Rev Elson Parris and Eurides Carvalho © Dawie Verwey

Photographed by: Dawie Verwey

Name
Rev Elson Parris and Eurides Carvalho

Place of residence

London

Country of origin

Barbados & Guinea-Bissau

Occupation

Rev Elson Parris: senior pastor at Wesleyan Christian Centre

 

Reverend Elson Parris arrived in the UK from Barbados in 1968. Now he is the senior pastor at Wesleyan Christian Centre in North London and he oversees its Portuguese congregation, which blossomed after he prayed for more diversity. The church has an English service in the morning and a Portuguese one in the evening, with a monthly joint celebration. Eurides Carvalho, who moved from Guinea-Bissau to Portugal as a child and arrived in England from Portugal in 1996 with her son, attends Parris' congregation and enjoys its diversity.

Elson says: "To begin with, the church mainly consisted of Caribbean people and I really challenged God and said, 'I want more diversity because you are a multicultural God'. That week, every time I went to bed, I dreamt that the church was full of people of all different ethnic groups and we had to push the doors back. I had been on holiday and on my return one Portuguese family turned up and from there the growth started. We help them to integrate by having the different services, which helps them get used to the surroundings and the different culture and cultural mix. We try to create an atmosphere where each culture can engage and enjoy each other."

Eurides says: "I am enjoying being here in England. The way the people worship here is very interesting. It is very interesting that in one church you can have loads of different races and cultures and they have only one God. We can worship in our own language and our own way."

Elson says: "I am learning to see that people from all regions and around the world that people are passionate for Christ and whatever their expression of that is - we know they have a passion for the Lord and this excites me to see the enthusiasm from these folks."  

Eurides says: "The church has helped me a lot. Whenever I need a job, there are people who know me very well and can write me a reference. I was able to start by gaining experience at the church by working with the children, it helps a lot. At this point I do feel at home in the UK. I went to Portugal two months ago for a holiday and I couldn't actually stay there long. After three weeks, I wanted to come back because it is part of me now. "