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THE BapTisT TimEsThursday, November 29, 2007

Ex-Ghurka pastor on a different kind of mission

By TOM RICHES

A NEPALESE Baptist pastor who recently moved to the UK has launched a new evangelism and support ministry to his fellow countrymen. Pastor Tula Rai has begun sharing the gospel with Nepalese people living in the south east. He hopes to establish and encourage Nepalese Christian fellowships and churches across the country. Mr Rai, a former president of the Nepal Baptist Church Council and ex-Ghurka soldier, is working in partnership with mission organisation the International Nepal Fellowship (INF). Mr Rai, who attends Anderson Baptist Church in Reading, will work among the estimated 100,000 Nepalese people living in the UK. ‘My vision is to locate and build relationships with Nepali people in the UK and bring the good news of Jesus to them,’ he said. ‘I will help to address their social, cultural and spiritual needs,’ he added. ‘It will be a huge challenge, but very exciting.’ Mr Rai said his new ministry began with a call from God

Picture:International N epalFel lo wship

Mission - Tula and Chandra Rai will work with Britain’s Nepali community

when he went to the Baptist World Congress in Birmingham in 2005. ‘One of the speakers was urging Asian leaders to send missionaries to the west – I knew God was saying that it

was my time to go to witness in the west,’ he said. INF UK chief executive John Reynolds said he was excited by the potential of the new ministry. ‘INF has a new long-term

vision to encourage and support Christian ministry among the worldwide Nepalese diaspora,’ he said. ‘The arrival of Tula marks the beginning of this exciting work in the UK,’ he added.

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November 29,2007
THE BAPTIST TIMES Thursday, November 29, 2007

Home news • 

Archbishop calls for renewed trust in God

Charity to give hope and a future to AIDS orphans

By MARK WOODS

By TOM RICHES

IN A wide-ranging interview for a Muslim lifestyle magazine, the Archbishop of Canterbury has renewed his criticism of US policy in Iraq, described Western modernity as ‘eating away at the soul,’ and criticised Muslim intolerance towards other faiths, notably in Pakistan. The interview in Emel includes Dr Williams’ reflections on US Christian Zionism, which he describes as related to ‘the chosen nation myth of America, meaning that what happens in America is very much at the heart of God’s purpose for humanity’. He criticised the way America attempted to deal with Iraq – ‘on the assumption that a quick burst of violent action will somehow clear the decks and that you can move on and other people will put things back together’ – contrasting it with British policy in India, which ‘rightly or wrongly’ was ‘to take over a territory and then pour energy and resources into administering it and normalising it’. The Archbishop also warned against letting the education system be dominated by ‘functionalism, skills, productivity’. ‘The more our whole society is determined by that kind of mythology, the harder it is for the religious voice to be heard,’ he said. ‘There is a real abrasion between lots of the forms of modernity and religion.’ He spoke of fanaticism and xenophobia, saying that they were a product of lack of faith. ‘When belief is weak we are not willing to let things rest in God’s hands because we are not sure that they are there. ‘We can’t trust God sufficiently to rest in what we are and who we are.’ He expressed surprise at the way the small Christian community in Pakistan is perceived as threatening by the Muslim majority there. It should, he said, be ‘more confident and generous about its identity’. Muslims in general should learn from ‘classical liberal democracy’.

AFRICAN children orphaned by AIDS are set to receive a boost thanks to a new charity which will be launched on Saturday. Teach a Child – Africa (TaC) will provide children with educational bursaries so they can finish their secondary education. Pamela O’honde, a deacon at New Road Baptist Church near Oxford, set up the charity with the support of the church. The launch, hosted by the church, coincides with World AIDS Day and will welcome former deputy general-secretary of the Baptist Union the Revd Myra Blyth as a special guest. TaC will initially work with children in secondary schools in Ms O’honde’s home country, Kenya, where it is thought there are one million AIDS orphans. ‘I have first hand experience of losing beloved family members to AIDS and of supporting their children through school,’ she said. ‘I have seen how vital education is in developing a child’s skills, knowledge and in protecting their future.’ ‘Going to school and gaining a primary and secondary education is one of the key ways a child can develop the skills to fight poverty and reach their potential.’ Children in Kenya receive primary school education for free but once they reach 11 schooling must be paid for. Many AIDS orphans are taken in by their extended families but the number of children needing care means the families can’t afford the school fees. The charity will be supporting 52 children in January but it is hoping to support 200 orphans by the end of its fourth year. It will cost £1,000 to put each child through secondary school for four years, so the charity is appealing for more donations. TaC trustee David Potts said financial support had come in from donors in the church as well as from the Kenyan diaspora in the UK. ‘We want to prevent children ending up on the streets, in prostitution and in drugs - we want to give these children a future,’ he said.

