Episode 1 Reverse Missionaries

21st-century Britain.

A country where traditional church attendance is plummeting.

Society is becoming so saturated in secularism.

Christianity is now becoming like a second-class subject.

If you were to put a leaflet through the door saying

there's going to be a fight on Monday, everybody would turn up.

But as soon as there's the word church or holy,

people stay away now.

But it wasn't always the case.

The 19th century was a golden age for Christianity.

And Britain exported that faith

despatching missionaries across the world

to places where today belief is booming.

Jesus is walking among you all.

That we should be saved!

Amen.

Now, reversing those journeys,

three idealistic Christians are coming here

on their own missions.

I've come with a lot of hope and a lot of faith.

But is modern Britain ready for them?

If you believe in God, I know something will happen,

With all respect, Moses could be standing over there,

and I still don't think they would go to a church.

The atmosphere was very tense.

There was no peace about it.

And can their distinctive missionary styles

rejuvenate failing church communities?

I think he's hoping to fill the church.

But people are just not interested.

My name is Franklin.

I'm from Jamaica.

THEY LAUGH

In a bid to bring belief back to the countryside,

Jamaican pastor Franklin Small is coming to the Cotswolds.

# Jesus is sweeter than coconut jugs. #

Even in village England, faith is in peril.

And the oldest Baptist Church in Gloucestershire

is threatened with closure.

It'd be very sad.

I think it would leave a real hole.

But this was once home to Thomas Burchell.

A missionary whose work transformed the lives of millions in Jamaica.

And whose message is still preached by Franklin today.

Jesus Christ.

It's a lovely name.

To help him with his own mission, Franklin will go in search

of Burchell's incredible but forgotten story.

Oh, my God!

Totally, that had slipped me.

Goal!

Church is not boring.

You still can play football and enjoy,

because it's all a part of life.

And he'll try to revive a dying church

in a community that's lost its faith.

If you look at life as if there's still hope, it's different, Kev.

No.

If Burchell should have been here, in England now,

he would have wept bitterly.

His country is dying spiritually.

Kingston, Jamaica.

One of the world's most vibrant cities.

And one of the poorest.

-Yeah.

-Blessed, man.

Hello, man.

But amid the poverty,

Christianity in the city's downtown ghetto is flourishing.

Thanks to Baptist pastor Franklin Small

and his self-styled message of faith and hope.

When last you come to church.

So what happened?

Eh? Church tomorrow and church there at nine, all right?

Hi, man.

'It's really a tough context.

'It's in the inner city with crime,

'poverty, violence.'

Blessed, man.

Sometimes when I walk, they would just stop and say,

"I have a problem.

"What can you say about it?" And all that other stuff.

So at least they have a listening ear,

somebody who will listen and who will also make suggestions.

And guide them in directions that they ought to go.

That's what I do and I'm loving it.

-We know the ghetto is not the end.

-No.

They ghetto is a means to an end.

Whether you make a...whether you make a choice that lead you

to a part of death and doom.

A part of life evermore and things like that.

-So this is why we are here as human beings.

-Yeah, man.

He brings hope to the community. Life to the community.

I could have been dead. I could have been in prison.

I am now a Christian for five or six years now.

So he's kept me out of trouble, yes.

He does keep people out of trouble.

He's inspired me, man.

Changed a lot of youngsters' lives.

See you there.

But Franklin has not always been close to God.

I'd carry a dagger

and a piece of machete

to school, because I was one of the guys

who you ought to respect.

So I can identify with them

and they know they can also identify with me

and see the difference and the changes that can help them.

See you, man. Yeah, man.

You have to be integrally involved in the vibes of the community.

You have to be there for them.

The fruits of Franklin's community work can be seen

at his Sunday service in the heart of the ghetto,

which is packed out every week.

And today, he's baptising three more into his church.

My sisters and brothers,

I want to say to those who are going to be baptised,

live your life with high standards!

Remain pure for Jesus!

You're extraordinary.

May God bless you.

For Christ's sake. Amen.

Baptists believe that full immersion in water

will cleanse the soul of sin.

Brother Clive Palmer,

-do you believe Jesus has saved you from your sins?

-Yes.

I now baptise you in the name of the Father,

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

But Franklin's success in bringing people to faith

isn't just the result of his own hard work.

It's inextricably linked to the work of an English missionary

who led the fight against slavery in the Caribbean.

Thomas Burchell came to the Baptist faith in his late teens

and aged just 23 left Gloucestershire for Jamaica

to spread the gospel.

For Burchell, the Bible preached equality for all men

and the focus of his missionary work soon became the baptising

and liberation of Jamaica's

cruelly oppressed slaves.

Despite brutal opposition from plantation owners

and the white establishment,

Burchell not only brought tens of thousands of slaves to his Baptist churches,

but waged an epic campaign for their freedom,

resulting in their emancipation during the 1830s.

He has become a part of our history.

Not only our history as a...socially,

but a part of our spiritual history too.

