0:00:02 > 0:00:0521st century Britain -
0:00:05 > 0:00:07a country where traditional church attendance is plummeting.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12Society is becoming so saturated in secularism.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Christianity is now becoming like a second-class subject.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18If you were to put a leaflet through the door
0:00:18 > 0:00:21saying there's going to be a fight on Monday, everybody would turn up.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23But, as soon as there's the word "church",
0:00:23 > 0:00:25or "holy", it's straight away "no".
0:00:25 > 0:00:28But it wasn't always the case.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32The 19th-century was a golden age for Christianity
0:00:32 > 0:00:34and Britain exported that faith,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38despatching missionaries across the world
0:00:38 > 0:00:40to places where, today, belief is booming.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Jesus is walking among you.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44- That we should be saved.- Amen.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Now, reversing those journeys,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49three idealistic Christians are coming here on their own missions.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52We've come with a lot of hope and a lot of faith.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57- But is modern Britain ready for them?- If we believe God, I know something can happen.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59With the greatest respect, Moses could be standing there,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01and I still don't think they would go into church.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04The atmosphere was very tense.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05There was no peace about it.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10And can their distinctive missionary styles rejuvenate failing church communities?
0:01:10 > 0:01:15I think he's hoping to fill the church with people. I'm just no' interested.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Great missionary work needs to be done.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26In Malawi, Africa, pastor John Chilimtsidya
0:01:26 > 0:01:28runs a church that is flourishing.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31HE SINGS
0:01:31 > 0:01:33THEY SING
0:01:37 > 0:01:41But will his charismatic brand of worship revive
0:01:41 > 0:01:44a declining church in Blantyre, Glasgow?
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Once we start to fritter away, they'll be nobody left to carry on.
0:01:48 > 0:01:54Blantyre's the birthplace of missionary Dr David Livingstone,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56who helped spread Christianity within Africa.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00As pastor John goes in search of his hero's remarkable story,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03he'll gain inspiration for his own mission.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06- And this is David Livingstone's house.- David Livingstone's house.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09This is the house. I promise you.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11In the name of Jesus.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14John wants the community and its young people
0:02:14 > 0:02:16to find its faith in a church again.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20If you want kids to be interested in something, you've got to target them.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22But challenged with scepticism...
0:02:23 > 0:02:26We're not the jump up and jump about church.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28We're a more sedate church.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30..and in the face of apathy,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34can he succeed in attracting people back into the house of God?
0:02:34 > 0:02:38I want to encourage you to come to church.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42It looks as if there's no Christianity, at all.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45I feel like crying.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Malawi in south-east Africa -
0:02:59 > 0:03:02one of the poorest countries in the world,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06with well over half its people living below the poverty line.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09However, belief and faith here is thriving.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Over 80 % of its 13 million population is a practising Christian,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and regularly attend a church.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20170 years ago,
0:03:20 > 0:03:25David Livingstone began his mission to expand Christianity in Africa.
0:03:26 > 0:03:32Largely forgotten back home, in Malawi he remains everywhere.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37Blantyre, Malawi's commercial capital, took its name from his Scottish birthplace.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Missionary, doctor, explorer,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Livingstone was the first white European to reveal
0:03:46 > 0:03:48the location of the Victoria Falls.
0:03:48 > 0:03:5230 years of travel and missionary work saw him overcome disease,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56resistance from local tribes, and wild animals.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01His exploits thrilled a 19th-century public.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05His fame and his unique understanding of the African people
0:04:05 > 0:04:08left a legacy that would see Christianity proliferate
0:04:08 > 0:04:10throughout the continent.
0:04:10 > 0:04:11God is there.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12Jehovah is here.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Somebody say amen.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Alleluia. Amen.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20In Malawi, the flame of Livingstone's
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Christian legacy is burning brightly,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26and Pastor John Chilimtsidya is the torch bearer.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34The people are flocking to Pastor John's church.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39The charismatic renewal church is one of Malawi's fastest-growing.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44Four years ago, John's congregation stood at just 25.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Now it's nearly 800.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51HE SINGS
0:04:57 > 0:05:03In Scotland, Livingstone was a member of the Congregational movement.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07In its heyday, Blantyre's church was thriving.
0:05:07 > 0:05:08Now, it's a different picture.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Worshippers, here, are increasingly thin on the ground,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15and there's virtually no young people in the congregation.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19The Reverend Malcolm Anderson is finding it tough.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Scotland is becoming so saturated in secularism,
0:05:22 > 0:05:28where Christianity is now becoming like a second-class subject.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35In Malawi, John's methods echo Livingstone
0:05:35 > 0:05:40and the Victorian evangelical missionaries of old, as he takes the word of God out on the road.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45These are some of the open airs that we do, reaching out to the people,
0:05:45 > 0:05:51so we have chosen this place because on this day it's a busy market.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Alleluia. We want to thank God, today,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56that we may rejoice and be glad.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00I want you to lift your hands up and I pray in the name of Jesus.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03You want to win confidence in the lives of people.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Some of them have never heard the gospel before. They are coming here to say,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08"Let's see what this man is saying."
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Then they are responsive. They lift up their hands, they are coming to Jesus.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14That's a miracle. That's amazing.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19John's success isn't just about preaching.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24He works with poor street children.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and helps to turn their lives around.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Before I met Pastor John,
0:06:34 > 0:06:35I was stealing, of which,
0:06:35 > 0:06:40if I continued with that life I would have been imprisoned.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42We really have a lot of young people.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Invest more in the young people and the church will keep on growing.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49John may have dedicated his life to God,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52but his family is also a top priority.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57This one is my firstborn daughter. This one is Teresa.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59She's doing a boarding school,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02so she stays there, she just comes here during holidays.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06So, this one is Faith. She is nine years old.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08That's Emanuel. That's our last born.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12I do create time for them, because if I cannot then I can neglect them easily.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17John's been married to his wife, Piera, for 13 years.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20This is my wife, she's cooking some meat, here.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25Cooking some sort of vegetables, also. For us to eat.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And get fat and have a good health.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Sometimes I help her cooking. So, that's our life.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34That's our daily life here at home. Yeah.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39John's hero, David Livingstone,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43devoted his early life in Africa to spreading the word of God.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Livingstone's sacrifice is celebrated in a church
0:07:46 > 0:07:50built in his memory in Blantyre.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53So, after Livingstone came here, gave his life, died,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and then other missionaries were also inspired by him
0:07:56 > 0:07:57to come into this nation
0:07:57 > 0:07:59so these are the fruits, also,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01but the foundation is the great David Livingstone.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08After Livingstone died, they removed his heart and buried under a tree.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12They used that tree to make this thing. They use it for Holy Communion.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22The Livingstone legend is inspirational for Pastor John.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25There was a man who really suffered for us.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29A lonely life, leaving his family and children for the sake of us,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32for the sake of bringing the gospel to Africa, to us.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34That's how I got inspired to him.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Just like Livingstone, John wants his mission
0:08:36 > 0:08:40of spreading the word of God to have a lasting impression
0:08:40 > 0:08:42when he goes to Britain.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46My dream is, I want to invest what I have into the lives of people.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Something that can grow
0:08:48 > 0:08:51and something that can reach out to other lives.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54My vision is when we go there and preach the gospel,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56that church will fill up with people.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58So, my biggest appointment is when I'll be coming back
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and I see that the church is not full.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06A popular preacher, a group of John's congregation have travelled
0:09:06 > 0:09:10over 200 miles across country to wish him luck on his mission.
