A year in the life of SAFA year has swiftly passed since the South Asian Forum (SAF) was set up as an integral part of the Evangelical Alliance to help give a voice to the South Asian Christian community and help equip the Church for mission to Asians of other faiths.

Manoj Raithatha, SAF’s national Co-ordinator, admits that when he Manoj Raithatha, SAF’s national Co-ordinator, admits that when he took on the task to help take this initiative forward, it felt like a tremendous challenge. However, one year on as Manoj reflects on tremendous challenge. However, one year on as Manoj reflects on the progress SAF has made, he can quite clearly see that God has opened important doors and generated a greater sense of unity, which has made it possible to collaborate with churches and organi-sations for the greater cause of seeing more people come to the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. This can only be a direct endorsement of Jesus’ request to his Father in John 17: “That they all may be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21). To God be all the glory.

In terms of the last year, there have been some notable highlights, In terms of the last year, there have been some notable highlights, such as the launch of the new SAF website, the circulation of our quarterly newsletter and many speaking opportunities to help raise awareness of the issues facing Christians in South Asia and the need for the Asian Church to work more closely with the wider Church for mission to Asians of other faiths in the UK.

In particular, SAF has enjoyed collaborating on specific projects. For In particular, SAF has enjoyed collaborating on specific projects. For example, in partnership with Jewels in His Crown, SAF has ommitted to running events across the country to help equip the Church for mission to South Asians. Central to the vision of these events is to bring those currently working in outreach to Asians to partner with those that want to do so, but require support and equip-ping. Further events are being planned in three further cities next year, in different parts of the country.year, in different parts of the country.

September 2011, saw the launch of Jesus Through Asian Eyes – 15 frequently asked questions (available at 50p+P&P a copy from SAF, online preview at www.eauk.org/saf). Through collaboration with churches and organisations, the booklet has been developed to provide a useful resource for churches and individuals to buy and give out to non-Christian South Asians as they build on their relationships and speak about their faith. Though still relatively early in its circulation, there have been many positive stories of how the booklet is being used by individuals as they witness to their Asian contacts and by churches using it to help run a discussion course for seekers and a discipleship course for existing believers. SAF is cur-rently in the process of writing a discussion course, to be used in conjunction with the booklet, and exploring the possibilities of translating Jesus Through Asian Eyes into other languages.

Over the last year, SAF has also partnered with South Asian Concern in producing a UK Directory of Asian Ministries. The central aim of the directory is to help churches across the UK build

connections with South Asian Christians. This directory provides vital information about individuals, churches and organisations that are involved in ministry with Asians. Again, we are excited about how this tool will be used in the future for evangelism and in mission to Asians.

As we look forward to a New Year, our hope aAs we look forward to a New Year, our hope and prayer is for greater peace in south Asia where many religious minority groups encounter persecution; and for greater unity within the Church so that we can work together to draw others to Christ.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you enormously We would like to take this opportunity to thank you enormously for your support and continued interest in the work of the South Asian Forum. May God bless you and we wish you a blessed Christmas and a happy new year.

Should you have any ideas of how we can work together, or if you have adopted something that seems to be working well within your to be working well within your community, we would like to hear from you and welcome your suggestions. Please submit your suggestions by e-mail to www.eauk.org/saf

Andrea Best, South Asian Forum

Newsletter Issue 5 : December 2011South Asian Forum of the Evangelical Alliance

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 Evan-gelical Alliance you can add SAF to your Alliance membership at no extra cost. In this instance please send an email to saf@eauk.org

The South Asian Forum (SAF) is a grouping within the Evangelical Alliance, 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 10,000 people, SAF is steadily growing. Visit www.eauk.org/saf to get involved

MISSION SPECIAL Building the Kingdom through BusinessSir Richard Branson’s new book makes very interesting reading. In Screw Business as Usual he outlines his vision for nothing less In Screw Business as Usual he outlines his vision for nothing less than global transformation. He asks: “Can we bring more meaning to our lives and help change the world at the same time?” His proposed solution is a new way of doing business. Branson is a prophetic voice from outside the Church. But there are those inside the Church who hear the same message and are focussing on business as a mission strategy.

Business has been used since New Testament times to help build Business has been used since New Testament times to help build the Kingdom, but now more than ever we need to use it. The world we live in is shaped by businesses. If it is business that shapes the world, then why can’t the Church work in and through business to shape the world for good and for God? Shaping it for good brings wealth creation in communities, with greater justice and relief from poverty, with the dignity of useful labour. Shaping it for God brings “life in its fullness”, a life reconnected with the One who made us “life in its fullness”, a life reconnected with the One who made us and loves us, bringing hope and meaning and purpose. All of that is good news and is the motivation for business as mission.

