Asian Fellowship

The congregation of Aston Parish Church is very multicultural. For many years, a good number of the congregation have had Punjabi as their first language. A Punjabi-speaking meeting where these people can worship and receive teaching in their mother tongue is therefore a regular feature of church life. But this is no cultural ghetto. Several English-speaking members of the congregation from other cultures regularly join with the Punjabi-speakers, and so Asian Fellowship is very much a multicultural expression of the life of the church.

The Fellowship meets on Saturday mornings from 10 am in Aston Parish Church Centre and is facilitated by Revd Giyanow. All are welcome – even if you’re only wanting to learn more about Christianity. The meeting is bi-lingual, in both Punjabi and English. Most of the praise songs are sung in Punjabi.

One of the clergy or Readers is always on hand if you feel the need to take your interest in Christianity further.

Links with Churches in India

In some places we still have to overcome the idea that if someone is Asian then they must be a Muslim, a Sikh or a Hindu. This is obviously very offensive to Asian Christians, many of whom have converted from these other faiths. Members of the Asian Fellowship have developed strong links with other Asian Christians in Britain to help raise the profile of Asian Christians.

Members of our Asian Fellowship also have strong family links with the Punjab in India. With a determined effort over many years, they have helped build a church at Khotra in the Punjab. Some of them regularly visit there to support and encourage the church. In October 2003 a party went from Aston to the official opening of the church. Photos of the church and its opening ceremony can be found in the gallery.