As Christians, we’re called to be salt and light in the world, but sometimes it’s difficult to live out our faith in the workplace. There may be rules in place to stop us talking about Jesus or praying for those around us, or perhaps it just doesn’t come naturally to mix work and faith in a secular environment.
Lead pastor at Elim Selly Oak, Iain Hesketh, says, “If Jesus really is the hope for the world, then we have to create the kind of culture that values, celebrates and equips the people of God to live under the lordship of Jesus in all of life.
“This is the kind of culture we’re creating at Elim Church Selly Oak. We are gearing everything around the command of Jesus to be a disciple-making community for the good of our city.”
We spoke to some of the church’s members to find out how they carry the presence of God into their work roles. Despite having very different jobs, they are united in their aim to be good ambassadors of Jesus wherever they go.
Abisayo Abiloye is an SEN teaching assistant at a secondary school in Handsworth. Her role is to support students who have additional learning needs, doing all she can to help them access as much of the lesson content as possible. This involves building rapport and healthy relationships with the students to keep them engaged with the subject, and helping them take part in group work and broader class discussions.
“A large part of working in a school consists of making positive contributions to the school community,” says Abisayo. “Handsworth is a very multicultural area, and a large proportion of the school, both students and staff, are from Muslim backgrounds. This keeps me really aware of my faith, as I’m constantly trying to demonstrate what I believe it looks like to serve Jesus.
“To me, putting my faith into action at work means being a voice of hope and speaking love into situations, especially when it feels too hard. It means being genuinely curious about people, so that I can really see them, and then looking for ways to support them: from mentoring the girl everyone is giving up on as she is on the brink of exclusion, to offering to cover for a colleague who is looking slightly overwhelmed.
Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av Direction Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av Direction Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
‘Imagine Everyone On This Planet Is Your Equal'
David Beasley, Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning UN World Food Programme, reveals the words his work is founded on
God Sets The Example Of Adoption...
Many people have ruled themselves out for fostering or adoption when the system would rule them in, explains Krish Kandiah
The Work Of Missionaries In Lockdown
When lockdown brought Ian and Katie Moore’s mission work in Macedonia to a halt, they used the time to seek a refined vision for reaching their local area. They told Chris Rolfe their story
How Nurse Helped Acid Attack Model Find Faith
Katie Piper explains how a life-changing incident changed her life in more ways than she expected as she recovered in hospital
Big Challenges Issued At Online Conference
Elim’s first online theological conference examines how our understanding of the ‘End Times’ shapes our view of mission
Lockdown in London deepened my faith
Living alone in London may not have been what he dreamed about, but Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic says it has driven him closer to God
The Really Good News about new initiative!
Elim’s new online mission programme could be the biggest evangelistic outreach we’ve ever done, says national evangelist Mark Greenwood. As we gear up for Easter, he gives the lowdown on the campaign
It's the gospel of liberation, not renovation
When Jesus was 30 he went to the prison of sin, and knocked on the door. Satan opened that little window and said, “What do you want?” Jesus told him: “I have come to set the captives free!” A sermon by the late Reinhard Bonnke
The mystery of Skull Hill
Skull Hill is a rocky hill rising just outside the north wall of Jerusa-lem, not far from the Damascus Gate. It was given that name because of the striking resemblance to a human skull appearing on the weather-beaten formation of its southern face.
A decade of mission
With an Easter evangelism programme, the Elim Leaders Summit and a renewed call to mission, General Superintendent Chris Cartwright outlines Elim’s plans for 2021 and beyond
