South Asian Forum Newsletter - Issue 24, September 2016

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South Asian Forum of the Evangelical Alliance Newsletter

Issue 24: September 2016

S outh As i a n F orum of the

Evangelical Alliance

connecting, uniting, representing

The South Asian Forum (SAF) is a grouping within the Evangelical Alliance, it was set up to provide a place for South Asian Christians in the UK to encourage, support and equip each other for mission, and to represent their concerns to government, media and the wider Church. With the support of both individual members and church members totalling more than 20,000 people, SAF is steadily growing. Visit saf.eauk.org to get involved in supporting this wonderful

ministry by becoming a member of SAF. Once you become a member, you will receive idea, the Alliance’s bi-monthly magazine, as well as regular newsletters from SAF detailing our progress. If you are already a member of the Evangelical Alliance you can add SAF to your Alliance membership at no extra cost. In this instance please send an email to saf@eauk.org

An interview with Barry Schutter, pastor and team leader at New Life Masih Ghar church

recruited my wife and I to join them.

What is your background? Living in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, my sister and I were raised by parents who were teachers. My dad was the scientist and I followed in his footsteps at university to study engineering. After graduation I moved to New Jersey to work as a project manager. It was there that I met and married Amy. We now live in London with three British-born children who consider this to be their home and rebel at the idea of ever going to live in America.

How did you become a Christian? I grew up in Christian home and believed in Jesus at a young age. I recall a Sunday evening having just returned from church when I discussed matters of faith with my parents. I think it was then that I first understood who I was as a sinner and what Christ accomplished on the cross.

What led you to the UK? My sense of call that led me to London began in my teenage years over a game of Risk, a popular board game in my day. A close Christian friend made a derogatory comment about people from another faith boldly proclaiming that he wished that the American president Ronald Reagan would “nuke them all”. In that moment I had my first ever evangelistic conviction, thinking: “No, they need Jesus. Someone needs to tell them the gospel.” I then sensed that someone could be me. Really from that moment onwards, I began to prepare for cross-cultural ministry. But my call would not come to fruition for another 15 years, when close friends who were already ministering among Asians in London

What is New Life Masih Ghar and what is your role in this ministry? New Life Masih Ghar is a Presbyterian church in the Southall and Hounslow area of London. Southall in many ways is the heart and soul of the South Asia population of the UK and with Heathrow nearby it sits at one of the world’s great crossroads. It is here where East meets West, so it makes for a great place to meet people from other faith backgrounds. A bit of that East meets West is captured in our name New Life Masih Ghar or ‘Messiah House’. Our church is made up of South Asians who have found new life because of Messiah Jesus and enjoy being a part of his house. The role I serve in the church is as one of its pastors, with my particular responsibility as team leader for the church staff.

What other ways are you building bridges with those of other faiths? We passionately believe that the Church itself is the main bridge to people of other faiths! The church gathered and scattered is constantly engaging and meeting with people from the different faith backgrounds in Southall. We like to say that the Church is the model home of the gospel. That doesn’t mean we have it altogether, actually quite the opposite. That we don’t have it altogether actually embodies the message of the gospel that we are sinners who have been saved but by the grace of God. We are a model home that still needs much improvement, and yet the Church is the community of God’s people who by grace He has formed to beHis people in order to display His glory and love to the nations. So as a church we do all sorts of things to meet, love and serve our community. We run youth and kids clubs, a parent toddler group, a young adults group called Dostana, various adult midweek Bible studies, as well as a chain of South Asian charity shops called Asha. But all of these really are simply extensions of the Church.

What is your passion? It depends on what day and mood you catch me in, but I am passionate about the food of Southall, the church, my hometown’s sports teams and watching my young sons play football.


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