Ministering in Multicultural Communities
Lieutenants Lydia Hong and Sean Li are Associate Officers of Hurstville Salvos, where they run a thriving ministry for Hurstville's Chinese population.
Creating a welcoming environment for new arrivals to Australia is a challenge that many corps face. We asked Sean and Lydia to share a little about their ministry to new arrivals, and suggest some ways that corps can welcome new arrivals.
Can you tell us a little about Hurstville's multicultural ministry?
The ministry structure here at Hurstville was developed and continues to be fine-tuned according to the community profile. 2016 census shows that 2 out of 3 people in Hurstville were born overseas, and 32% arrived in Australia within 5 years prior to 2016, 42% of Hurstville residents born in China or Hong Kong.
Demographic and social economic profile also changes over time as well as their visa types. Therefore, we aim to reflect the change of needs in what we do at our centre.
What are the biggest needs/struggles among people who arrive in Australia?
The needs/struggles for the majority of Chinese people here can be roughly categorised based on their visa types. Study and support for Student visa holders; Parenting and marriage for Skilled/Spouse visa holders; Health, translation and friendship for Parent visa holders. The biggest struggle seems to hit them real hard when any of these visa holders come across an abusive situation especially if they are under temporary visa and if they have with limited English skill. In those cases, our doorway case worker and a Chinese speaking ministry worker/officer will team up and follow through.
How can we meet those needs? What programs do you run to meet those needs?
Since we can’t be everything for everyone, we tend to focus on some of the common needs between various groups of new arrivals and some critical areas that could affect the entire family. Weekly programs we currently run includes English language class, kids music (for under 5), Sagala (for primary schoolers), Just brass (for above 8y.o.), table tennis and coffee/tea at community centre. Adhoc programs include Alpha parenting class, Family fun day, How to cook on a budget workshop, Outings etc.
How can we, as Salvos, respond to the political climate surrounding immigration and asylum seekers?
We are not totally up to date on the political side regarding new arrivals. However we do believe that everyone needs to be treated as an individual created in God’s image just like our vision statement declares “one person at a time”. They are not just a number in the statistics or a stereotyped figure. Recently we heard on the news that there was a suggestion regarding raising language requirement for immigrants. This would probably mean many of our parents won’t be able to live in Australia at all whilst they would be completely living alone since our generation was born under the one child policy in China.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to make their corps more accessible for new arrivals?
Based on our limited experience, probably the following two is worth trying as a start:
Expect the WOWs - Not only be prepared for the discomfort which other cultures would definitely bring but also be open and celebrate the diversity. This could range from trying the weird taste of other food to accepting the differences in various etiquettes.
Let them use your kitchen - We have heard this somewhere, “it’s not your brain but your taste bud that keeps the best memories of your life.” Personally I found it very true. The most common struggle for all immigrants is homesickness and at its core is the taste of a homemade meal. If we open our kitchen for them to use, we may find ourselves sit with them around the community tables where the communities of hope grow out of.