Unity in the Church: Heidi's Interview with Hephzibah

This past weekend Lindsey and I were up in Oxnard with Biola University's School of Intercultural Studies. You can check some of the pictures out by clicking on my photostream off to the right. one of the priviledges unique to being a part of such a community, is listening to everyone's stories after we all congregate after the summer. Listening to my friend Oli's talk about his trip to the deep places of Indonesia, and how he ate grubs and lived in tree houses to get close to the people there was interesting. We heard from some of our newest professors, who worked in Afghanistan and had to dodge bombs and endure a stay in prison. Story after story was told about how trusting in God was worthwhile. But these people are not geeks, they are hilarious, clever people who carry a flame inside that I just don't see outside Christianity. Sometimes I wish that the skeptics who don't see God's guiding hand working in this world would examine the testimonies of my friends who spent time waiting on Him this summer, and saw visible fruit. I was inspired to worship this God, who has been providing for and using us all for good purposes. I would love to share everything my friends reported from various corners of the world, but that's not very realistic. Lindsey and I did get a chance to talk with my friend Heidi who spoke at the retreat, and graciously emailed the below story to me. I personally found it moving, because I love to see Jesus unifying people. His apostle, Paul, says that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, slave or free, male or female, but all are one in Christ. Check it:



One week as we were cutting vegetables for dinner, I began talking with Hephzibah along the lines of racial and economic division, and unity in the church. Hephzibah is twenty-six years old and is a full-time worker who lives at the church. I was interested in talking to her about these issues because though I had discussed them with several people, none of them had been from the minority ethnic group. Also I knew Hephzibah had not been at the church for her entire life, so she would have a broader perspective than others.

In Sri Lanka, the ethnic and religious divisions run side-by-side. The majority in the country are the Singhalese people who are predominately Buddhist. The next largest is the Tamil people who are mainly Hindu. Others are Muslim and Christian. For the last twenty years, there has been a civil war going on between the Tamils in the north and the Singhalese in the south. Hephzibah’s family is Tamil, and she explained how her parents sent her to a Singhalese school when she was young so that she would learn the language of the majority people group and be able to fit in to that society. I asked if she had experienced any racism growing up. She said she had not because the part of Colombo where Christian Fellowship Centre is located is mainly Tamil, and because her family and close friends are believers. In general, however, families are very prejudiced towards those of the other ethnic group, and the war in the north is only aggravating the situation. I then asked how it was that Christian Fellowship seems so united, even with people from all different backgrounds. Hephzibah responded with the history of the church.

The church began in the home of an engineer and his wife who received Christ through the ministry of the Logos ship. Rather than join an already established church, this couple began to study the Bible on their own, and started a church in their home as much like the New Testament church as they could manage. This couple, and their friends, who were wealthy and well-educated, held their services in English. It was not long, however, before the servants and employees of these people also began to receive Christ, for the new believers were eager to share their faith. This new group of people were poorer, and spoke only Singhalese, so the church started a special Bible study for them. The ministry among the Singhalese speakers continued to grow, and the church elders eventually decided it was necessary to translate the Sunday worship service, so that all could participate.

At the same time, the key women in the church decided that they needed to dress in a way that would not set them apart from their sisters who were not as wealthy. They voluntarily gathered all their jewelry together (apparently there was a lot of it!) and sold it to give the money to the church. Since that time, the female church workers have generally not worn any jewelry.

Not long ago, the Sri Lankan government passed a law that reestablished Singhalese as the national language. As a result, most of the original English speakers of the church immigrated to Canada and Australia, and the Singhalese speakers stepped into leadership. After a while, Tamil speakers began to respond to the gospel, and God soon provided a man to translate the messages into yet another language.

As Hephzibah spoke, I tried to ask her why the church people were willing to go through the inconvenience of accommodating all these different groups. All she said was that there was a need to reach people for Christ, so they did. Along the way, the church developed their own pattern of services that could best unify the diverse congregation.

Today, there is a representative of each group among the leadership, and the Sunday morning messages are translated into English, Singhalese, and Tamil. Very few songs are sung, because it would be difficult to translate them all. The “worship time” is when everyone kneels on the floor, and individually praises the Lord. Each person prays or sings in their own language, and everyone else listens. As she was speaking, Hephzibah placed much emphasis on the economic diversity in the church. She comes from a very poor background in a village, so she notices how in the church the rich and the poor have to all kneel down together and listen to one another. There are doctors and businessmen kneeling beside those who barely earn enough to get by. Every Sunday after the service, a simple meal is served that everyone can enjoy. I saw this only as a way to fellowship among friends, but Hephzibah sees it as a statement of unity because it is one time when the rich and poor will eat together.

Besides the main service, there are separate gospel services in each language, so that an unbeliever can clearly hear the good news in their own language. The church, however, does not view these as worship services, so the push is always to come on Sunday mornings. Up until a little while ago, the youth meetings were also divided by language, but the current resident elder brought them into one meeting so that the young people will work together.

The church does not, of course, have everything worked out perfectly. Hephzibah said some people complain about how long the service is, and are not willing to listen to languages they do not understand. The four elders are united, though, and are committed to working together so that the world will see that unity is possible through Jesus. Those who are not willing to overcome their prejudices leave the church, but Hephzibah noted that often they repent and come back.

Since I have seen how divided the church is in America, it was hard for me to believe that just having the right beliefs could change people’s attitudes. I asked if after the service people immediately break up into different groups to talk. Hephzibah says they do, but that it is the church’s responsibility to set the example of unity. By consistent teaching and living of these principles, she believes people must change if they are truly believers, for in Christ we are one.

Finally, I asked about interracial marriages in the church. Right away Hephzibah rattled off the names of several interracial couples. She said that when the families of the young people are believers, there is usually not a problem with marrying someone from the other ethnic group. If the families are not Christians, however, they may be quite opposed to the marriage. Prejudice runs deep, and it is only through Christ that unity is found.

The other churches in Colombo are not all united in this way. Many are divided like the churches in the States, by language, ethnicity, and economic standing. I am so grateful that God placed me in a church that is swimming against the tide, and is willing to make the extra effort to work together. I pray that they will be a bright light in a country that is so divided, and that the church here and in the U.S.A. will learn from their example. As a minority person, and coming from a poor family, Hephzibah feels loved and accepted in Christian Fellowship Centre, and she has been entrusted with leadership so that she can share the gifts she has received.
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Though Hephzibah and I had some interesting miscommunications, we were quickly united through laughter and love. One weekend I went with her to visit her family in her home village. That night a huge storm blew over us, and at about midnight Hephzibah told me to cover my head with the sheet. I thought she said it was because lizards would fall on my head. So in fear, lest I scream when the creatures fell on me, I held the sheet so tightly over my head that I almost suffocated. Later I found out that the sheet was only to keep off the rain that was coming through the roof - Hephzibah had no idea where I got the story about the lizards!

Also note: the church has since started 15 other churches in the country. Praise to God! Thanks, guys, for showing interest in the story - that meant a lot to me. Blessings on you, Heidi

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