BUILDING AN INTERCULTURAL CHURCH
- THE NEW FACE OF ST ALBANS CORPS
Written by Bill Hamilton (Church Press Representative, 2023)
The city of St Albans has always held a special place in the annals of religious history. Some have called it the very cradle of Christianity, for it was here that in Roman times, the country’s first Christian martyr Alban exchanged clothes with a priest who had converted him to the faith and was beheaded in his place.
In the early days of the Salvation Army, St Albans Corps was also in the front line as attacks on the early pioneers reigned in, leaving some horribly injured and others sent to jail.
As the 21st Century dawned though, those days of extraordinary zeal were on the decline as like so many other churches, the corps was struggling to find a new generation of committed followers to replace those who had either passed away or were too elderly to fulfil positions of leadership. Early signs of a church in dangerous decline.
In a space of as little as two years, all that has changed dramatically. Under the inspired leadership of its two Korean-born officers, pastors Wan Gi Lee and Eun Ok Shin, St Albans has become a countercultural Kingdom movement.
Using Galatians 3 v28 as their rallying call ‘There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free men, between men and women, you are all in one union with Christ Jesus,’ they began praying earnestly for the establishment of an intercultural church. Seeing the division caused by Brexit, the problems arising from the Covid pandemic and the horrors of the ongoing Ukranian war, they determined that the corps should be a place to practise the love of God for all.
‘So many divisions and conflict have put people against each other,’ says Lee. ‘The church should be a real alternative space of welcoming and accepting each other, regardless of our differences, because God is for all.’
The response to such a profound mission statement has been nothing short of remarkable.
The congregation has now more than doubled in size. Refugees and asylum seekers have joined students from as diverse countries as Namibia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Hong Kong. In addition, the corps is running a daily food bank, addiction support classes, employment sessions, while combining their efforts with other charity missions in the city in the provision of hot meals for the homeless five nights a week and providing carpets and furniture for needy families.
Always on the lookout for opportunities, the corps have found that the simplest acts of kindness can bring positive rewards.
One Hong Kong mother who had recently arrived on a British National Overseas Visa asked around the city churches if anyone had a piano that her daughter could use. Captain Eun Ok Shin was the only one to reply. It all had a spiralling effect as her close friends and relations suddenly turned up for morning worship.
Four of them have become adherents including Carol Chan who also volunteered to run the Young People’s Link Sunday School and has become a teacher of Mandarin at a local Secondary School.
‘I’m so glad we have all been able to find a real spiritual home and we just can’t believe how welcoming everyone has been. We just wish to continue on this amazing journey.’
Her son, Caleb, aged just 11, is a very accomplished bass player and was overjoyed that after a five months’ wait, his tuba finally arrived from Hong Kong. He is now part of St Albans corps band which after many years has now reformed thanks to a whole variety of new bandsmen ranging from youngsters to those at the other end of the age scale!
Next up for the corps – a green initiative with an allotment ministry to encourage members from such diverse backgrounds to help the Army’s ECO church programme, allowing children the opportunity to appreciate God’s creation and nature, as well as providing outdoor space for homeless friends.
‘Christians are not called to compassionate detachment,’ pastor Lee insists. ‘Empathy is what is required. It builds a connection. We can see others as fellow human beings with hopes, dreams and fears just like us and that connection can be the foundation for relationships built on trust and understanding. Surely, that’s what our mission is all about.’