This is the man that had really helped

in the process of liberation,

emancipation and even independence, to an extent,

of the people of Jamaica.

As a Baptist myself, I'm really happy that a portrait like this

is right here in our National Gallery,

the National Gallery of Jamaica.

So people can know about Thomas Burchell.

In Burchell's homeland, his achievements

seem to have been forgotten.

And his Baptist faith is in decline.

So Franklin's embarking

on a modern-day mission to Gloucestershire,

to try and help save a church that was once close to his hero's heart.

'I know English people

'to be really polite.

'If I'm on the street will they say, "Good morning"?'

Will they really accept a black person, you know?

All of these thoughts really going through my head.

'But my joy, more than anything else,

'is to share that which they had given to us.'

Isn't that a wonderful experience?

The church Franklin is coming to help

is in the picturesque Cotswolds village of King's Stanley.

30 miles from Bristol, it's home to commuters,

young families and the retired.

Boasts one post office, one corner shop

and one bus every hour.

With no major crime or unemployment problems,

it couldn't be further from Jamaica's ghettos.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-And welcome.

-Pleasure.

Franklin will be staying with long-serving church member Anne Keegan.

-OK.

-Thank you very much.

The wardrobe is empty, that's for you.

And drawers in there and there are both empty.

You've your own basin, the towel is there.

And there's a toilet here.

It has an electric shredder,

I don't know whether you've come across something like that.

It makes a lot of noise, but there's nothing wrong with it. Ha-ha-ha!

In a corner of the village called Middleyard,

King's Stanley Baptist Church was once the place of worship

for Thomas Burchell's wife

and it's the oldest Baptist church in Gloucestershire.

-Good morning.

-I'm Nigel.

-I'm Franklin.

-Pleased to meet you, Franklin.

-Pleasure to meet you.

-Glad you could join us.

Attendance is in freefall.

Pastor Nigel Price has been given five years

to attract more people or face closure,

like the 1,500 rural churches that have shut in the past 20 years.

We're few in number.

We are an elderly congregation.

Unless we can change that, then the church would close.

I'd be very sad.

There's been a Christian presence here for hundreds of years.

I think it would leave a real hole.

Good morning.

ALL: Good morning.

We have a particular visitor this morning

who's come further than most of us.

I'm hoping that Pastor Small

will bring a fresh perspective on our situation,

and maybe come up with some, some fresh ideas.

It's going to be a good year for plums, this year.

They're doing very well.

This will hopefully go purple in the next week or two

and be ready for eating.

This is Franklin's first taste of worship,

King's Stanley style.

Once the first frost comes...

Can you hear me? Is that better?

There we are.

If we're to be healthy, if we're to be strong,

if we're to be fruitful, our focus needs to be on Jesus.

-Hi. Bless you.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, thank you, and you?

-Nice to see you.

-It's a pleasure.

'There was only one young person in the congregation.'

Not only that, but I counted how many members were there,

and to be exact, there were 17 members there,

'so already, my mind is starting to think,

'and then I see the challenge, the problem,

that a church without young people tells me that it is a dying church.

How do you do, sir? And how are you?

Not too bad, not too bad, considering...

-I'm a war veteran.

-Oh!

'The church community needs to come out and share with the people,

'let them have an understanding to know what the church is all about.'

That's the only way persons will come to be a part of the fellowship,

to be a part of the body of Christ.

'And that's just my mission.

'I have to win a person's heart.

'I will not come to a place and just tell people that they need to repent

'and be baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.

'I'd be a fool.

'And I am not here to be a fool.'

King's Stanley has a population of 4,000.

With only 17,000 at the church, Franklin wants to know

what the rest of the community get up to on a Sunday.

The church might be at the geographical heart

of the village, but what about spiritually?

-Good afternoon, how are you?

-Fine, thank you.

-Good.

It's very different from what Franklin's used to.

My name is Franklin. I'm from Jamaica.

-THEY LAUGH

-I'm off.

I'm here on some missions,

just trying to find out why persons are not really attending any more.

How do you think of church? What do you think the church is for?

They don't really get used a lot, to be fair.

-I used to go to church with my gran at, like, Christmas.

-OK.

Have you ever thought about, "Why am I here?

"What is the purpose? Why did I come? Why was I born?"

-To reproduce.

-Eh?

-To reproduce.

-And after that, what next?

-I dunno.

-Eh?

-I've never been there, so.

-You haven't reproduced yet!

THEY LAUGH I didn't hear.

# We are number one, say we are number one! #

-Yeah, yeah. I know you're number one in cricket.

-Oh, yeah.

# We are number one, say we are number one! #

-I thought this was about God.

-It is.

-We turned it around into cricket.

-You turned it into sport.

-No, no, no, no.

No but sport is also about God because one,

it is God who gives you the talent to do that.

-It's God who...

-Gives me nothing, did he?

-Yeah?

-He doesn't give you anything?

-I'm disabled.

I want to run. I want to go on the pitch with him.