Mixed-faith marriage

A NEW guide for interfaith couples will consider the ‘complex questions’ they face on a daily basis. Interfaith Relationships by Heather Al-Yousuf and Rosalind Birtwistle covers practical issues from religious food rules to raising a family. ‘It’s no surprise that the number of interfaith relationships is rising in multifaith Britain,’ said Heather Al-Yousuf of the Interfaith Marriage Network. ‘But it’s

still common for couples to feel isolated. ‘Interfaith marriages can be a challenge for everyone involved – for families and communities as well as the couple themselves.’ But she added couples would ‘need to work through some of the tough issues if they are to build a secure and loving home for the next generation’. To order a copy, e-mail heather@al-yousuf.freeserve. co.uk or call 01993 880 689

Casualties of war

Picture:John Keane/Christian Aid

Reconciliation - a bridge between warring communities

WAR artist John Keane has produced a series of paintings on behalf of Christian Aid for a new art exhibition designed to highlight the effects of war on children. He visited post-conflict projects in Angola with Christian Aid to see the issues faced by millions of young people after a long civil war in the country. ‘In the work I have attempted to evoke the huge tasks of reconstruction and reconciliation in the face of enormous odds,’ he said. The exhibition, Children in Conflict , will run until February 16 at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Cambridge church is honoured for going green

By TOM RICHES

A CAMBRIDGE Baptist church has been commended for its environmental efforts in the first ever Green Church Awards last week. Mill Road Baptist Church was among seven national churches that were ‘highly commended’ in the Church Times’ awards. Church minister the Revd Pat Heap said the entry was based on last year’s environmentally focused harvest service. The church had a week-long exhibition concentrating on energy efficiency, locally grown food and a presentation on food miles. ‘The week grew as we planned it – more and more people kept hearing about it,’ she said. ‘I hope the award will encourage us to be greener. We wanted to get the community to think about changing their lifestyle.’ Approximately 80 people gathered for the award

ceremony at St Mary-le-Bow in London. Holy Trinity in Cleve, Somerset won the main Green Church of the Year award presented by the Bishop of Ely Dr Anthony Russell. The church was involved in a campaign against the extension of Bristol airport and it has eliminated the school run for families with a walking-bus scheme.

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Cardinal to meet MPs Venera will be deported

By JENNY WILLIAMS

By TOM RICHES

CARDINAL Cormac MurphyO’Connor will meet with Catholic MPs next week, in what will be seen as an attempt to ensure they vote in accordance with Catholic principles. The move follows the introduction of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, to which the Church is opposed. As well as legalising the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos, the proposals would remove fertility clinics’ need to consider the ‘need for a father’ before offering IVF treatment. While the meeting may indicate Catholic leaders’ increasing concern over pro-life issues in politics, a spokesman for the Cardinal denied this was a ‘lobbying campaign’. But he added ‘difficult questions’ would be raised and it would be ‘disingenuous’ to suspect the HFE Bill would not be discussed. He told The Baptist Times the meeting followed ‘individual requests from Catholic MPs looking for greater contact from the Church’. It is thought Labour MPs, including Catholics, will be expected to vote for the Government plans. In a letter to The Times on November 19, the Cardinal urged the Government ‘to allow MPs a free vote in accordance with their conscience.’ The Bill will be examined by the whole house of Lords on December 3.

A BAPTIST asylum seeker and her family are facing deportation after the High Court rejected their application to stay in the UK. The ruling means Venera Aliyeva and her children will be sent back to Azerbaijan unless they find a new solicitor and lodge another application by Wednesday afternoon. Mrs Aliyeva and her children Anna (13) and Murat (11) claim they were persecuted on religious and ethnic grounds while living in their home country (The Baptist Times, November 15). ‘The judge didn’t believe that we would be at risk if we went back,’ said Mrs Aliyeva. She said the decision had made her family ‘very upset’. Asylum Justice has been campaigning to the Home Office on the Aliyeva family’s behalf. Spokesman Keith Ross said, ‘The experience of detention and the thought of returning to Azerbaijan are not good for the family.’ He called for individuals to appeal to the Home Office. ‘Our only hope now is personal appeals to the home secretary for compassion. ‘We need as many people as possible to fax the home secretary, asking her to exercise her discretion and allow Venera to remain please do this as soon as possible,’ he added. Those wishing to support the family can fax the home secretary: 020 7035 3262.