From Malachi: Update from Liverpool 6
The last two weeks in Birmingham have felt eventful and unproductive at the same time. This probably is how I felt in Liverpool starting out as well. On one hand, there have been many unexpected opportunities which have come in answer to prayer. I have been able to meet a number of people and have spiritual conversations, but I am fearful that many of them will not lead to any follow-up. I also have been surprised by how much of my time has been taken up with seminary classes. I have been trying to take my coursework to public places in hope to find outreach opportunities. There are days when it has felt frustrating because I am unsure where I can go to meet people and engage in conversation. On top of that, sometimes I feel like I might have missed the best time of the day doing coursework and am most free at inopportune times such as the evenings. This is just a new phase of learning and adjusting to the new circumstances.
Birmingham is a very large city and a very diverse city. I have been told that the accent is very distinct, but I don’t feel that I have interacted with many Birmingham natives yet. There are a number of large colleges and universities throughout the city and large student accommodations can be found in many places. As the semester begins there is a large influx of students which transforms many of the areas and provides good opportunities for engagement.
One of my favorite places to work on school and look for conversations is in the library. One of study areas on the second floor is located directly next to the bookshelf for religion and theology. I discovered this after looking around one day and seeing two different Muslim guys reading books related to Christianity. This is an avenue for easy conversation starters. A handful of these conversations stand out. One guy was really open to talking and we had a really good conversation for a couple of hours about what Christians believe and how he had interacted with Christians formerly. Unfortunately, he is leaving Birmingham to go to university elsewhere. I met another Muslim fellow who is heading to university to study theology. Unfortunately, he reads very liberal scholars regarding Christianity and therefore has a very skeptical attitude towards the Bible. Suffice it to say, the conversations we had were very difficult because he is convinced that the Bible is hardly the work of the apostles and more so the creation of Paul (who in his mind was advocating a different flavor of religion). Any part of Scripture which I argue from is questionable in his eyes and that is because “Christian scholars don’t actually think that was written by …”
Just a few days later I was in the library and ran into a professing Christian fellow who is headed to university also to study theology. He hopes to teach in school or elsewhere someday. Unfortunately, he reads and believes the same liberal scholars as the Muslim guy I had been talking with. We talked for a good long while, and it was evident that we probably don’t believe the same gospel. It was difficult talking to two guys in the same week who both were just as critical about my stance on Scripture. They don’t believe the same things and yet they consult the same Christian scholars. When I pressed the latter guy on what it means to be a Christian, all he could say was to follow Christ. This is because there is hardly any objective salvation at the cross in his view.
At times and places I have been able to meet immigrants but I am unsure how follow-up will go. Nevertheless, some of the connections were good and totally unexpected, like an Iranian lady who asked if I was part of a cycling group because I was walking around city center with a bike helmet. I come to find out that she is a student and that this is her first semester in England. I also met a fellow from Afghanistan. He cannot read or write English or even his native language. That said, Whatsapp allows for audio messages so I hope to see if I can keep communicating with him.
The church here in Birmingham has members specifically focused on campus outreach. I am glad that they have the capacity and gifting to plan events. I have been able to support them with outreach opportunities and meeting new students through the really helpful events they plan. We have helped with move-in, hosted a grill-out, gave out coffee and donuts this morning, etc. This has given us engagement with a number of students, and we are hoping for good follow-up. We had a tremendous conversation with two Muslim guys this morning, but I will save details for next time. I am thankful that I can show up to an event that is already been organized and help them whether that is directing more people toward them or freeing one of them up to interact with more students while I do tasks behind the scenes. I am learning to appreciate people who are gifted with admin/organizing skills. It blesses the rest of us.
One last opportunity that I have had is to visit churches around the area that I would not normally attend. Our service at Hope Church is 4 P.M. on Sunday. This has allowed me to visit other churches (which I would not normally agree with) to get a better understanding of what it looks like when they gather to worship the Lord. I want to better understand what someone from those denominations thinks of Christianity when I hear that they are from a … church. So far, I have been able to go to a Roman Catholic, Church of England, and two African churches. All four have been pretty jolting. I have felt leaving a couple of those services that we would almost seem to be part of different religions altogether. This is another reminder that the word church involves many assumptions in conversation. To say a person is “churched” could mean just about anything.
With regard to prayer, I would reiterate that we have made many connections, some people are very open, and others are a bit closed. But recently I have been feeling with a lot greater emphasis that there is really nothing I or anyone else can do to open people’s hearts. We have had some really good conversations but unless God does a work in these peoples’ hearts nothing will change. As to how you can pray then:
- That the Holy Spirit would renew the dead hearts of many people we have encountered.
- That I would not be ashamed to share the gospel even in a short first encounter.
- That I would have greater boldness to talk with strangers and not be depending on conversation starters.