Even though you might want to run and all these things,

you're able to do something, you just do not give up on life

because God has still blessed you with something.

He blessed you with eyes that you can see, lips, nose, all these things.

Yeah? I understand but I believe in euthanasia. Do you?

You believe in euthanasia just to kill, let the doctor get rid of you?

-Yeah because I'm in so much pain.

-Yeah.

I'm on so much medication, yeah,

every day, it's a nightmare for me.

-Do you go to church?

-I used to.

-Why do you stop?

-Cos...

It's a long story. My...

-I, I lost my sister.

-Oh.

-In 1973.

-She was 17 and I was 16.

-I'm sorry to hear that.

My faith went a little bit the other way, then.

-Wow.

-Beautiful, eh?

-Beautiful. Beautiful girl.

She is beautiful. You're right to question God about that.

-You're right. To be honest, I don't have an answer for that.

-No.

But I still believe that everything happens for a reason.

Everything happens for a reason. Yeah, I understand that.

Everything happens for a reason and that's where my faith would've gone.

Say, "God, I don't know what is the reason."

-But you're a better man than me.

-No, we can all be good people.

King's Stanley. It's a place without vibration and spirit.

Even though they have houses,

cars and money,

many of them are not happy.

And you can see it. Why them go to pub?

It shows that something is missing.

If Burchell should have been here,

knowing fully well how his context then and to see England now,

he would have wept bitterly.

His country, the country that was such a missionary country,

is dying spiritually.

He would have wept, but no doubt

he would have decided that he would have to work very, very hard.

And that's what I think needs to be done.

-You don't have scones in Jamaica?

-No. I don't know what you,

-I don't know. You just eat them like that?

-You can have a taste.

No, we have jam and cream. And strawberries on top, if you want.

-But I can have.

-Some of them are cheese ones as well.

Some people like the savoury ones.

One of the ways Thomas Burchell grew his Jamaican congregation

was by establishing Sunday schools for children.

It's been years since King's Stanley Baptist Church ran a Sunday school,

or even a youth club, and as part of his mission,

Franklin wants to reconnect the church

-with the young village community.

-Hey, morning.

-This is Kerry. She runs the coffee shop.

-Tries to!

Oh! Oh, that's lovely.

Part of the King's Head pub has been turned into a village cafe

and in the last few months,

manager Kerry Greenaway has made it a thriving hub for young families.

We do a few things here to try and get the communities together.

We have different things. We have our slimming day is today. Fun days.

-What day you have your fun day?

-Thursday.

-Thursday.

-Yeah.

-We have, like, a bouncy castle, face painting.

-Oh, great.

Erm, there's a ball pool for younger children.

Just basically getting people together, really.

So at least we could, even after church,

-come and be a part of the fun day.

-Definitely. Definitely.

It is a real good day. Hopefully the weather will be good this week.

-Yeah.

-So if you're still around, feel free to come.

-Yeah, we'll see.

-I'll talk to the church about let me come and be a part.

-Definitely.

-It'd be really good. Good day.

-Thank you very much, Kerry.

-You're welcome.

Kerry has a good thing going, here, just near to the church,

and it seems as though the church doesn't know exactly

what is happening in the community.

Back home, we know of the different groups,

social groups in the community,

and we try to have even one representative from the church

to give some idea of the church's perspective.

I mean, this is an avenue to get children

and when you get children to come to church,

their parents also will come to church.

When Burchell first landed in Jamaica,

he faced huge opposition from plantation owners

who banned their slaves from attending church.

Two of the owners even tried to kill Burchell

by forcing his carriage from a cliff.

So far, resistance that Franklin's faced has come in the form of apathy

and scepticism, including that of Kevin West,

who suffers from severe heart and respiratory problems.

DOORBELL

Having heard that Kevin's unwell, Franklin's paying him a visit.

Kev needs somebody just to be there. I'm not saying he doesn't need faith,

but I want to be there to share with him and offer me as a friend.

-Who is it?

-What's up? Franklin, man. I heard you're not well.

My friend, I heard you're not well. HE SOBS

-I can't carry on no more.

-Yes, yes, yes, yes.

-Yes, Kev.

-No.

-HE SOBS

-Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up.

-You say don't give up.

-I can't take any more.

-I understand but still, don't give up.

Still don't give up.

Here am I. I'm here.

It means therefore you still have people who care about you, Kev.

This ain't no life.

This is not the life I would want anybody to have.

It doesn't matter.

-It's too late for me.

-It's not late.

-Of course it is.

How you look at how life is,

is so therapeutic, it's so comforting.

So if you give up, life is going to be pathetic.

But if you look at life as if there is still hope,

it's different, Kev.

This is what I'm trying to tell you. Look at it from a different angle.

-I've tried.

-Continue trying.

-I've tried.

-Continue trying.

No.

I chose the path of destruction.

If you say, "Lord, forgive me.

"I want my life to change around. I'm giving you back my life."

-It's too late.

-No. He did it for me and I believe he can do it for anybody else.

-Why doesn't he?