The Asian church in this country is already involved in this vision. Many Asian church leaders also run businesses, small and large. One example is Property Lounge, which is an estate agency operating in Wolverhampton, with plans to expand to Telford and Manchester soon. With premises in the shopping area, the company values are credibility, honesty and integrity. It is a people-focussed business that aims to be a blessing to the community around it. Rick Kaul, who runs Property Lounge, is community around it. Rick Kaul, who runs Property Lounge, is associate minister at the All Nations Christian Centre, also based in the centre of Wolverhampton. He explains: “We want to be more than just a shop on the high street. To aid this we will support community projects to benefit the community and annually have a community projects to benefit the community and annually have a celebration dinner where we will give 10 per cent of the yearly profits to charity.” Over the coming months, Property Lounge is looking to set up a prayer ministry for tenants and landlords along with a weekly Christian course for those interested in finding out more about the Christian faith.

As long ago as 1945, a Church of England report Towards the As long ago as 1945, a Church of England report Towards the Conversion of England concluded: “We are convinced that England will never be converted until the laity use the opportunities for evangelism daily afforded by their various occupations, crafts and professions”.

Rev Dr Bridget Adams, www.workplaceinspired.com

Handing in petitions at 10 Downing Street

SAF profiles its work, partners and resources in the quarterly Newsletter and on our website www.eauk.org/saf

Mission – whose job is it anyway?

I have long been struck by the truth of a recent slogan from the Church Mission Society: "Mission isn't someone else's job. It's mine."

And yet so many of us feel that we need to be highly qualified for And yet so many of us feel that we need to be highly qualified for mission. Jesus did not say: “Go to college and study before you tell others about me.” But he commanded: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” He followed this with the promise: “And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age.” So, what stops us from ‘going’, armed with that wonderful promise? Do we love other people enough to share with them the most wonderful gift of the Lord Jesus and his saving grace?Lord Jesus and his saving grace?

I suggest that one of the things which holds us back, is indeed our fear that we do not know enough about those whom we want to reach, often because they may be from a different faith or culture. Many in Britain have been surprised to discover that their South Asian friend comes from a Christian background. Others have found that real friendships have led to that lovely moment when their friend has asked about their Christian faith. Others still have related to their neighbour for a very long time before being able to related to their neighbour for a very long time before being able to share their love of the Lord Jesus.

The Faith to Faith Resource Centre of Global Connections has on its website lists of 187 resources to encourage and equip Christians to reach out to people of different faiths and cultures in the UK, with greater confidence. The list has been compiled from many sources and we see this is an ongoing project, ready to receive your recommendations, too.

Numerous resources have been produced in the last few months Numerous resources have been produced in the last few months to help us all: books to give a good background, courses to help us to get alongside people and booklets and tracts to give to our friends.

So, whose job is mission? Let’s make it ours. We can ‘go’ ourselves, knowing that we have Jesus’ promise to be with us and a wealth of resources and examples to follow.

Ann Bower,Ann Bower,Mission in the UK and Faith to Faith Co-ordinatorGlobal Connectionswww.globalconnections.co.uk

SAF is keen to collect stories of Asians involved in business, so that we can help each other to be more effective in building the Kingdom through business. Please share your story at saf@eauk.org

Mission Special

South Asian Forum of the Evangelical Alliance Become a member - www.eauk.org/saf

Big Society: Good News for the community "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do" (Apple advertising slogan)

In 2008, my world was suddenly turned upside down by a crisis for In 2008, my world was suddenly turned upside down by a crisis for my two-year-old son. Suffering from severe breathing difficulties, he found himself in resuscitation, intubated and being transferred into an intensive care unit at St Thomas' in a critical condition. The prospect of losing him was real. An American couple I had recently met set up a prayer vigil. They are Christians. I was a Hindu. Five days later, my son sat bolt upright in bed, completely well. Within a couple of weeks I found myself in church to thank my friends only to couple of weeks I found myself in church to thank my friends only to find myself giving my life to Jesus shortly afterwards.

I had no intention of becoming a Christian. I wasn't searching. I only ended up in church to thank the couple who had prayed for my son. In fact, prior to that my perceptions of Christianity were very negative indeed. I had grown to view Christians as a weird bunch and the media didn't portray them well either! Yet when my friends prayed for my son, those negative perceptions came crashing down. Here were people who knew that my wife and I were in desperate need; they had shown us love. It felt natural to go to their desperate need; they had shown us love. It felt natural to go to their church to thank them. If only I had met Christians like this earlier in my life. Yet between my time in primary school and my child's healing, almost 20 years had passed and I had never been approached by a Christian wanting to share their faith or pray for me.

