From Malachi: Update from Birmingham 2

I previously have commented on the opportunity to visit other churches on Sunday mornings here in Birmingham. I have continued to have those opportunities, and I am really thankful for what I am seeing and learning. I have found that visiting African churches – specifically Nigerian – has been especially fatiguing. I won’t go into the details here, but the worship is so different that it at times feels like a different religion. I think the churches which are especially influenced by Nigerian culture may not reflect the wider church in Africa.

Recently I met two different Nigerian fellows, and we talked quite a bit about their experiences in their home churches of Nigeria. One spent many years in his church in Nigeria and even was asked to preach occasionally. But as he studied Scripture, he began to discern inconsistencies between the message in the church and that of the Bible. He began to see the prominence of faith in Christ as compared to many other elements and practices that were being prioritized. The other fellow I spoke with shared similar experiences and talked about the tendency in Nigeria to elevate pastors to a quasi-priestly role. His experiences reminded me of the divide between the clergy and laity which characterized the late medieval Roman Catholic church. On top of that, there is a heavy burden and compulsion to pay tithes and give to the church. As I talked with these two fellows, they confirmed something which I had read recently. They noted that Christian worship in Nigeria has inherited many elements of traditional religions which remain embedded in their worship practices. I found these conversations really encouraging because both fellows were evaluating the Christianity they had known and were seeing some of the inconsistencies and showed a genuine desire to have their understanding shaped by Scripture.

As I have mentioned previously, the area around Hope Church in Nechells is heavily populated with people from Somalia and neighboring countries who have had little to no Christian presence. About a month ago I met a Somali fellow as he was leaving one of the Mosques in Nechells and we struck up a conversation and exchanged numbers. After messaging back and forth a bit he invited me out to play Badminton with him and some friends. I couldn’t believe that I got that opportunity because it came so unexpectedly but I am thankful for it, and I am hoping that I get more opportunities to continue the friendship. As a general note, Badminton is one of the beloved social activities for Somalis and may be an avenue to meet men who otherwise would be very hard to locate.

I also have been able to befriend a couple of Chinese fellows who are students at the local university. They have come to a couple of the events that the church hosts but in general they are hard to track down. Maybe because of culture and maybe because of the influence of Covid, they are quite shy, and they also struggle with the language. Their semester has been difficult, which contributes to the fact that they are hard to track down. They noted that many in China practice Taoism but they themselves simply believe/practice nothing. They brought along a friend Friday evening to a church event, and she commented that they were not religious and that their priority is money.

Recently a handful of us have had necessary discussions about how to minister to those who use drugs on a regular basis. There is a fellow we have met doing evangelism who professes faith in Christ and seems happy to spend time with us and join our Tuesday evening Bible studies. He had just begun to start engaging with the group when I showed up in September. From the first conversation I remember thinking that he was probably high. He has spent time in Christian circles and has many Christian words and phrases memorized. So, when talking to him, he is quite verbose and talks with a great deal of confidence, but most of what he says is incoherent. My first conversation with him lasted about 45 minutes and I understood very little of what he was saying even after asking many clarifying questions. We have since continued to interact with him and he spends Tuesday afternoons and evenings with us. I recall that after the first day talking with him, I felt frustrated with him and was struggling to be patient and understanding. I was convicted of my own impatience as I watched one of the other fellows in church who has met up with him and asked him what his needs are and has tried to sort out a solution to his homelessness, drug usage, and immigration problem. But the awkward balance is wondering how much to trust his profession of faith, especially when his answers to questions are so mysterious and esoteric. This is heightened by the fact that we are confident that he is regularly under the influence of marijuana. When he joins for Bible studies, he rarely can communicate what the text is saying but can talk about his own “spiritual” experiences at great length. This has proven difficult for the fellow who is trying to disciple him. On one side, he professes faith, but on the other side we don’t have confidence that he understands the gospel and his lifestyle is concerning. The challenge has been how to not ignore his profession of faith, but also how to not give him a false assurance. Things came to a head when he presumed to participate with us in evangelism. In the moment I had to pull him aside and explain (to his surprise) that we really don’t understand what he believes and are unsure that he should be evangelizing with us – there are obviously other reason as well. Later that evening myself and the other fellow were able to sit down with him together and clarify our stance. I felt like being vague was actually more dangerous and left him assuming things that weren’t actually true. Throughout this experience we have had good conversation as a church in how best to minister to someone in his situation who rarely is in a sober state and often cannot communicate with clarity.

As an aside from what I am learning in Birmingham I want to share some exciting news and hopefully clarify some personal circumstances for when I return to Maryland. Shortly before leaving for Maryland, I reconnected with a young lady named Grace who I had met previously through my sister. We decided to start a dating relationship in May aware that most of the initial months would be long-distance. Our relationship is going well, and we are thankful for the circumstances that God has placed us in and are thinking through the usual relationship questions as anyone does. I am excited to introduce her to everyone when I return, but I reckon it is helpful to clear up any confusion about who she is or where we met. It was great that she and my parents visited three weeks ago, and we took a holiday to visit a national park and to visit the churches in Birmingham and Liverpool.

• That some loose contacts culminate in gospel conversations or connection to Hope Church.
• Stamina to continue learning and making the best use of my opportunities in the UK.
• That I would communicate how the gospel is tremendous news and not stop merely at apologetics.