-Eh?

-Why doesn't he, Frank?

Because you have to make the choice.

I have a church service on Sunday at King's Stanley Baptist.

Oh, yeah?

-It would be nice to see you, Kev.

-I'll try.

I'll try.

-All right, my brother, my friend.

-OK.

You take care and God bless for what you've done today.

That did me a lot of good. I know you are a genuine man anyway.

-Bugger off, go on. You're lovely.

-HE LAUGHS

-All right, my friend.

-Yeah.

-God bless.

-God bless.

-My friend.

Franklin's religious conviction owes much to the life of his hero, Thomas Burchell,

a figure whose achievements have been all but forgotten in England.

As well as helping King's Stanley Baptist Church,

Franklin's on a mission to discover more about Burchell's life,

starting in nearby Shortwood,

once home to the church where Burchell was baptised.

KNOCKING

-Hi.

-Hello.

-Good morning. How are you?

-Good morning.

You on the trail of Thomas Burchell. Come on in.

-Pleasure.

-He's arranged to meet with Heather Cunild.

-Lemon?

-No, that's all right. Thank you.

-Are you sure?

Her family have local archive dating back to the 1800s.

Now, here we are. This is the, I think,

what he would have known, the church.

-It was taken down in 1837.

-Oh.

Baptists like Burchell were non-conformists,

religious groups who refused to accept the Church of England's authority.

As a result, they faced persecution

and were forced to establish their chapels in the countryside.

I think this is a very good spot

because there are footpaths going in all directions from here

so I suspect that's why the chapel was built here in the first place.

-People came from up to 30 miles away.

-Wow.

-Long, long time.

And they would bring their lunch and they would picnic.

And stayed for the day.

And they would do a morning service and an evening service.

There were two services a day.

There is a bit in this book, actually, I was reading.

-Shortwood sent seven of its members to the mission field.

-Wow.

The most notable of these was Reverend Thomas Burchell,

who went to Jamaica in 1823,

where he founded a hill station called Shortwood.

Yes! There is a church in Jamaica! In St James.

-Is there?

-Yes!

By the name of Shortwood!

-Oh, my! I totally... That had slipped me.

-There it is.

There is a church in St James by the name of Shortwood.

This is great.

The spot where Shortwood Chapel once stood

and where Burchell was baptised

-is just a few hundred yards from Heather's home.

-There we are.

So, the chapel, what they did was they planted conifers

to mark where the chapel had been.

Baptism is such a high point wherein you are testifying

and showing that you are now different

so it's a public declaration to the whole world

that I am now a follower of Jesus Christ.

So you can just imagine how significant it was for him,

here at Shortwood and not only that,

but the Shortwood that he had established in Jamaica.

-That's right. It obviously meant a huge amount, didn't it?

-That's wonderful.

I'm happy that I'm standing on holy ground.

Yes, yes, no.

Really discovering Burchell,

the fact that I can come to the physical space of where he was

really helps me to feel that connection with him,

from whence he came.

I will just use a simple term. It's a wow moment. It feels good for me.

During 1830, Thomas Burchell travelled

a punishing 3,000 miles by horse and on foot

to preach at his Jamaican missionary stations

and saw him suffer with long bouts of illness and exhaustion,

due to the extreme tropical heat.

With fun day upon them, the English climate's proving a different threat

as Franklin and Nigel prepare to woo the young of the community with a musical offering.

We can't do it outside. It's just not feasible.

-We will do what we can inside.

-It's not really ideal.

I'm sure it's going to be a disadvantage for us.

Too wet to perform outside,

Plan B is to head down the corridor to the back of the pub.

The drawback, or the disadvantage

would be that persons who are passing

would not here and see because we are in an enclosed space

but we hope that those who come to the cafe

can move around and come around and see what we offer.

-Do you need an extension?

-Yes, please. That would be good.

To help them with their performance, Nigel and Franklin have

recruited some members of a church in nearby Stroud.

Whenever you are ready, those who don't want to come, you are fine.

But we are going to start the programme

and we would be more than happy if you could come and share with us.

Thank you very much. Looking forward to having you.

Those who are not inclined to come, that's fine.

But those who would like to come, we would be more than happy to have you.

We can put our hands together as we welcome the pastor

and members of the King's Stanley Baptist church.

APPLAUSE

So we are going to sing a Jamaican song

and I'm going to try my best to see what we can do.

Can we have Izzy and Alesha?

# Let me praise me God

# Call me brothers and sisters let me tread cross the tide

# Make me praise me God

# Call me brothers and sisters let me tread cross the tide

# Listen to me

# Going to make up me mind what me gonna do

# God nuff on my mind, take a better visual

# Jesus is sweeter than coconut drops

# Make me praise me God

# Brothers and sisters, let me tread cross the tide

# Make me praise me God. #

It's proving a tough gig.

The weather has put a lot of people off

but whether or not anyone's going to come now

because they've put the bouncy castle down.

I dunno, it's worth a try. You never know.