0:09:19 > 0:09:214,000 miles and 11 hours later,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25John is in the UK and on his way to Scotland,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28about to bring the spirit of Livingstone home.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35I take them like they are good people, they are God-fearing,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38they are Christian, so, I feel like they are just like us.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43They are receptive, you know, that's my image of the British people.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48I expected that there'll be tarmac everywhere,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50and buildings everywhere.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53I didn't expect to find trees, like the way it is, vegetation.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02John's arriving into a Glasgow that is very different
0:10:02 > 0:10:05from the one that Livingstone left in 1840.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14On the outskirts of the city is Livingstone's birthplace, Blantyre.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22A former mill and mining community, it was hit hard by pit closures
0:10:22 > 0:10:26of the 1980s and again by the latest recession.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31Long-term unemployment and poverty are significant issues here.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34And it's here that John will start his mission.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37For the next couple of weeks, he'll be staying
0:10:37 > 0:10:38with Jean and Ian Grant,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40pillars of the local church.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44- Hello.- Welcome.- Thank you so much.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48- Right, John. This is your room.- Thank you so much. This is wonderful.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49You're welcome.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54- Let's keep it tidy.- I will, I will.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56This is fish?
0:10:56 > 0:11:01- Fish. Yes.- Nice fish.- Nice fish. - Wonderful, thank you.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- Caught it myself. - And he tells lies, too.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Yeah.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08Oh, can you cook?
0:11:08 > 0:11:12- Sure.- Oh, Lovely.- Yeah.- Do you iron?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- I do.- Do you wash?- Yes.
0:11:15 > 0:11:16I do iron. I wash.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20You're not a member of my clan.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22His face is very approachable.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26He can understand us, which was a big thing, you know.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31I said, I wonder, will we understand him and him understand us?
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Jean and Ian have been members of the local
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Congregational Church for many years.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39The Congregational Church is a nonconformist
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and Protestant movement that has strong links
0:11:42 > 0:11:47to the missionary organisation that sponsored Livingstone in Africa.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51John's about to meet the reverend Malcolm Anderson for the first time.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- Welcome to Blantyre. - Thank you so much.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56- I see you've brought the weather with you.- Yeah!
0:11:56 > 0:11:59What are some of the challenges that the Church is facing, here?
0:11:59 > 0:12:04Whereas in the '80s and the '70s, you know, the churches were very healthy.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Youth was very healthy within the Church.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12Society, with so many distractions, and alternative lifestyles,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14they're a missing generation, there.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16You know, my church is full of young people.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19We have young people - over, maybe, 200 something.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23We need a revival. We need to bring the young kids into the church.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25It's very important because that's the future church.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28If we miss them now we're never going to bring them in.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33John's revival starts with a tour.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35What are you doing with a lady's umbrella, John?
0:12:35 > 0:12:39You can't go about Blantyre with an umbrella like that.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42We'll shelter under one.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46The Congregational Church was rebuilt in the 1960s
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and it stands in the corner of the supermarket that dominates
0:12:49 > 0:12:52the once bustling town centre.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55In fact, the locals call it the ASDA Church.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Blantyre is a very small community. It's a very tightknit community.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02It takes you maybe 15 minutes to walk around the full place.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04This is a skate park, here.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07A lot of the youngsters would hang out here at times.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10You know, it's away from the street corners, etc, you know,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13they're not doing anybody any harm.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16It's kind of a focal point for the youngsters coming here.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19It's a world away from Blantyre, Africa.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21It's so different to Malawi.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Malawi, you find a lot of people
0:13:23 > 0:13:27moving up and down, you know, but here,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30just get in your car to the shop. From the shop just get into the car, you go.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36Walking in Malawi, you see people, many people walking
0:13:36 > 0:13:39than those that are using cars, that's the difference, here.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45John's eager to get his revival going and to do what he does best back home,
0:13:45 > 0:13:50spreading the word of God by going out to meet the people.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00But how receptive will Blantyre, Scotland, be?
0:14:00 > 0:14:04- Are you a Christian?- No.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09- Do you desire to become one? - Not really.- Why?
0:14:09 > 0:14:13- Cos it looks kind of boring.- Boring? Have ever been to church before?
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Just entering into a church?
0:14:15 > 0:14:19- So, how do you know that it's boring?- I saw The Simpsons.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21- Do you know Jesus?- Aye.- Who is he?
0:14:23 > 0:14:25- The son of God.- He talks about love.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29You know, you love yourself, you love your neighbours, you love yourself, you love God.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31I love Jordan.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34- Hello.- All right?- I'm John. How are you?
0:14:34 > 0:14:36- Yeah, no' bad.- How are you?
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- Do you go to church, yourself? - No, I don't go.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- Have you been ever to church? - I've been before, aye.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47- So, why are you not going this time? - Don't know. Not into it.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- Are you a sinner or are you not a sinner?- A sinner?
0:14:50 > 0:14:51I don't know what that means.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53You don't know what that means?
0:14:53 > 0:14:58I want to encourage you to come to church.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Would you like me to pray for you?
0:15:00 > 0:15:03We can pray together. Is it OK with you?
0:15:03 > 0:15:04- I'm all right.- Not really.
0:15:04 > 0:15:05Sorry?