I share my testimony because I believe there are lessons that we, the Church, can draw from this, and especially as we look forward to the Big Society and the opportunities this presents for the gospel. The sort of local community envisaged in the Big Society is one that Christians can relish. This is our opportunity to step out of the church building, roll up our sleeves and be good news to our neighbours. Being good news leads to sharing good news with integrity; our actions match our words. Under this new banner the integrity; our actions match our words. Under this new banner the Church - and that means all of us - can be salt and light in our locality. We can help people, and in the process of that converse with them, build real friendships, share God's word, and pray for people. Sadly, too many Christians live out the 'secular / sacred divide'. Sadly, too many Christians live out the 'secular / sacred divide'. Regretfully, I often find myself doing the Christian thing on a Sunday only to realise when I go back the next week that I have failed yet again to live as a Christian for the other six days. I believe that the Big Society concept is the jolt we need to step out and pray for our local businesses, listen to the person at the bus stop, share our faith with our work colleagues, welcome neighbours into our homes and invite the local shopkeepers to our churches. I am convinced that as invite the local shopkeepers to our churches. I am convinced that as we become trusted helpers in our communities, we will see negative perceptions of Christianity overturned and a greater openness to the gospel.

Sometimes the Church relies predominantly on mission raids. They certainly did in Indonesia and despite all their efforts it was Islam that captured most of the population. Whereas the Europeans acted like missionaries, and only left the mission compound to do evangelistic "raids", the Muslims were business people who lived evangelistic "raids", the Muslims were business people who lived among the nationals and in the course of their enterprise shared the ’truth’ of Islam. (From the Lausanne Organisation Business as Mission Manifesto)

"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." We are called to be world-changers, starting in our local communities where God has placed us. In the crazy upside down kingdom that Jesus describes, In the crazy upside down kingdom that Jesus describes, if we want to lead them, we need to serve them first.

Manoj Raithatha, South Asian Forum Coordinator

Friendship First course packThis new resource, written by Tim Green and Steve Bell, is designed to encourage ordinary Christians in the sharing of their faith with ordinary Muslims.

This six-session course can be This six-session course can be run in church home groups, university Christian Unions or larger seminar settings. The group leader does not need to know anything about Islam, for the teaching input comes from Steve Bell’s Friendship First Study teaching input comes from Steve Bell’s Friendship First Study Manual and Tim Green, supported by a wide range of expert speakers and testimony. Although a study manual is included in the pack, course students will need their own study manual to fulfil the various exercises.

The course is highly interactive combining the following features; group discussion, short talks on DVD, audio-visual clips, testimonies, case studies, weekly tasks and a field trip.testimonies, case studies, weekly tasks and a field trip.The course pack includes a study manual, leaders’ guide and three DVDs and costs £39.95 for the initial copy. Subsequent copies can be purchased for £32.95 and study manuals for course students can be purchased by group leaders for £5. To order the course for your church, missions or home group visitTo order the course for your church, missions or home group visit www.kitab.org.uk or call 01908 552714.

Notes for the Journey: following Jesus, staying South Asian

The book is £5.99 plus P&P. To order copies please contact: info@southasianconcern.org Tel: +44 (0)20 8770 9717 Fax: +44 (0)208 8770 9747www.southasianconcern.org

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This new book by South Asian Concern (SAC) is an essential read for all South Asian young adults who have either begun to follow Jesus or are exploring the Christian faith. It takes seriously the practical cultural questions and looks at issues that questions and looks at issues that are often neglected, such as arranged marriage and the impact that conversion may have on one’srelationships with friends, family and relatives.

This book is strongly recommendedto church leaders and those that to church leaders and those that are serious about reaching South Asians for Christ, as it gives a clear understanding of the challenges that South Asians face when converting to Christianity and provides useful advice on how we the Church can better support them. better support them.

Sindhi Journeys of Faith The Sindhi people are a people group that originate from the Sindh Province in Pakistan. There are some 30 million with approximatelymillion with approximatelyfive million in the diaspora. They are renowned for their success and business skills, yet less than 0.5 per cent of them have come to faith in Jesus. come to faith in Jesus. Sindhi Journeys of Faith is a compilation by Deepak and Celia Mahtani of 20 Hindu Sindhis who have come to faith from a Hindu background over the background over the years in different parts of the world. They share their testimonies and how God has worked in their lives. It their testimonies and how God has worked in their lives. It covers a cross-section of ages, professions, situations and genders from India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the US, Nigeria, and the UK, including a prominent Sindhi lady in Singapore who accepted Jesus at the age of 86!

The individual stories are clearly written and together they The individual stories are clearly written and together they cover issues including arranged marriage, family business, dowry, divorce, raising children and the expectations that parents place on their children. The book is already in its second printing, having first been published in 2010.

Copies are available free of charge, postage and packing costs £1.50 within the UK. For more information contact For more information contact SindhiJourneysofFaith@gmail.com

Mission Resources

South Asian Forum Whitefield House, 186 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4BT | tel 02072072100, www.eauk.org/safPlease send your feedback on this newsletter to Manoj at m.raithatha@eauk.org

www.eauk.org/saf