Missions Training at Trinity

Perth is a multicultural city. When I walk down the street, I see people from many different cultures. As I walk, I see a man in a turban, I ask myself, why is he wearing a turban? How can I connect with this man? If my role as a follower of Jesus is to make disciples of all nations, how can I do this in a way that will connect with this man’s heart?

I have the great honour to be the Missions Lecturer at Trinity. What a great joy it is to be able to help students connect with people of different cultures. Having started in this role during the pandemic, it meant that many of our normal mission activities like missions week – partnering with churches and para-church organisations for a week – could not go ahead.  Despite our disappointment, we saw this as an opportunity to introduce students to the different communities and cultures of Perth for Missions Immersion Day.

Three different religious groups, Sikhs, Muslims and Buddhists, happily agreed for us to come and visit their places of worship and to explain to us about their religion. One week prior, students gathered together and were provided with brief instructions on how to be culturally sensitive. This included all students scrambling to find head coverings. On the day, all of us first met together at a Sikh temple where we were taken up to the worship area and given a talk about the history and practices of the religion. Then students were provided with an opportunity to ask questions, so that they could think about how they could make gospel connections. After an informative time, our hosts provided us with a tasty snack of samosas, which fit into their strong sense of hospitality. Following the Sikh temple students were divided into two groups, one group visited a Mosque while the other half went to the WA Buddhist society.

After a full day, it seemed that many students went away feeling more confident in their ability to make connections, and talk about Jesus, with people from these cultures.

Mike Webb
Part-time Lecturer in Mission