ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Available for over a year

The ‘Spirit of Windrush’ service at Westminster Abbey at the weekend, marks the beginning of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the arrival of African Caribbeans in Britain. ‘Windrush’ is synonymous with a pioneering generation – the men and women who crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and several weather climates, to raise families, build communities and establish places of Christian worship. Yet, at the same time as the Windrush celebration, is the current Windrush Scandal: the deportation and detention of certain Windrush era British citizens. Despite the government acknowledging its failings, there is an inherent tension in commemorating the entry and settlement of these pioneers, while it’s not clear how many of them have been affected by the scandal. African Caribbean Pentecostal migrants brought their religion with them. While its best known for its joyful choirs and dynamic preaching, a defining characteristic of this Christian tradition is its emphasis on the experience of the Holy Spirit. In these churches, encountering the Spirit of God in worship is more than rational assent; it is a life transforming event. This is because in Pentecostal theology the work of the Spirit is a liberating experience which extends to all aspect of life. This understanding of the Spirit comes from the early church. The first Christians widened the reach of the Holy Spirit to include the social and political world. They claimed that God’s Spirit empowered them to proclaim Jesus ‘ message of justice and equality to everyone. In the book of Acts in the New Testament, the author, Luke, puts a lot down to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He records the breaking down of ethnic divisions between Jews and Gentiles, patriarchal barriers between men and women, and power relationship between the enslaved and free. Because of their resilience, the Windrush generation, like many other diasporas in Britain today, hold a special place in post-war British history. Their spirit of hope, determination and defiance reminds us that British history is made by all of its citizens, and that the ‘bulldog spirit’ resides in black and brown British bodies too. And this place is all the more special for it.