Yeah, some people just don't believe, do they?

It's a bit of a hard one. Yeah.

Get your hands together.

Amen. Praise the Lord.

Thank you very much. Good.

APPLAUSE

Franklin's first efforts to bring the community together

hasn't had the impact he'd been hoping for.

To be honest, I'm sort of disappointed.

But that doesn't prevent me from doing what I know I can.

I'm here for a purpose. I'm here for a mission.

And I must get through it, you know. I'm not alone in the mission.

You know, my God the Almighty is with I so I must get through, man.

Rules and regulations.

-No expletives. No bad words.

-Yes.

I don't want nobody telling anybody about their mother nor anything.

Just want to enjoy the game.

WHISTLE

It's not just the Baptist faith that Franklin shares

with his missionary hero.

As a young man, Thomas Burchell was a sports fanatic.

In Jamaica, Franklin has set up a church football team

to offer fellowship

and a sense of community to Kingston's wayward young men.

WHISTLE

Now Franklin's decided to bring some of his downtown philosophy

to King's Stanley by gathering some locals for a game.

For Franklin, religion is more than just a church.

It's about community spirit.

Ready, man. What's up?

-What's up?

-You all right?

-Yeah, I'm cool, man.

-Are you going to play?

-Yeah, I'm playing.

Cool, bro. Yeah, man.

It will be interesting to see how they play

after taking such lovely drinks, you know.

I hope they will not be too intoxicated!

All right, guys. My name is Franklin. I'm from Jamaica.

APPLAUSE

# Who are ya? #

LAUGHTER

Just to explain why I'm here.

I just want to present a side of the church that I know and that,

you know, that people can, even though they go to church,

church is not boring.

You still can play football and enjoy because it's all a part of life.

Right, gentlemen? So we're just going to enjoy ourselves, play a game.

I don't know. Choose a captain for each team.

-Me! Me! Me!

-All right.

-Yey!

-I pick me godfather.

-Godfather, where's your godfather? He's here.

APPLAUSE

-All right.

-Me dad.

-You're pick your dad.

HE LAUGHS

REGGAE MUSIC PLAYS

Youngsters, there's nothing at all for them to do. This is it.

King's Stanley. Kids are going to get into mischief.

-Woah!

-The church does need more sponsors and help and that.

Not a lot of people know about it and use it so a bit more would be good.

-THEY SHOUT

-If more people did it, we'd be better off.

THEY CHEER

Get in!

Cheers, mate. Cool, man. Cool, mate.

Tomorrow morning at 10.30am I'll be preaching at King's,

-so please be there.

-Middle yard.

I hope to see you all there.

Yeah, 10.30am. 10.30am.

-I'll see you at 10.00am. 10.30am.

-So, middle yard?

-Middle yard.

-Just down there?

-Yeah.

Really fun. Erm, quite tiring and a bit weird.

-OK, man.

-Cos it don't really happen round here any more.

It's mostly happening in like Gloucester and everything.

Like, like say the riots, for example.

Like, everything's happening there

and nothing's happening round here, really.

But today was really fun, I'd have to say.

-See you at 10.30am.

-Yeah, 10.30am.

For 10-year-old Daniel, Franklin's football team offers much more than just a kickabout.

Everybody at school used to be like bullying me

so I used to, like, get really cross.

I used to cry my eyes out and everything.

Franklin's nice cos at least you know someone you can go to,

to talk to.

Just don't really get to talk to much people around here.

It's Sunday in King's Stanley

and Franklin's preparing to give his very first sermon at the Baptist church.

To tell you the truth, I'm nervous.

Nervous in the sense that it's a different congregation,

it's my first time.

I'm gonna try to bring some of the vibes,

to try to bring some life.

Hopefully, the resurrection spirit

will be evident in King's Stanley Baptist Church.

Franklin takes comfort in knowing

that despite the opposition Burchell encountered,

his hard work and dedication paid off

and six years after his arrival in Jamaica,

he bought 8,000 people to the Baptist faith.

-Welcome.

-Morning.

-Welcome.

It looks like Franklin's hard work has paid off, too.

For the first time in years,

there's some young blood at King's Stanley Baptist Church.

Bless you. What's up, bro? Oh, man. Yeah.

Following Franklin's community kickabout,

Daniel is making an appearance.

-Told you I was coming, didn't I?

-And he's brought his family with him.

Oh, my friend! Good to have you here, man. Pleasure.

-You promised me.

-Yeah. I did promise. I always make my promises.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Good morning.

I'm happy to be here to speak to you for the first time in this context.

I'll be speaking on the topic "God's mission".

Get involved.

There are people in this community

that are thirsty for God,

who are sick because they need God,

who are naked because they are not clothed spiritually.

I now ask you, sisters and brothers who are seated here,

and we call ourselves Christian.

You have the responsibility.

Let them see it.

Go. Leave here at King's Stanley Baptist Church.

Go and work for your reward.

May God bless you. For Christ's sake, Amen. ALL: Amen.

-You guys cool, man?