0:15:05 > 0:15:08No, I don't want to do it.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- You don't want to pray.- No. - Why?- I don't like all that.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15John's dismayed at what appears to be the total absence of God.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19It looks as if there's no Christianity at all.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23I feel like crying, you know.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26And this is the place that we actually honour,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29that's where our Christianity in Africa came from.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31And we are enjoying the benefits,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33but where Christianity came from, you know.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38It's very pathetic, but, I'm trusting God,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40that God is going to visit this place.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44But, if you lose young people, like this, there's no change.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49Competing for attention with many other entertaining alternatives,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Britain is now fourth from bottom
0:15:52 > 0:15:55in the European Church Attendance league table.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59To give John a taste of what the church is up against,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Malcolm's taken him to Motherwell FC.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04After God, it's his big passion.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Deliver, deliver, deliver!
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Yeah!
0:16:26 > 0:16:29It looks like a religion, here. On its own.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34It is. It is. People come here rather than church.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37This is their Church. Where they'll come to worship.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40They'll give their support and adoration to the players on the park.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45And the thing is so many supporters are so fanatical,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48so religious, they'll follow their teams everywhere.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55It's John's first ever visit to a football ground and he's wondering
0:16:55 > 0:16:58whether the church can learn some lessons about passion
0:16:58 > 0:16:59from match day.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03These people are coming to football because they are looking for excitement.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04They clap hands, they dance, they jump.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06For them, it's like, I'm having fun, football.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Now, suppose you take that person, he goes to church.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13You'll not find fun, you know, it's like worship.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21John is looking to discover more about his hero,
0:17:21 > 0:17:26David Livingstone, and find inspiration for his own mission.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Livingstone was born here in 1813,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34in a house attached to Blantyre's huge cotton mill,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36employing 1,800 workers.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38The mill is no longer there,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42but the worker's homes are preserved as a museum.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44- This is where David Livingstone was born.- Wow.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46In Shuttle Row in Blantyre.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- He was born in the top of the house. - Top of this building.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54- There were 24 families living in here in that time.- Wow!
0:17:54 > 0:18:00- This is David Livingstone's house. Come in and have a look.- Wow.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Now, don't make a mistake. It's not a room. This is the whole house.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- This is the whole house. - This is the whole house.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11- One room for every family, regardless of how many live here.- OK.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16- David was here, with his mum and dad, his gran and grandpa.- OK.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- And five children.- Five children.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21- So, there were actually nine living in one room.- All right.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24This is David Livingstone's house.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26- This is the house. I promise you. - Wow.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28This is wonderful.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Seeing the cramped conditions where Livingstone was born,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33reminds John of his own roots.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38It's given me a picture of how I brought up myself.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42- Coming from my family, we are 12, we were 12 in our house.- Oh, right.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- Yeah.- And we're living in one-roomed house.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48- 12 of us.- Then you would understand Livingstone.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Sure. So much. So much. So much.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55The young Livingstone worked up to 14 hours a day in the mill.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59But, remarkably, still found time to educate himself.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02It's well recorded that David used to put a book
0:19:02 > 0:19:05up here on the machine as he worked.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07And we know that his first book that he bought
0:19:07 > 0:19:11when he was aged ten was a Latin grammar book.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15And as he walked past, he would read one word, come round and do
0:19:15 > 0:19:16whatever he was to do,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18and then come back and find out what that word meant.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21The children in the village,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24particularly the ones who couldn't read, used to get annoyed about this
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and they used to roll up cotton wool and throw it at his book
0:19:27 > 0:19:31in the hope that the book would get stuck in the twisting machine.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36At 23, Livingstone had scraped enough savings
0:19:36 > 0:19:38to put himself through medical school.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42After qualifying as a doctor, he trained as a missionary,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and in 1840, he set sail for Africa.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53In Africa, Livingstone soon came face-to-face with slavery.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Even though it had been abolished in the British Empire in 1833,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02it still flourished in East Africa.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04As a passionate antislavery campaigner,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08he was hugely influential in gaining public support for the course
0:20:08 > 0:20:10back in Britain.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Britain had stopped transatlantic slavery,
0:20:13 > 0:20:18but wasn't getting involved in stopping it on the East Coast.
0:20:18 > 0:20:24So, David was continually writing to the government, and to the Queen
0:20:24 > 0:20:27and every newspaper and anyone who supported him,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30he would be writing, this happened and this happened and this happened.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35And explaining, constantly, the horrors of the slavery that was still going on.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- You would pick the tallest person, I'm so sorry.- Like me.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41And that would go on this way and be bolted at the back of his neck.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45So, the two tallest people in the village would be shackled
0:20:45 > 0:20:50together in this way and chains coming from here to the smaller ones,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53probably children, and if you don't walk fast enough, I'll whip you.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56If you don't walk fast enough, I'll prod you.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00And, finally, someone will be killed to ensure that everyone speeds up.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Every morning when he was on Lake Malawi,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08he'd wake up and they would have to push the bodies aside,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10the ones that had got caught around the boat during the night,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14they had to push their bodies aside to continue their journey.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17You know, we were just on Lake Malawi last week, you know,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22with my wife, you know, and I imagine that Livingstone was there,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and there were dead bodies all over.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28- Something that you can see, now, as beautiful and tranquil.- Yes.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30A pleasure.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34- But it was always tinged with sadness.- Yeah, yeah.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40Learning more about Livingstone's life has touched Pastor John.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44He lived his life for us.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48He gave himself up for others, allowing to suffer for the sake of others.
0:21:48 > 0:21:54You know, he lived for the freedom of others. Preaching love.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59The issue for John, now, is to think about how he can change things
0:21:59 > 0:22:02so the word of God can be heard by more people.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10It's Sunday morning at Blantyre's Congregational Church
0:22:10 > 0:22:12and Rev Malcolm is in the pulpit.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Let's come this morning in our opening prayer,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer of confession.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Malcolm's style is traditional and restrained,
0:22:22 > 0:22:23which is what the locals want.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28If anything new comes in that they see as change, then, you know,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30sometimes they're not too sure.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Some people have got a worship space
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and they don't like that to be invaded by anybody else,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39so if it's out the norm then they feel, at times, they feel awkward.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42THEY SING
0:22:47 > 0:22:50The congregation like Malcolm, and they like their church.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Their worry is the future.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56It's a whole different world, nowadays. Church has gone out of fashion.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00I mean, is just not cool for young boys and girls to come to church.
