On a Tuesday morning in East London, rain or shine around 20 women, most dressed in Hijabs walk joyfully into a church.

There is a thriving Bangladeshi community in this part of London, most of whom are Muslim. This church has run many initiatives to serve this community. This has included a mum & toddlers group, parenting programme pioneered by one of the church leaders, and a foodbank during COVID.

Many Muslims felt welcomed and at home in this church building, but something was missing. As COVID dwindled and the foodbank closed, the church wanted to continue serving the Bangladeshi community.

The pastor “was keen to continue a strong relationship but to put it on a new foundation,” – to not only share the love of Christ through service, but “to share Him and His Lordship.”

During their time in service, the church had recognised a real need for English language skills in its community.

So, it was a wonderful day when LCM Missionary, Alice came and said, "I'm thinking, the Lord may be leading us to start [an English language] class.”

Alice has been working with the Bangladeshi community for almost 24 years; and speaks their native language, Sylheti. It soon became clear this partnership was a promising match.

After careful consideration, the church leadership team approached Alice, and they started an English class in just 2 weeks.

THE CLASS

Fast forward two years, and the class is thriving. The women are split into different groups according to their ability – including a conversation class for the more advanced. The topics span from everyday activities to religious festivals, and the teachers have seen major progress in the students. Many class members have excelled in both confidence and competence – some landing new jobs as a result.

This alone has been of great value, but what’s wonderful is that these classes offer so much more.

THE WORD & PRAYER

At the end of the class, there is a session with a Bible passage. The women’s personal autonomy is of great importance. So, Alice makes it very clear the women are more than welcome to leave. The beautiful thing is that most women don’t want to leave.

They follow the Discovery Bible Study method. They watch a film of the Bible passage in Sylheti, then read it in Syhleti & English, so the class get to hear it three times.

“Re-telling it in their own words helps them to fully understand what they have heard, and then if time permits we try and probe deeper with questions,” Alice explains.

The questions encourage reflection: “What do we learn about Jesus? …There’s obviously something quite special about him.”

The women listen intently, but they’re not passive. They feel safe to speak their minds in love. Some will re-tell the story, but refer to God as “Allah”, or Jesus as “a prophet” (which is what Islam teaches). Nevertheless, it’s clear the women are genuinely listening, and a couple of women have now expressed interest in attending church.

Finally, the session ends with prayers, and the women are visibly excited to pray. They join in to pray for each other personally and for the world at large.

You might think this biblical offering would put people off, but turnout has never dwindled; it’s only flourished. Week after week, women return and bring their friends.

It’s a testimony to the warm, loving environment the church and Alice have created.

A CARING COMMUNITY

The class has blossomed into a genuine community.

One guest, *Aisha, has brought 3 friends along since starting, and made new friends along the way. When asked “Have you made new friends?” she answered: “Yes Estelle* and Naomi “a very intelligent teacher and friend.” Naomi is one of the church volunteers.

The women and volunteers continue this community outside of class, with daytrips including: Broadstairs where amongst other things they enjoyed some fish and chips, Greenwich Park, or Sky Garden. On the Broadstairs trip, the women brought their children and family friends. Zara* reflected: “The best part of my holiday was coming to Broadstairs!”

On a Wednesday the church also holds a drop-in, where many of these women have come for more specific help, from filling in forms, to more serious emotional or financial issues.

According to one church leader, “They've opened up to Alice because they feel so safe here. And as a result, we've seen real breakthroughs in some really hard places. So, we really thank God."

If you think your church could be interested in partnering with LCM in this way, visit lcm.org.uk/yourchurch and contact us.