-We're OK, thank you.

-My friends, what's up?

-That was lovely.

-It was good. I enjoyed it.

You enjoyed? All right. I'm happy that you did.

-Thank you very much.

-Orange drink?

-Would you like a drink?

-Orange?

Franklin's going,

I can't quite match that for energy and style.

It's here somewhere.

Today's not just the first time Daniel's been to the church.

-What was her name? Evelyn?

-What's that one, there?

This is where his great-grandmother is buried.

Daniel and his dad are taking the opportunity

to visit the grave for the first time.

Oh, it's here, it is.

Ah, that's why I missed his funeral.

We just took over the pub that day.

That's why. See you later, Nan.

-So this is your great-gran?

-Evelyn.

-Evelyn, mm-hmm.

It is the first you have come to look at it?

-Yeah, I never knew it was here!

-Well, that's good.

-Yeah.

-And this could be, this could be your church.

-Yeah.

-If they don't shut it down.

-If they don't shut it down.

-Do you want them to shut it down? No.

-No.

-I'm happy to hear that.

-We are going to make sure that it doesn't shut down, right?

-Yeah.

This is where you're gonna come, because you're my friend.

It was different for King's Stanley Baptist Church.

The presence of people, it's an increase.

I was more than overjoyed in having them coming

and making sure that they are welcomed.

-You like the vibes, yeah?

-I did.

There is only one disappointment I have, only one.

If there were any other person that I wanted to see was to see Kev.

My good friend who had promised me to come

and he just didn't come.

I don't know what happens but I'm not casting any judgement

or anything like that but I'm still disappointed.

I think he just didn't turn up, you know. Cos he's my friend.

Franklin's a nice man.

There's something, something's there.

There's something there when he talks, talks to me.

And yeah, there's definitely something there. There's definitely.

Cos I wouldn't have thought about going to church, would I?

But it's hard to get me away from the bar because, like,

I enjoy my drink.

And I chill out when I'm so poorly and that.

Maybe my thoughts on life and God and everything may change.

I hope so. I hope so.

As Burchell's congregation started to grow,

he began holding outdoor services and prayer meetings

and baptising new converts in Jamaica's rivers.

Inspired by Burchell, Franklin wants to build on the success of his Sunday service

and transform King's Stanley worship with a Bank Holiday Church Festival.

It's a good idea, it is.

Hopefully it will get some folk together, anyway.

I hope that persons will realise that the church is alive,

not only on Sundays and not only for funerals and weddings

but for other experiences that family and individuals

can be a part of and come and experience something different.

It's not a one-off venture, I hope.

It's the beginning of many

and new things at the King's Stanley Baptist Church.

-You want me to hand these out?

-You can put them there for me.

-All right, great. Thank you, Kerry.

-You're welcome.

-Do you want me to go round, handing them out?

-Ask Franklin.

-Franklin?

-I'm going to go round the village.

-I'll drop some off, if you like.

-All right. No problem.

My name is Franklin Small and I'm with the King's Stanley Baptist Church.

-We have a Church Festival on Monday at five.

-Oh, right.

I'm just going to give you an invitation and the possibility exists

-that can show it to someone else.

-Yep, definitely. Will do.

-Thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Franklin Small, I'm a part of King's Stanley Baptist Church.

We're just inviting you on Monday. Thank you very much. Pleasure.

I reckon this person should go. He's a bit lazy.

We're having a Church Festival on Monday at the Middle Yard, 5.00pm.

I'm gonna leave a poster. Invitation to King's Stanley Baptist Church.

-Hand it to me, man.

-Yeah.

Just gonna go over the park, just to rest a little.

What do people think about faith? Church?

I don't think no-one in my family has Christianity or something.

I kind of do, a little bit.

We should serve God because if he controls our lives,

this world would be better.

There won't be any crime, violence, there won't be any greed.

Nobody would want to hurt anybody, all that sort of thing.

We need to ask him to come into our hearts, into our lives,

no matter how young we are.

To do that, just like how you talk to me, you just ask him,

which is praying.

Do you want to try it now or anything?

-Erm, might do in a few years.

-A few years from now.

-OK, you're not ready for that yet.

-No. I'm a little bit too young.

You believe you're a little bit too young.

-Do you believe you're a little bit too young to die?

-Yeah.

-Oh!

-Don't you see young persons dying?

-Not often, round here.

My best mate got knocked over and he survived.

And my other mate, she got knocked over and she survived.

-Aw, I'm sorry to hear.

-It's like, why's it all happening at once?

Maybe it's just a warning, a sign to say you're lucky this time.

-And be careful on the roads.

-Yeah, that sort of thing.

Come here, bro. Yeah, man.

In 1831, tensions between slave owners

and Burchell came to a head.

A slave rebellion, lead by one of Burchell's black ministers,

was viciously suppressed and hundreds of slaves were killed.

Burchell was arrested and 10 of his chapels were burnt to the ground.