0:23:00 > 0:23:06Once we start to fritter away, there'll be nobody left to carry on.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09The question for John, though, is where are all the young people?
0:23:13 > 0:23:19As night falls, Glasgow city centre comes alive.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I'm no' standin' and you want tae film me!
0:23:25 > 0:23:29The famously vibrant nightlife is a good place for John to get an idea
0:23:29 > 0:23:31of what young people get up to around here.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34- Vodka.- Vodka. Shots. Good.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38Starts off wi' a bottle of Buckfast, finishes off in the casino.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43John's going to be joining the Glasgow Street pastors.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46- How you doing, man?- Yeah, man. - Doing all right?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49What's up, man?!
0:23:49 > 0:23:52They're volunteers from all the major faiths,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55whose Christian mission is to help, care, and listen.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Andy Sharp is one of the team leaders.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02This is John. John's over from Malawi.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05He's hoping to find ways to build up the church congregation in Blantyre
0:24:05 > 0:24:07where he is attached, as well.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09What we don't do, and it's really important,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12is we don't preach at people.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17- Basically, it doesn't work.- Yeah. - Right? If it did, we would do it.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Believe you me. It doesn't.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23People who you'll meet will be out for a good time,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26they'll be probably drinking a lot, they could be taking alcohol,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28drugs, combinations of things.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30If you can understand their accent, fantastic,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32you'll be doing really well.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38You can have as many as 40,000 people out on a single night.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42You'll find the primary reason for the vast majority of trouble
0:24:42 > 0:24:44is the legal drug, alcohol.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46We're looking out for people who are vulnerable,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49people who are on their own, people who are homeless.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53What were doing is we're just checking they're OK, check if they're needing any help.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58How you doing guys, are you OK? No worries.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Don't stay out too late, it's going to get wet.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03We were at the chinky and we were waiting for the 23 but we missed it.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08I saw kids, maybe 12, or nine, at night, drinking, you know.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12In our country, most of the people that drink are men.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16You hardly see a lot of women there abusing alcohol.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Unless if they are these women that do night business.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25When Livingstone first began his missionary work,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28his initial impressions of the local tribes were not good.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31He wrote, "The population is sunk into the very lowest
0:25:31 > 0:25:35"state of mental and moral degradation."
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Pastor John's realising he's as much out of his cultural comfort zone
0:25:40 > 0:25:42as Livingstone was.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- Have you ever seen us in the street before?- Loads of times.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50- We feel a lot safer. You do good job.- Thank you.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54- We'll see you later. Thank you. Have a good night.- Thanks.- Take care.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58In my country, you can't dress like that during the day.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01You are arrested because our mode of dressing is from top up to bottom.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03You don't even show the legs.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Women are not supposed to show their legs.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07It is not anything that I tell my wife.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Talking to the people that are drunkards, I become threatened.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13So, that's why I was just watching.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I can't speak there, because anything can happen.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20I don't understand the laws of this country, you understand?
0:26:20 > 0:26:21So, I cannot just be free at night,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23talking to the people that are drinking.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25It's tough.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29In Malawi, the young flock to John's church.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Around these parts, it looks like he's got his work cut out.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40To help him with his UK mission,
0:26:40 > 0:26:45John is eager to find out more about Livingstone's methods in Africa.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50He's meeting Elspeth Murdoch, David Livingstone's great-granddaughter.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Well, this is him with my grandmother, Anna Mary.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57- This was 1937.- 1937.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01- This is me, here.- You were here. - Yeah, that's right.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02I don't get a face.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07Livingstone's initial attempts at conversion through direct preaching
0:27:07 > 0:27:09proved totally ineffective.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12He decided to work with tribal culture,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14rather than fight against it.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19His approach to missionary work changed as he grew to think
0:27:19 > 0:27:24that Africans were often wiser than their white neighbours.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29He didn't approve, but Livingstone developed a broadminded view of deeply ingrained customs.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34He understood that Africans had more than one wife,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37and it was difficult for them to, sort of, say no,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39we can't have any more.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41You know, that's, that was their culture.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45They had their own beliefs and you can't suddenly change,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50I mean, your great-grandfather, what did he believe?
0:27:50 > 0:27:52They were not Christian.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54No, they were not Christian.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57They had their own religion, I have no doubt.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01- They believed in something. Pagan spirits, didn't they? - That's right, that's right. Yes.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03He went along with some of these witch doctors,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05because he knew that they had, you know,
0:28:05 > 0:28:06herbs and things that they used.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08And he was interested in that.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12So, he was able to help in healing,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and he would teach them and, of course,
0:28:15 > 0:28:17he learned their languages.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19He was good at languages.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23He had tremendous respect for the African.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Livingstone wanted to take the word of God much further,
0:28:28 > 0:28:34way beyond the established missions, into the heart of Africa.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37When Livingstone first went out, he was sent to a mission station
0:28:37 > 0:28:43at Kuruman, where his father-in-law was a missionary there.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45But Livingstone wanted to go further.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Where he knew there was a lot of, you know,
0:28:47 > 0:28:52people who wouldn't have heard of Jesus at all.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55So, they moved out in terribly difficult conditions,
0:28:55 > 0:28:57of course, in the Kalahari Desert.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59You know, in tremendous heat and no water,
0:28:59 > 0:29:03but, he was a man of many gifts.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08And, he certainly opened up Africa for Christianity.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12Meeting Elspeth has made a real impression on John,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15and discovering Livingstone's concessions to local culture
0:29:15 > 0:29:19is beginning to make John reassess his position.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22It's different with a situation that we have in our country, because
0:29:22 > 0:29:25we say no to drinking, we say no to smoking, we say no to these thing,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28we say no if you're Christian, you can't do those things, you know.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30But, Christianity that is here, you know,
0:29:30 > 0:29:34it's like people are Christians but they can also do these other things,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37you know, so it's a different society altogether.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42So, there are some situations where you need to compromise.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Livingstone took huge risks travelling into Africa
0:29:47 > 0:29:51to spread the word, and John thinks that the congregation here
0:29:51 > 0:29:54should play a much more active role.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57They can come to church, but there's no-one who's reaching out to them.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01The older people, the people that are in the church are there.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04But they don't want to take an initiative to go out to the people.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Reverend Malcolm.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09He's planning his first sermon with Malcolm,
0:30:09 > 0:30:12which is going to be on the Parable Of The Sower,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16how it's every Christian's duty to go out and encourage people into the Church.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20Yeah, it's not just a matter of maybe a reverend or a pastor,
0:30:20 > 0:30:21you know, to preach the gospel.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23Each and every believer, also.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27We are mandated commission to plant seeds everywhere.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30I think this is very relevant to what we're thinking about.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32- Why you're here, as well.- Yes.
