Last week I had the joyful experience of meeting up with a group of christian migrants mainly from Pakistan who now live in the western suburbs of Sydney, around Liverpool. I was asked to preach at their Sunday service as well as lead a Bible study and do some other things.

The congregation there ranges from fairly recent arrivals who have little knowledge of English to the children and grandchildren who have spent most or all of their life in Australia and are more Australian than Pakistani. The cultural generation gap becomes visceral when the national cricket teams play each other.

The people in this community mainly speak Urdu amongst themselves, and the services are conducted in Urdu. I spent much of the weekend not having any idea about what people were saying. That would be the situation of course faced by many of these people when they first came to the country.

The younger people speak English, and Urdu is a secondary language. Over time this congregation will become more English based but always keeping its unique cultural background.

What impressed me in all of this is how similar these people are to the people of my own church. Both groups love God and they care for each other. You can see this in the depth of relationships they enjoy with one another.

There is something very special, even unique, about christian communities. Whether we are true blue Aussies in a small town, or immigrants in a big city, the love of Christ binds us together. The apostle Paul used the analogy of a body to make the point that although we look different and have different gifts, we all belong together.

As our society becomes increasingly fragmented, christians will stand out as people who care for one another.