Fearing for his life when confronted by a white mob,

Burchell fled and returned to the UK

and began tirelessly lobbying parliament for an end to slavery.

Finally, in August 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act was passed,

freeing 800,000 slaves in the Caribbean.

Burchell returned to Jamaica to continue his work.

Franklin wants to know why Burchell's incredible achievements

should have vanished from view, in England.

So, he's travelled north to the Lake District, to meet 80-year-old

David Edmunds, Burchell's great-great-great grandson.

Presently, Thomas Burchell is a name.

Is a name that I'm trying

to find out more of.

But to find, and greet, a bloodline of Thomas Burchell,

that is wonderful.

-Nice to see you! Welcome.

-It's a pleasure.

-Do come in.

-Thank you.

I've got some things I want to show you.

David was born and brought up in Jamaica,

and the country is still close to his heart.

-Sit there. You can see the view.

-All right, no problem.

The reason that I came in here first,

was because this is the room

I'm allowed to put all my Jamaica things.

Here is a map, an original print, from 1690, would you believe?

Yes, I know that map.

-Do you know it?

-Yes, because it's at the gallery, and also at Port Royal.

-Is it?

-That's right, yes.

-Oh, I thought I had the only one.

No, no, no! HE LAUGHS

-Hello!

-Hello.

-Let me introduce my wife.

-I'm Franklin Small.

-Oh, it's so nice...

-I haven't found out what to call him yet.

-How lovely.

-Franklin.

-Franklin's best?

-I've just remember, we've got this. Look, there's the...

-Aw!

That's fantastic, isn't it?

To be honest, I don't know this.

They are coasters.

Made out of that special wood. Mahoe?

The national flower, yes.

So, I just thought you'd like to see them.

They're beautiful. HE LAUGHS

I've got one or two things that I might show you.

Particularly precious to David

are the family heirlooms from Jamaica,

believed to have belonged to Burchell's daughter, Esthrana.

These, we think, belonged to the family.

There is a coral necklace. I think it has no particular value.

Except the fact my mother maintained it belonged to Esthrana,

because she'd seen a painting of her where she had the corals on.

The other thing is a wedding veil.

Right, this is the veil.

You're experienced in these things?

No, I really got married not too long ago.

THEY LAUGH

This is good. That means I hold history.

I hold TANGIBLE history in my hand.

I just believe, because of the impact of us in Jamaica,

we were the recipient.

And he was up against authorities and structures.

So the possibility exists that's why his name

would not be highlighted that much.

I don't think any of the non-conformists were.

The Church Of England did NOT support the non-conformists.

Exactly.

He was buried outside the City of London.

He was one of the first burials in the non-conformist cemetery.

That's why he's there.

-So, we've already seen that he's an outcast.

-That's right.

A name that should not be remembered.

I was going to say that. People like Burchell had been instructed,

when they went to Jamaica, not to interfere with the slavery.

It was, "Nothing to do with you.

-"You are there to save souls."

-That's right.

"You've got no business knowing anything about the political system,

"so leave it alone."

But that was why.

-I'm really fascinated, happy, overjoyed.

-You're fired up, are you?

Yeah! HE LAUGHS

That's excellent.

That's how we Baptists are!

We are always fired-up, when it comes to things that are right and good,

and proper. That is the thing.

Well, let me say goodbye to you.

-Thank you very much for coming.

-Thank you.

I hope you'll come back again some other time.

-I hope so. Thank you.

-It's been a great, great pleasure.

Bye-bye.

Franklin's encounter has been an inspiration

for him and his Baptist faith.

It's one of those experiences that you really bask in.

Just to listen, to talk,

to share the experience of "yard", Jamaica,

and also the experiences of his own family.

Burchell took up the baton from somebody else,

passed it on,

and here am I,

having it in my hand.

I'm sure that I'm not going to drop the baton.

Going to continue the work.

And pass it on to somebody else.

It's bank holiday in King's Stanley.

Franklin's taking his Burchell-inspired church festival

to the street.

It's something new for this community and context.

It's just to see if we can use different strategies.

Now we're trying to bring the community to the church,

so they can see where the church is at, number one.

And, two, what the church has to offer.

All right, cool, bro? We have not yet started.

But we are happy that you are here.

MUSIC: "Amazing Grace"

# How sweet the sound... #

Good to see you. All right? I'm good, man.

You can have a seat, yeah.

# I once was lost But now I'm found... #

Good to see you guys. Yeah, man.

# Was blind but now I see... #

Thank you very much. We are going to start.

We hoped we would have had more persons here,

before we begin,

but we're going to go straight into the package, the programme we plan.

APPLAUSE

# Give me pass # Come and praise me, God

# Come me brother and sister

# Make we chapel safe

# Give me pass. #

It may not be the turnout that Franklin was hoping for,

but there's one arrival he wasn't expecting.

Hey, man.

My friend, Kev.

I'm so happy to see you, man. Thanks, man.

You've not done anything.

It's just that

I'm so happy, to be honest.

If you could see my heart...