0:30:32 > 0:30:38Because, the soil, people's hearts, quite stubborn. And quite closed.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42They don't want to be intruded in any way.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45But, it's how to communicate that message in a relevant way.
0:30:45 > 0:30:51Back in Malawi, John's compelling sermon style is a real crowd pleaser.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56In Jesus. Somebody say amen.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57Amen.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05In Scotland, he's hoping his African approach will be just as well received.
0:31:05 > 0:31:06Good morning.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08ALL: Good morning.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10We have a special visitor this morning.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14Pastor John from a church in Blantyre, Malawi.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18So, let's afford a warm welcome to our visitor this morning.
0:31:21 > 0:31:27Jesus said the sower went out to sow the seeds.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32What we need to understand, here, is what is the way of the kingdom.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35We must also share this way to others.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38That's what Jesus is telling us. Go into the world.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Preach the gospel to every creation.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45We cannot just take the seed and keep it. We must bear fruit.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48It's not only the responsibility of reverends, bishops,
0:31:48 > 0:31:50and pastors to preach the word of God.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52It's the responsibility of every believer.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55In Jesus' name, amen.
0:31:55 > 0:31:56Reverend Malcolm, thank you.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Over tea and cakes, John's eager to hear how his high-energy
0:32:03 > 0:32:05missionary style, so successful in Malawi, has gone down.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12- How was my sermon? - Your sermon was excellent.
0:32:12 > 0:32:18- Not shouting too high? - No, I don't think so.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22No, I personally, and I can speak for myself here, I enjoyed it.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24It wasn't so bad. I could pick him out,
0:32:24 > 0:32:28but a lot of the elderly ladies that hadn't had their hearing aids in,
0:32:28 > 0:32:33they found it a wee bit difficult to pick out some of his phrases.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36I like the church the way it is.
0:32:36 > 0:32:43Our services are much quieter. As a preacher, he is full of enthusiasm.
0:32:46 > 0:32:51But, I don't know if our church could handle that type of preaching every week.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Rev Malcolm is somewhat more supportive.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56I wasn't taken aback.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00I've had a broad spectrum, and I've been quite exposed
0:33:00 > 0:33:05to different forms of expository preaching, so, it was fine for me.
0:33:05 > 0:33:10John's frustrated that his message may have fallen on stony ground.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14The congregation, it's like a quiet congregation.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17When you say amen, no-one could answer.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20When you say amen, you know, just silent, you know.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23When you're there, you see, are these people hearing me? Are they enjoying the message?
0:33:23 > 0:33:26John's realised that encouraging an ageing congregation
0:33:26 > 0:33:30to be more active is going to be a challenge.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34John's visiting Blantyre's youth centre.
0:33:34 > 0:33:40He wants to find out what's putting young people off coming through the church doors.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43The question is, is it a problem with the medium or the message?
0:33:47 > 0:33:50SINGING
0:33:54 > 0:33:56# Anymore. #
0:34:00 > 0:34:05That's powerful. Wow! That's powerful.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09I didn't expect that I can hear that nice music here.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11I think here, it's most of the young people,
0:34:11 > 0:34:13maybe they don't go to church.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17What does they say, what is the reason of them not going to church, you know.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19I went to church when I was younger.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23But, as I got older, and I had the choice, I chose not to go.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26I don't know if boring's the right word, but,
0:34:26 > 0:34:30there was nothing to integrate me as a kid into church, you know.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33You can't just expect them to sit there and, you know,
0:34:33 > 0:34:37listen to this man who does the same sermon every Sunday.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41You got to get the kids interested. Put a bit of passion in it.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Which we don't get that in church.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47If you want kids to be interested, you've got to target them.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51And you've got to make an effort, otherwise you're going to lose them.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56John's heartened, there is a glimmer of faith around here.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58It appears it's not the message that's the problem
0:34:58 > 0:35:00but the way it's communicated.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04They are not far away from God.
0:35:04 > 0:35:10But the problem is the way how the church is conducted.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13The challenge here is the system and the type of worship
0:35:13 > 0:35:17that most churches are using. It doesn't accommodate young people.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24The men and women who run the Blantyre Congregational Church affairs
0:35:24 > 0:35:25are called the Deacon's Court.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30John wants to persuade them to get out into the community
0:35:30 > 0:35:33and bring young people to the church.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37The deacons are involved in every aspect of the church life.
0:35:37 > 0:35:43And, I have to say, we're quite blessed and fortunate that we have
0:35:43 > 0:35:47such a happy team of deacons in the church.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49Thank God.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53Tell us what you have in mind, to...you would like to do,
0:35:53 > 0:35:58what you would like us to assist you with, and if we possibly can.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01If we can.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Mainly, is taking the church outside to the world,
0:36:03 > 0:36:08so that we can find people that are not in the church and try to bring them in.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11How do you intend getting over their doorstep to talk to them?
0:36:11 > 0:36:14We use the people that we have.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18We use even you to say, do you know any young couple, somewhere,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21that you can invite, you know, just to speak into their lives.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24That's what I believe, we can do that.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27What it comes down to is a time for church.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Like every parent,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32parents will do anything to keep their children happy.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34They'll get the big things.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37They'll get their iPods and all the rest of it.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39But it doesn't take them to the church.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41They never think of the church at this time.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45We've tried these things and, to be honest,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48some of the looks you get off people sometimes, you know,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51with the greatest respect, Moses could be standing there himself
0:36:51 > 0:36:54and I still don't think they would go into church.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57I believe people can come in the church.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59You know, the place that I am, I am there for four years now,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03but when I was going there, there were only 25 people in the church.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07So, 25 people now, four years, we're talking about 800 people.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11And I believe God can use us to bring revival
0:37:11 > 0:37:13in Blantyre.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16But it takes somebody who can believe.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Let's believe God.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20If we believe God, I know something can happen.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22I don't know if you're understanding me.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27You know, here, the mind of the people say, it cannot happen.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28That cannot be done.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Now, if you have that mind, there's nothing that you build on it.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Because, it's like you're already defeated.
