LONDON: In a role reversal of history, Indian priests are not only meeting the shortage of priests in churches in Britain, but Christian migrants from India, particularly from Kerala, are helping boost dwindling church congregations.
One of the first Indian priests to arrive in Wales to preach Christianity was Rev Hmar Sangkhuma, from the Diocese of Mizoram in northeastern India. Sangkhuma has been offering spiritual guidance to the local Welsh population in Maesteg, near Bridgend. Some time ago, a Methodist church in Swindon had its first Indian minister, Rev Ajay Singh.
On taking over, Singh remarked that he was surprised that the congregation was not larger. “One of my aims while here will be to increase the size of the congregation; not to just fill the church, but for them to accept god,” he had said.
Church sources say that attendance in churches has been progressively dwindling in various parts of Britain. The 2001 census showed that fewer than one in 10 people in Wales regularly attended church or chapel that also faces a shortage of priests.
The latest to report this is the county of Staffordshire, where recent migrants from various countries, including India, are helping boost congregations.
According to reports from Stoke, Staffordshire, the Holy Trinity Church in Hartshill hosts two groups of worshippers from North Staffordshire’s Malayali community, who hail from Kerala.
They meet on Sunday afternoons and evenings in the church hall. Their meetings boost church attendance. About 100 people in total attend the normal Sunday services, whereas around 80 Malayalis attend the two group sessions.
Roy Wilshaw, a churchwarden at Holy Trinity, said the new members were really making a difference to the church. He said: “It is lovely. We are in conversation with one another and we invite each other to special functions. It is good for us and good for them. It makes for a better relationship between the two communities.”
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