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17. May 2010

Sharing the Gospel multiculturally

How do Swiss Christians manage to preach the Gospel to the different cultures at the country? This question kept 150 people busy at the fifth intercultural Forum (Agik) of the Swiss Evangelic Alliance in Oftringen AG.

The Agik-Forum gathers Christians in Oftringen

“Christianism is not to be confused with a culture”, emphasizes David Rivera, who was born in Colombia and is pastor at the International Bible Fellowship (IBF) in Buchs SG. “Don’t try to impose your culture to anybody, as the Spaniards did with us. At that time, we learnt the Gospel of violence, instead the Gospel of peace”. He explains that we need people who are ready to disconnect themselves from traditions that don’t belong to the Gospel. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office">

The story of Paul and Barnabas at the Apostles Reunion in Jerusalem serves as an example. “Stop saying: “We do it like this here!” Think that we have a mighty God. HE knows better, how we people can be reached.”

Pastor Rivera challenges the audience to ask themselves: “What did I get through traditions from my church that don’t belong to the Gospel?”

Working together

“The work-together functions only through friendship” explains Samuel Kopp. He is responsible for the foreigner works at the Arche Winterthur. “The friendship with people from other culture brings us closer to the Gospel.”

Samuel Schwarz presented the evangelical street assignments from “NetzwerkBasel”. Through this project, the Christians from Basel try to start a conversation with people. “It has nothing to do with which church we belong to. The faith in Jesus Christ and the love of God are the center.”

Schwarz leads the work with migrants from Turkey at the FEG Reihen.

In Bülach, .Hanjörg Schärer from Meos Switzerland coaches and accompanies together with his team a group of asylum-seekers. The asylum-seekers come for talking and for social activities at the center “International Treffpunkt Intro”. “The hospitality, the atmosphere and the integration are very important. It happens that visitors build a relationship with Jesus Christ”, emphasizes Schärer.

Exchange among groups.

The participants of the Forum could choose between five workshops: Living together multiculturally, Intercultural Marriages, Churches in an intercultural environment, multicultural evangelisation, and multicultural children and teenagers. During each workshop the guests and speakers had a roundtable discussion and the participants had the possibility to ask questions.

How does it go on?

The Agik-Forum showed: There has to be more contact between Swiss Christians and immigrants. These immigrants usually have almost no contact to Swiss. Many projects do a good job. Through friendship the Swiss Christians show the immigrants the infinite love of God.