0:37:34 > 0:37:35Irene, the deacon's vice-chair,
0:37:35 > 0:37:39is sceptical on the chances of success.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41He's so enthusiastic.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45I would say that the church is a wee bit wary.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48But all churches are wary of somebody coming in from the outside.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51It doesn't matter where you go.
0:37:51 > 0:37:57I think he's hoping to fill the church, and I would like to think that he could do it,
0:37:57 > 0:38:01but the people in Blantyre are just not interested.
0:38:01 > 0:38:06In 1841, Livingstone was initially stationed in South Africa,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09where there were already established missions,
0:38:09 > 0:38:11but he soon travelled northwards to assess
0:38:11 > 0:38:16the feasibility of establishing outposts in unexplored regions.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20Journeying into the heart of Africa, he developed his ideas for expanding
0:38:20 > 0:38:25the work of missions through native agents - well-trained local converts,
0:38:25 > 0:38:29who would preach the word of God through the local languages.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34Pastor John wants to find his own native agent in modern Blantyre.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38He's been introduced to one of the youth centre volunteers.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Chloe is a practising Christian, but she's been attracted
0:38:42 > 0:38:45to a more vibrant church in another part of the city.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49From my point of view, church was always boring, and it was something
0:38:49 > 0:38:52I always wanted to rebel against, until I went to my new church.
0:38:52 > 0:38:58And it's fun, and that sort of stuff, and I find that born-again Christian churches are so much different.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02I find the churches around here are really good churches but, they're not really,
0:39:02 > 0:39:04- they don't do much to relate to the youth.- OK.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08So, I find that if they do more stuff to relate to the youth,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11like doing events for youth, it would really get them involved.
0:39:11 > 0:39:16- The whole thing is a puzzle. - Yeah, the whole thing is a puzzle. I like it.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20- Thank you so much.- No bother. It was nice to meet you.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24You could really see that this young lady's a powerful believer.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Powerful born-again. And she knows the importance of being in the church.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29This is what we are looking for.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Chloe lives in one of the roughest areas of Blantyre.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39Over the last year we've had a lot of attacks.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44It's made Blantyre a scary place. Like, I know my dad doesn't like me out after a certain time, nowadays.
0:39:46 > 0:39:47When I first meet somebody,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51I find that I don't tell them straight away that I go to church.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53I find some people are really not accepting of it.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Like, I have friends who don't talk to me any more
0:39:56 > 0:39:58because I go to church. I don't let it bother me.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01If that's the kind of person they want to be, I don't really want to know them.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05Chloe's invited John to come and meet the neighbours.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07How does people see churches here.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11- That's the only faith I've got. - What's that?- That the Celtic badge. Celtic football team.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Are you a Christian, yourself?
0:40:13 > 0:40:15Protestant.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Do you believe in God, yourself?
0:40:18 > 0:40:19I believe in him, aye.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21You believe in God.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Aye, but I just don't... not interested in church.
0:40:23 > 0:40:28- Is it also your church boring? - My church isn't boring.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32My church, I love my church. My church is really lively.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35We've got a band. We sing. That sort of stuff.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37We always have stuff happening.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Like, we have summer camps and we have,
0:40:39 > 0:40:42we had the multicultural service on Sunday, there.
0:40:42 > 0:40:47The churches in Blantyre are mostly like, we sing hymns,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50with the organ, and then you listen to the priest.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54They could make it a bit more lively for young people to enjoy.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56I don't find they really focus on young people.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00I think Pastor John has done really well coming here.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03I don't see any people from the church, over here,
0:41:03 > 0:41:07going out into the streets and asking people about church
0:41:07 > 0:41:08and all that different stuff.
0:41:08 > 0:41:13No-one else has tried it before, and someone should have.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Pastor John's frustrated.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18He thinks members of the church should be doing more
0:41:18 > 0:41:20in areas like this.
0:41:20 > 0:41:25The Christians here are not true Christians, frankly speaking.
0:41:25 > 0:41:30If they don't have...if they don't have an urge within themselves
0:41:30 > 0:41:33to share the gospel, what they believe to other people,
0:41:33 > 0:41:35it cannot make you a true Christian.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39Learning about Chloe's vibrant services has confirmed to John
0:41:39 > 0:41:43that the Congregational Church needs a fresh approach.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46And music is the key.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50In Malawi, music is at the very heart of Pastor John's approach
0:41:50 > 0:41:52to worship and conversion.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55He thinks it brings his congregation closer to God.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02In Britain, the average age of churchgoers is over 50,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05and set to rise as conventional services
0:42:05 > 0:42:07fail to appeal to the young.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09John's determined to buck the trend.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12He's planning an African-style musical service.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15In Malawi, we bring music,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18we bring equipment, people dance, people sing,
0:42:18 > 0:42:22and people come because they want to actually enjoy singing,
0:42:22 > 0:42:24you know, and then after that, when they are there,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27enjoying their music, it's when we preach to them.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30So, I believe that's what I'm also going to do here
0:42:30 > 0:42:34and see if we can take it out and then do something for the church.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36I know if they tried this style, it will work.
0:42:36 > 0:42:43They want somebody young to encourage them and make the message happy.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47Not just Bible thumping, but let them enjoy it.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54To ensure his message hits the target with young people,
0:42:54 > 0:42:58John wants to hold his musical service in the local skate park,
0:42:58 > 0:43:00but he needs the support of the Deacon's Court first.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Because most of the young people that I meet in the streets,
0:43:04 > 0:43:08it's like they are not interested with, "Church, Church, Church".
0:43:08 > 0:43:09Things like those.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13That's why I thought, maybe, why can't we take it to the skate park
0:43:13 > 0:43:14and see if they will come?
0:43:14 > 0:43:19You've been out and about, you've done what you want to do,
0:43:19 > 0:43:21so, why do you want to take the church
0:43:21 > 0:43:24to a place that it doesn't go?
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Why should the church go there? Because we don't go there.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29That's the very answer why we should.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33Church should go to places where the church doesn't normally go to.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37These young people, some of them feel that they are not actually good with churches.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Why can't we just do it outside?
0:43:39 > 0:43:41John, I'll make it very blunt.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43In the evening,
0:43:43 > 0:43:47the skate park's not a place that the congregation would go to.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Because they don't feel safe.
0:43:49 > 0:43:54If you had it solely, for instance, at the skate park,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58you would lose the number of people who really want to be there for you.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01We don't need to be inside, John, even if we are here.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03We could still be outside.
