Don't be a stranger

Name
Nelu Balaj

Place of residence

Livingston

Country of origin

Romania

Occupation

Scottish Churches Racial Justice Officer for Action of Churches Together in Scotland

Nelu Balaj arrived in the UK from Romania in 1992 soon after the communist regime collapsed. He came to Scotland on a bursary to study theology and after graduating he worked abroad as a missionary in Malawi. Balaj is now the Scottish Churches Racial Justice Officer for Action of Churches Together in Scotland. His wife is Scottish and their two kids have dual citizenship.

"I was a professing Christian back in Romania during the communist regime. I felt the calling to serve God but at that time, it was hard for the evangelical Churches in Romania. Well, it was hard for all the churches, but particularly for those who were seeking to live out our faith openly. When I first came to Britain, I naturally felt like an outsider, since I came from a closed-in country, but I experienced churches, at large, as welcoming.

As an immigrant, when you go to a different culture you feel very vulnerable and often you feel safe and at home when people share your identity and your way of doing things. Change is threatening for everyone.

We have been working with migrant Christians and minority ethnic churches in Scotland to try help the people feel at home in their churches. We were made aware that many Christians, who belong to the newly formed minority ethnic churches, want to work and be a part of the wider church scene in Scotland, but they don't know how to achieve that.  We feel it is important and essential to welcome them feel at home and to help them feel empowered and equal partners with, so called, traditional churches.

We have to acknowledge that in our churches we still need to address our own prejudices and do more to include minority ethnic people, who are often on the margins. We're seeking to help churches value diversity and at the same time trying to encourage churches in Scotland to be a recognised voice for marginalised people and to work together to include them in society.

We have just established an organisation which we hope will act as an umbrella for minority ethnic churches and Christians in Scotland and helping them working with ecumenical structures, with mainstream churches and also with the government and other organisations.  Another new exciting development in Scotland is the Ghanaian Methodist Chaplaincy, which is part of the Methodist circuit but it is not a separate church. The chaplaincy offers Christians, from this particular culture, a space and opportunity to support each other and to occasionally meet and worship in their cultural setting. I think this is very good model which can be extended and developed.  It enriches the whole church and helps with integration of migrants within the church. 

I feel that the Church does not pay enough attention to issues of migration. I believe that churches need to be at the forefront in helping migrants becoming fully part of our communities. We are called to be hospitable communities."