDAYS

TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST AND BE

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ON THE LCM REGIONAL DAY NEAR YOU