0:44:03 > 0:44:08You know, with the doors open. The band could be here, as well.
0:44:08 > 0:44:13Why not try and have it in two venues?
0:44:13 > 0:44:15Have part of the evening here,
0:44:15 > 0:44:19and have part of the evening at the skate park?
0:44:19 > 0:44:22Say whatever you want and decide.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25You'll get support.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27It's a reluctant thumbs up for John's event,
0:44:27 > 0:44:28settled with a compromise.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31The service at the skate park
0:44:31 > 0:44:34and a barbecue event, after, back at the church.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36They cannot see why it is important, now,
0:44:36 > 0:44:40but I think when they come they will see why we're doing it outside.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42It's because they are afraid,
0:44:42 > 0:44:44because they have never done it before.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46John's pleased at the outcome,
0:44:46 > 0:44:48but now he has to persuade the community
0:44:48 > 0:44:51to come out and meet the church at his event.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57Chloe, John's local native agent,
0:44:57 > 0:45:00is helping put the word out on the streets of Blantyre.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03Live music, gospel artists from Africa.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06People playing band music, drums, what-what-what.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09- Wednesday?- Wednesday.- OK.
0:45:12 > 0:45:18- On Wednesday. You coming?- When? - From, from, from 6pm. You know?
0:45:18 > 0:45:21- You having something here at night? - That's right. Here at night.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24So we are looking for young couples, young people that maybe would like to come.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26We're not a couple.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30- Let me introduce you. My name is John.- Thank you so much.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33- I am John, as well.- Right, so is he.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36John's not just handing out flyers.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38If he has any chance of succeeding in his mission,
0:45:38 > 0:45:41he knows he's going to have to forge stronger bonds.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44Pastor John, you'll be with this team here.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46He's back at the youth centre
0:45:46 > 0:45:48and he's got his boots on.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55I've scored three goals.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58They are good. I think what matters is just association.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00It's very important, and build relationships.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03This is the best way that we have used so far.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06Unwavering in his mission of encouraging young people
0:46:06 > 0:46:10to see Christianity in a new light, John sees opportunities everywhere.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14He's joining the local Boys' Brigade on a trip.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17# My god is good! #
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Give me high five before I play.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28In the name of Jesus.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31The Brigade is run by the Congregational Church.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34But the boys who join it are under no obligation
0:46:34 > 0:46:37to attend church services and they often don't.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41Like many of the boys, 16-year-old Jack is a lapsed churchgoer.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44I just don't go to church. I used to go to church when I was younger.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48But, as a family, we just stopped.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52At that time, or around it, Boys' Brigade, we were just kept in the Boys' Brigade.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53Just because it's so much fun.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58John Murray has been involved with the brigade for 40 years.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02Boys know instinctively who's a good person and who's not good person.
0:47:02 > 0:47:07They'll shy away from someone who's not within their scope.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10But Pastor John, he's made a score with them,
0:47:10 > 0:47:15so he must've been a good guy, and they've reacted to him.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20God is on his side right now.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23The missionary methods that Livingstone practised in Africa
0:47:23 > 0:47:26were advanced and liberal for the time.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30He gave medical help, taught English,
0:47:30 > 0:47:33and immersed himself in day-to-day native life.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38In modern-day Malawi, Livingstone's legacy is still evident.
0:47:38 > 0:47:43Pastor John's door is always open, and locals come to him for advice,
0:47:43 > 0:47:45both spiritual and practical.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51The first problem that he had is I think he had an accident
0:47:51 > 0:47:53and then he broke the hand.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55There's two pain inside his body,
0:47:55 > 0:47:58so he's looking for prayer that God can heal that pain.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01The other problem is that he's saying he's HIV-positive,
0:48:01 > 0:48:02but the wife is not.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05So, there is a battle in the house.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07He is looking for us to help, to intervene
0:48:07 > 0:48:09so that the marriage can be stabilised.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12So I've told that he has to come here together with his wife,
0:48:12 > 0:48:13then I can offer them counselling.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17John's putting some of his strategies from Malawi
0:48:17 > 0:48:18into practice in Scotland.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21Dawn, one of the Boys' Brigade mums,
0:48:21 > 0:48:23lost her Christian faith
0:48:23 > 0:48:26after her brother died in a car crash aged just 21.
0:48:27 > 0:48:32John's meeting her to give her some spiritual guidance.
0:48:32 > 0:48:33To me, it was so personal.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37Why... How could he take away a young man in his prime?
0:48:37 > 0:48:39We don't choose to be born.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41And we don't choose to die.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44It's just what God has established.
0:48:44 > 0:48:45Death is part of life.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48If we are born, we are waiting to die.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52I think you have to really have a true, strong belief
0:48:52 > 0:48:55in God to believe that.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59The best thing that you can do is not to blame God.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Let it not break your heart.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06It actually pleased God to take him back.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10But you must have hope that whoever died, in the world,
0:49:10 > 0:49:12it's not finished.
0:49:12 > 0:49:13There is another life
0:49:13 > 0:49:15after this life.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17Thank you.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Let God give you the peace.
0:49:19 > 0:49:20God bless you.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28I didn't get the answers,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31really a definitive answer,
0:49:31 > 0:49:36but, I think, a direction has now been given.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39I've wanted God back in my life,
0:49:39 > 0:49:43I've just never found the stepping stone, the first step.
0:49:43 > 0:49:49But having spoken to Pastor John, I think I've found my way again.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Buoyed by the connection he's made with Dawn, John's spreading
0:49:55 > 0:49:58the word of his gospel event with vigour.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00He wants to cast his net as wide as possible,
0:50:00 > 0:50:05and attract not just Blantyre's kids, but their mums too.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19How are you, everybody? Thank you so much. I'm Pastor John.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21I'm coming from Malawi.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24You people, Zumba people are not in church.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26So, I brought church to Zumba.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31I'm inviting you on Wednesday at the Blantyre skate park
0:50:31 > 0:50:33from 6:30 to 7:30.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36Be there and may God bless you for your time.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38God bless you for listening to me. Amen.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50- Morning, John.- Morning. How are you today? Fine, thanks. How are you?
0:50:50 > 0:50:53It's the day of the event, and John's helping to buy
0:50:53 > 0:50:57supplies for the church barbecue, with one of the deacons, Irene.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59OK, that's tomato ketchup.
0:50:59 > 0:51:04We're having a barbecue up at the church, tonight, so if you're not doing anything, come up for a roll.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06I might pop along, then.
