Dayalan Mahesan
Dayalan joined the Evangelical Alliance's South Asian Forum team in 2018 to help oversee events and new resources. Having taken over from Manoj Raithatha as the forum's national coordinator, Dayalan now organises cross-cultural mission training events to help churches reach out to those of other faiths. As part of his role, he also facilitates relationship building and joint mission among South Asian churches, and helps them integrate into the wider UK church.
50 years on – a refugee story to inspire the local church
30 August 2022Fast forward to more recent times, and I now count some of the next generation of those refugees among my closest friends. In 2012, we had the immense privilege to visit Uganda to help build a nursery in partnership with Watoto, the organisation famous for its children’s choir. We had awesome memories from that experience, as I’m sure many of the South Asians who lived in Uganda did before their forced expulsion. The sudden change in lifestyle for each one of these refugees brought many stories…
Read more...
Rebuilding the bridge of trust
6 June 2022The country shaped like a teardrop has seen many tears shed in recent decades for several reasons, including the recent civil war and the 2004 tsunami. It’s a stunningly beautiful island that captivates honeymooners and seasoned travellers alike. A country famous for its Ceylon tea, Sri Lanka has had economic turmoil brewing for a while and it has sadly come to boiling point with disastrous consequences. We see the chemical fertilisers ban, unsustainable debt payments for infrastructure…
Read more...
The ripples of mission
25 January 2022January 2022 marks the very first Tamil Heritage Month after a recent unanimous vote by the London Assembly to recognise it as such. It offers a chance to spotlight and celebrate the contribution of the vibrant Tamil community in the UK. It also gives us an opportunity to highlight some of the history that has contributed to this community including tracing back the origins of the Tamil Christian community of which I am a part of. Proverbs 22:28 teaches us not to “remove the ancient landmark…
Read more...
God's call for innovators in the kitchen
17 June 2021This summer promises to contain opportunities galore for many of us to meet up with friends and family again. The upcoming tidal wave of social events will be a unique time to gather safely with others as the appetite (pardon the pun) for social interaction, and particularly to eat together, will be at an all-time high. In many cases, communities are craving togetherness, chit chat, seeing faces in person and having deep conversations. We have come to realise, more than ever, that the most…
Read more...
Church, stand up and stand out this Christmas
7 December 2020As we reach the end of a difficult year, uncertain of what lies ahead, I can think of few better ways to call us to press on this Christmas than the emboldening words of the prophet Isaiah: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2) Perhaps, like many of us, you’ve been in a season of gradual hibernation as the…
Read more...
Is slowing down the new busy?
2 June 2020As I read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, one of his statements leapt out at me, and I just had to write it down: “If you want to experience the life of Jesus you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.” What does the pastor mean by that? I really don’t fancy wearing sandals and eating olives, and my wife will tell you that I’m definitely not one to go on long walks. There’s a lot to be said about imitating others in a bid to achieve the same results. This is no doubt why…
Read more...