Local missionaries
Two of BCM's City Missionaries report on outreach on their local streets and how the churches they work alongside are beginning to thrive.
Nadeem works with Hope Community Church which was planted during the pandemic on Zoom and has now grown to welcome a congregation of up to 50 people each Sunday.
The church members are from all over the world and speak an array of different languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and French. Nadeem is part of the leadership team. He brings his sermons in English but it is also printed out in the different languages so everyone can understand. Songs and hymns are sung in those languages too.
Some of those attending the church come from a local hotel which is housing male refugees fleeing from Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Pakistan and Chad for reasons such as war and religious persecution. Two days a week Nadeem runs a drop-in for these men and holds English lessons, and a Bible study on one day.
Nadeem said, ‘Each week Eric and I go out on the streets. We meet people and talk to them, and now I have a church to invite them to, and some of them have joined the church over the past year. Sometimes people ask me to pray for them, but they say, ‘Not now, when I’m gone’ as they are nervous of others seeing. We meet so many people on the streets and sometimes we face challenges, but there is so much going on. God is doing his work.’
Alasdair has seen encouragements in his work alongside Quinton Evangelical Free Church which has been growing gradually since the end of the pandemic. The church is now near to full most weeks.
He said, 'Several families have committed to the church, including a family from Hong Kong, and new people visiting have decided to put roots down with us. We are very thankful for Pastor Mark Daley and his wife Ann who came to the church in 2019, and for people active in various aspects of church life.'
As well as being involved in prayer meetings, preaching and Bible studies at the church, Alasdair is doing outreach on Bearwood High Street and Harborne High Street, and visiting door-to-door in Quinton, inviting people to come along on a Sunday.