0:51:06 > 0:51:11Tonight, I'm only hoping that when Pastor John is speaking to them,
0:51:11 > 0:51:14that he doesn't frighten some of them off.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16He's got the African spirit in him.
0:51:16 > 0:51:21We're not the jump up and jump about church. We're a more sedate church.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25Today, it's like, whatever we're doing, in all these weeks,
0:51:25 > 0:51:27we actually doing for this day.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31People will see something new, that maybe they've never seen, and I believe they're going to enjoy.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45Down at the skate park, the marquee is going up.
0:51:45 > 0:51:50The PA system is being unpacked and Pastor John is in his Sunday best.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53Hello.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02170 years after Livingstone left Scotland on his missionary travels,
0:52:02 > 0:52:06African drums are calling the youth of Blantyre.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14And they seem to be working on the older folk, too.
0:52:14 > 0:52:21The Congregational Church members have overcome their anxieties about venturing out to the skate park.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25Let me welcome each one of you that are here today,
0:52:25 > 0:52:28I'm Pastor John, from Malawi. God bless you for your coming.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31For a few minutes I want to share the word of God with you.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35I'm waiting for you, come, brothers and sisters, come.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39Now, he's got the church to come out and meet the community,
0:52:39 > 0:52:43can John's energetic and passionate brand of worship have an impact?
0:52:43 > 0:52:49Let me pray for you. Come closer. Come closer. Come closer.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53Put the hand of your neighbour. I want to pray for you.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56Father, I pray in the name of Jesus for my brothers
0:52:56 > 0:52:58and sisters that are here today.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03I've spoken, to them, your word.
0:53:03 > 0:53:09And your word is alive. A seed has been planted in their lives.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11I pray by the power of the Holy Spirit,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14let this seed grow in them.
0:53:14 > 0:53:21- In the name of Jesus. Somebody say amen.- Amen.- God bless you so much.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Let's clap hands for Jesus.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27THEY SING
0:53:33 > 0:53:36I've never been to church, but I thought it did make sense.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38Made me want to believe in it more.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41A lot of ministers, it's dead quiet, and shy,
0:53:41 > 0:53:46but he definitely expressed it well.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55Here we just sit and read Bibles and talk,
0:53:55 > 0:53:59whereas there's music and a little bit of dancing, I enjoyed it.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01It was something different and I think
0:54:01 > 0:54:03if we had that here I'd go to church more often.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07I really enjoyed being with you, here. I've made a lot of friends.
0:54:07 > 0:54:12And I want to appreciate you for actually opening up yourself
0:54:12 > 0:54:13and talking to me.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20The skate park kids are impressed enough to make it back to the church barbecue.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25It was good, and it was different, as well.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28After seeing him I would consider, definitely,
0:54:28 > 0:54:32getting up on a Sunday after a hangover and going to church.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38It was a success and Pastor John proved us wrong.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43He got the people out.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45So, that's what it's all about.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49He has shown to us that going out into the community
0:54:49 > 0:54:54and meeting the people out there, rather than going and inviting them in here,
0:54:54 > 0:54:58is a first stepping stone to bringing them into the church.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02He's such a friendly, friendly chap. The people have loved him.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05They've taken him to their hearts, because they have loved him.
0:55:05 > 0:55:06He's so genuine.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09It's just a pity he couldn't stay a wee bit longer.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12- Would it make you go to church? - Yes, actually.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14I think it would, yeah.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16It was good. It was lively.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19I think he's built up the curiosity, again, in people.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21Of what the church is and what the church means.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26One of the key things I've learned from this experience
0:55:26 > 0:55:32is finding the next generation, trying to target them, in a way,
0:55:32 > 0:55:36and tell them that church is relevant for them.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39That is the key, possibly, to the survival of the church.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42Wow! Thank you.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47- See, when you're eating out, you'll remember Blantyre.- Sure!
0:55:47 > 0:55:48- Great.- Thank you so much.
0:55:48 > 0:55:53God bless you so much. I really appreciate it. Haggis.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02He's left the message that if you go out there
0:56:02 > 0:56:05and spend time with the kids and speak to them
0:56:05 > 0:56:09at their level, that you'd maybe get more children in.
0:56:09 > 0:56:14I think he'll be talked about for a while. That's for sure.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18- Right, thanks. Bye-bye.- Bye.- Bye.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21He has a mission in life. And I hope he fulfils it.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25John's hopeful that the ideas he is sowing on his mission
0:56:25 > 0:56:28will blossom in Blantyre.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31I know that the seed that has been planted in people's lives,
0:56:31 > 0:56:34that seed will never die, and cannot die.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37So, I know that seed will keep on growing.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39I'll be at my home in Africa
0:56:39 > 0:56:43but I'll still be praying for that seeds to grow in their lives.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46So, I know the things that I've started will really grow,
0:56:46 > 0:56:50and with time, people will see what has happened today.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55Before Pastor John leaves for Malawi and home,
0:56:55 > 0:57:00he wants to pay his respects to Dr David Livingstone in person.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06Livingstone died in Africa aged 60, after years of ill health.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10His wish was that he remained in the continent that he loved.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12Livingstone's heart was buried in Africa
0:57:12 > 0:57:17but his body was buried at Westminster Abbey in 1874.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19To me it's a great honour.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24Something that I did not expect to happen in my life.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28I feel honoured to respect one of the great men
0:57:28 > 0:57:32that ever existed as a missionary in this world.
0:57:37 > 0:57:42I really know that they really honoured him, taking him here,
0:57:42 > 0:57:44and putting him here.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48It's like he's one of the pillars of the United Kingdom.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51To me it's like I've just seen the whole life of Livingstone,
0:57:51 > 0:57:57cos I've been where he was born and now it's where he laid to rest.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00My prayer is that his soul rest in peace.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10Next time, Kshama Jayaraj, from Mumbai, comes to Belfast.
0:58:10 > 0:58:15Inspired by Victorian missionary Amy Carmichael who helped spread
0:58:15 > 0:58:17Christianity in southern India,
0:58:17 > 0:58:19but can a modern-day missionary
0:58:19 > 0:58:22break down age-old barriers of prejudice?
0:58:22 > 0:58:26Nobody is going to ask whether you are A group or B group.
0:58:26 > 0:58:31We'll never be in the Shankill Road. They'll know we're not from there. They're going to start something.
0:58:50 > 0:58:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd