There is a small but precious community of believers in east London. Although all are welcome, the gathering is primarily for people from a Sylheti background.

There are 11 million Sylheti speakers in the world. Most are in Bangladesh. Almost all are Muslim, with very few Christians – about a dozen in the UK.

“The predominantly Muslim Sylheti-speaking community is a close-knit one in this area of east London,” says Alice, LCM Missionary, working to encourage people who attend Asha, a new church plant for Sylheti-speakers, to share the good news of Jesus where God has placed them.

“There is such a need for Christians to reach out to Bangladeshi Sylhetis. Many can spend years within their community. Going to schools where the majority of the children speak Sylheti. Getting their groceries from Sylheti-speaking stores. There is no real need to leave their community.”

Now imagine if you were the only Christian in a community of people who were either indifferent or hostile to your faith. Imagine if you were kicked out of your family and excluded from friends because of your newfound faith in Jesus. We may expect this opposition in some cities and villages overseas. But this is also happening in the heart of London.

Anna's* story

Anna* became a Christian at 19 after attending church with a Christian friend.

“I just remember feeling very convicted by the love that God had for me. I did give my life to Jesus that night. And I felt I was finally home,” Anna recalls.

“But in the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn’t be an easy road. I faced rejection from my family. I was excommunicated from my community. I didn’t belong to a church for about ten years because I always felt I was on the run. Hiding. Trying to keep myself and others safe.

“At my lowest, I remember opening the Bible to a verse in Romans. It said if God is for you, who could be against you? That passage gave me so much courage and so much comfort. It gave me enough to carry on.”

Twenty years later, thanks to people like Alice, she is playing an integral part in building and supporting a community of believers at Asha Church.

“Through Alice, I saw that talking to my people about Jesus wasn’t that difficult. I just felt like this was what I was meant to do. I was meant to share the gospel with my people,” says Anna.

Sharing Jesus with the community

The Sylheti community is one of the people groups least likely to hear the message of Jesus Christ, not only in London but also worldwide.

Anna plays an integral role in translating during Asha’s Sunday gatherings and helping to build strong connections between people who attend their weekly Bible studies.

“For the Sylheti community, there isn't a complete Bible,” explains Alice. “There's a New Testament and a few other books, but theirs is not a complete scripture. There are very few Sylheti believers in the UK, which is why this church is so needed.”

The vision for this unique church is to have a vibrant gathering of believers from a Sylheti-speaking background who meet together, encourage each other, and unite with other believers in this country and overseas.

The church hosts Bible studies, a Sunday gathering, and even a football and cricket outreach for the youth to enjoy during the week. Alice supports many of these activities and leads the music during their weekly gathering.

For every tribe and nation

“We'd love to see the gospel going out deep into their communities and beyond,” says Rob Scott, Senior leader at Asha.

“We know right at the end of time there will be multitudes around God's throne from every tribe, tongue, nation, people, group. And there will be Sylheti people around that throne. Maybe we can be a link in the chain that helps that to happen.”

For Anna, this gathering of people throughout the week has fueled her love for her community and Jesus.

“Jesus means everything to me,” she smiles. “He's given me honour. He's given me worth. He's replaced all the rejection, the shame, the sense of unworthiness. He has replaced that with love, anointing, hope…and joy.”

We’ll be praying for Alice and those she works with on 25 March 2025 – and you’re invited to pray with us. Find out more about how you can be praying for incredible ministries like Asha Church, and more of the work of London City Mission by visiting lcm.org.uk/prayonline

*Name has been changed