St Matthew’s West Ham sits at the heart of a diverse residential area in East London. ‘We are a multicultural fellowship with members from the UK, Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia,’ explains The Rev Christiana Asinugo, who has been leading the church since 2013.
‘The Bible verse in Matthew 28 where Jesus says “Go and make disciples of all nations” (verse 19) feels very relevant to our parish as the nations are presented all around us. We have a vision to both take the love of Christ out to our multicultural community and also welcome people in to our church. We want to make Christ known and help each other grow in our relationship with him.’
Christiana attended 'Looking Up, Looking Forward', our free training day for vicars at CPAS patronage churches and also ‘Refresh’, an event for clergy in Chelmsford diocese where John Dunnett spoke on ‘Leading a disciple-making church’. She is also a subscriber to Lead On (our free leadership email) and recently bought the new Lead On book.
‘It is good to feel that we leaders are cared about and to have all the useful information and support. I was very encouraged by the session at ‘Refresh’ about discipleship and am now thinking about how we can grow to know the Lord more as a whole church, and make Jesus known more in the community around us.
‘Since I began my role at St Matthew’s, we have been building bridges between the church and the community through our children’s and youth work. We have a growing group of children and young people, many of whom attend our Girls’ and Boys’ Brigades, and we have started a toddler group.
‘I also have opportunities to take the love of Christ out to the community in my role as co-ordinating chaplain at Westfield shopping centre. Shoppers and staff can drop into the chaplaincy and enjoy a quiet space for prayer and reflection and we also go out to the shops and get to know the staff and offer them the chance to chat.
‘We arrange carol singing at Christmas and other events through the year, including a free shoeshine service for shoppers on Maundy Thursday – a modern day equivalent to footwashing!
‘We are now thinking about what’s next, and if God is encouraging us to link with the community in other ways, perhaps doing more outreach to meet local people, going out into the street and people’s homes or joining in with other missions.
‘We want to talk to the people around us about Jesus, and we’re seeking God’s guidance for how we can meet people where they are and help them become disciples and grow in faith.’
The Rev Christiana Asinugo, St Matthew’s West Ham