Thanks, man. You can come and have a seat.

In Jamaica, we speak what we call "Jamaican",

but it is called "patois".

What I'm going to do, I'm going to read the Bible

in patois.

SPEAKS PATOIS

For Christians, the story of the daughter of Gyrus,

about a sick woman being healed by Jesus,

shows faith can exist, even in hopeless situations.

When it comes to Jesus,

no matter what people think about you,

not matter who you are,

you can approach Jesus.

If you're feeling down and out.

If you feel as if life has given you a raw deal.

If you feel like even giving up, there is somebody named Jesus

that I want to recommend you to.

That's all you have to do.

Reach out and touch him. Is there one person here who would say,

"Franklin.

"I have never yet trust Jesus.

"I have never even pray to Jesus.

"But, now that you have spoken,

"I want to touch Jesus

"I want to call upon Jesus."

Kev. Anyone else?

Danny. Amen.

APPLAUSE

Thank you, very much.

He's been nice and kind,

and I'm really going to miss him.

He's actually brought the church relation into my family.

Like, into my heart.

And I really want to start going to church now.

Thank you for coming.

And, I'm just hoping

that changes will happen, cos you are my friend.

And I'm praying for you. You know that.

You know the faith, the confidence, and the hope I have for you.

And I will always have that.

When I first met him, I thought,

"Here we go."

I don't know of a word. "Bible basher"?

But he wasn't like that, at all.

He didn't force it upon you, you know?

You have to make your own mind up.

And that's why I came today. To make my OWN mind up.

Please, God.

Maybe something will come out of it.

MUSIC: "School Days" by Toots & The Maytals

It's Franklin's last morning

in King's Stanley.

As in Jamaica,

he's been using football to attract young people to faith.

And it's already boosted numbers at the Baptist church.

Come on, Tucker!

Shot!

Jim's lost weight, hasn't he?

Now Franklin wants to make sure his message of community spirit

is a lasting one.

All right, gentlemen. Let's just give each other...

APPLAUSE It was a good game.

First thing I want to tell you, thanks.

For the friendship, the camaraderie, the way you accepted me

in your space, and I really appreciate that.

Not only that, but I thank you very much for coming out,

so that we can play some football together.

Football IS dear to my heart.

For us, in Jamaica, we play football in the street.

When the cars are coming, we move the goalposts,

out of the way,

so we do not have all these huge spaces

to play football, and you have it right here.

I hope that, when I'm not here,

this continues, so you can come out together.

However, I would want somebody to say,

"I will be responsible".

To organise.

VOICES CLAMOUR All right?

So, Andy, you are the person. LAUGHTER

-All right? Thank you very much.

-Thank you, Franklin.

I wish you guys all the best.

And hope the leadership goes to you, to organise the guys,

so that you can come out and play some more football.

No problem. We will.

It's got to be Sundays, hasn't it? Let's get out here.

One of the kids will bring the balls. Shirts off, let's go.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Good goalkeeper. All right?

You're welcome. Cheers, man. Cheers, man.

Cheers. Cheers.

If England is just like Gloucestershire,

it needs a whole lot of work.

But I believe many seeds

have been sown.

But it needs the workers who will water the seeds,

so that these seeds can germinate.

Franklin has pushed on that change process. He's active,

he's open, he's doing things for God.

That's what I want to pick up on.

If we keep that focus,

and persevere,

I'm sure we WILL get results.

Thank you for all you've done. I'll NEVER forget you.

Very enjoyable. It was a pleasure.

-Thank you.

-Bless you.

Thanks.

Before he leaves for Jamaica.

there's one last visit Franklin wants to make.

In 1845, Burchell caught yellow fever.

Weak, and vomiting blood,

he sailed to England to recover,

leaving his wife and daughter behind.

He died in London the following year, aged 46.

As a non-conformist, he was buried outside the City,

in Abney Park cemetery.

HE SNIFFS

It's really quite moving, you know?

It's really quite moving.

If he had died in Jamaica,

his grave would be

such a sight to behold.

It would not be overgrown with all these things.

But...

..I just want to salute him.

Tell him, "Thanks"

for the work he has done for us, you know?

In Jamaican term, we say, "Why, 'nuff respec',

"to the man called Burchell, to the man called Thomas Burchell."

" 'Nuff respec'"

"Fi' 'im stand up for black people.

"Fo' love people who were considered as animals.

" 'Nuff respec'

"to a man like this, here."

I speak Jamaican, because he understands.

It was his language, also.

So we say, " 'Nuff respec' to Master Burchell.

"Even when hi' own people na' repec' 'im.

"But we, back a yard,

respec' 'im".

That's how it go.

Next time, Pastor John Chilimtsidya

comes to Blantyre, Glasgow.

Birthplace of Victorian missionary, Dr David Livingstone.

-All right?

-I'm John, how are you?

Now, almost 200 years later, can Pastor John help a community

rediscover its faith?

I want to encourage you to come to church.

There's no Christianity at all.

I feel like crying here.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd