GUEST BLOG FROM THE DESK OF GRAHAM MILLER, CEO of London City Mission…
We live in a world of increasing diversity and complexity that defies the simple labels that the media provide us with. I have the appearance of a white middle-aged male, but I have spent half of my adult life living in Asia and follow many Asian habits. My pale skinned daughter was born in Beijing. I work on a team with people from Africa, Asia and Europe but all of us would call ourselves Londoners. The leaders of the mission agency I work for include a former burglar and an Oxbridge graduate who has been a leader in a private equity firm. Both would call themselves evangelical Christians. My grandparents grew up in a village surrounded by people who looked and sounded just like them. My children go to school in an area where white British kids are in the minority.
It is within this maelstrom of cultural diversity that I have met my dear sister, Pamela Brown-Peterside, a citizen of the world. Pamela was born in Nigeria and truly understands the Nigerians who work for our charity but has a Northern Irish mother and feels very at home talking to the young Presbyterian volunteers who have moved from Belfast to volunteer with us in London. Pamela has a PhD in public health from New York and feels comfortable mixing with American academics but is equally happy to work with marginalised women attending our ministry in the East End of London. Immigration and cultural diversity were once seen as a curse of urban living, but we have come to know that the bringing together of cultures and peoples from around the world in our communities, in our work places, and in our churches is a thing of great beauty.
In recent years, the country in which I live has been divided by issues of national identity. What started as a discussion of whether it is best to govern the UK on a national or supranational basis quickly escalated into an argument over whether Polish, Bangladeshi and Nigerian people should feel at home in our land. It grieves me that London, which has always seemed a cosmopolitan, vibrant, fun-loving city, has seen increasing reports of racial hate crimes and discrimination. Some have said that this blatant racism is simply a reflection of hidden feelings that have long been hidden under a veneer of political correctness. Whatever the truth of such suggestions, the unleashing of populist nationalistic fervour on the streets of London, Charlottesville and Delhi are unwelcome developments that people of good character should stand against. By illustrating what can be learned from international co-operation, books like African Pearl show what a lie the nationalistic ideal is and remind us of the old-fashioned Christian love for our neighbour that we are all called to.
My sister, Pamela, is indeed a pearl from Africa – a thing of beauty forged by persevering amidst the pain and difficulty of many different experiences. Her life is just one illustration of humanity’s remarkable, creative struggle. As a Christian, I see this as part of God’s plan to bring a beautiful people, an international family together out of dust – what the letter to the Ephesians describes as the “manifold wisdom”, or the “multi-coloured plan” of God that should be represented in the Church. It seems like the path to achieve that plan is often paved with missteps and difficulty, but there is beauty and friendship to be found along the way.
African Pearl is both emotionally touching and spiritually challenging. A reminder that the journey is often more important than the destination, and sometimes the real heroes end up buried too young. I am grateful to have been able to share this journey with Pamela for a while through the pages of this book and walking the corridors of London City Mission.
Find Graham on Twitter @Windy_London