In Depth:  Jason Roach

Jason Roach

There was a glint in his eye. I couldn’t quite tell if it was a tear or a smile. He grinned, put his coffee down on the table and said: “As a teenager, it was the most special thing about church every Sunday.”

We’d been talking about life on estate churches.

Jason Roach

One of my cousins was killed by a stray bullet. He was not part of a gang but got caught in the crossfire of gang warfare. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, in areas where postcodes have a kind of protected status, can be lethal.

The council estates my church serves have similar challenges: one area will be home to some but an exclusion zone to others. One significant factor is an inordinate loyalty to a certain place; when place gives you your ultimate sense of security, you’ll go to surprising lengths to protect it.

Jason Roach

For years, Eleanor slipped into our church services late and left early. She always sat in the back row, always turned down invitations to coffee and her attendance was sporadic at best. When she did come, she kept her head down, rarely making eye contact - many assumed she was just shy or private.

What none of us knew was that Eleanor was carrying a burden of profound shame. Her flat had gradually become overwhelmed with possessions: piles of magazines, bags of clothes, stacks of boxes - until there were only narrow pathways between mountains of items. The situation had deteriorated to the point where it posed genuine health risks, but her shame kept her locked in silence. She felt that if people saw how she lived, they would judge her and think something was wrong with her.

bridging cultural divides

Jason Roach

Every year, as Christmas approaches, I find myself navigating the festive family diplomacy of our intercultural marriage. It's a delicate dance that starts with a seemingly simple question: 'So, where are we spending Christmas Day?'

My wife pulls out her diary. 'Right,' she says, 'let's work out the logistics.' For her family, it's straightforward - maximise the number of people, find the most convenient time, get everyone together. My family, though? Completely different story.

bridging cultural divides

Jason Roach

One of my favourite recent television shows was a series called Travel Man, which featured the UK comedian Richard Ayoade.

The premise was to watch two comedians (Richard and a special guest), experience the culture of a city somewhere in the world for 48 hours. Recognising the rising popularity of city breaks, they aimed to avoid tourist traps, give practical advice and soak in something of the local culture. They would take in some sights, sample some food and try out some more outlandish things before heading home. Somehow they edited all that fun down into 24 minutes.

bridging cultural divides

Jason Roach

In my experience, eating fish and chips at the seaside can be a life threatening experience. Not because of the quality of the fish and chips, but because of the flocks of birds trying to eat it at the same time.

On one memorable trip, I was in the process of trying to rescue my daughter's meal from a veracious seagull, when its partner in crime took the opportunity to swipe mine. I think they must have enjoyed it, because a few minutes later they deposited most of what they had digested on my head. In His wisdom, the Lord has ordained that trips to the beach would remind me of that old adage: birds of a feather, flock together.

bridging cultural divides

Jason Roach

A common concern around welcoming people from different cultures into the local church is that it is impossible for introverts. I remember one person saying, 'I find it hard enough to speak to my friends, let alone to strangers!'

It’s part of a bigger fear among Christians that we just don’t have what it takes to reach out to those who are different from us. What do we do when we want to communicate across cultural differences, but the bar just seems too high?

bridging cultural divides

Jason Roach

'I gave them my freedom (bus) pass and scribbled down the address of the church on the back of a receipt! Praying that they'd come along today.'

If I could have raised one eyebrow I would have. As it was, I simply smiled. It seemed risky... He had only met Araz, Dilvan and Genc* - the three Kurdish men that he spoke of - the day before. They had been housed in a local hotel while their Asylum claims were processed.